Newport, RI Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

Thirty miles south of Providence, NEWPORT stands at the southern tip of the largest island in Narragansett Bay, Aquidneck Island . It was established as a colony by William Coddington of Providence in 1639. Due to its excellent harbor, it grew rapidly as a port for the triangle trade and as a privateering center. Religious tolerance led to an influx of Jews, Quakers and Baptists who formed lucrative international trade links, but this great prosperity was severely knocked back by the British occupation of 1776–79, when half the population fled and much of the town was burned down. Fortunately, enough of its … more »