Westerly - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

8.0 Historic &Cultural Resources8.1 Neighborhoods, Historic Districts, Structures and Sites8.1.1 Historic DistrictsWesterly was incorporated as a town in 1669, and over the years it has remained a hub of commerceand recreation in southern Rhode Island. The core of Westerly is approximately bounded by thePawcatuck River on the west; Oak Street and Railroad Avenue on the north; Tower Street, GraniteStreet, and Franklin Street on the east; and Wells Street on the south. Westerly also has a collectionof distinct villages which provides a glimpse into the town’s historic past whether they arecommercial centers, coastal communities, or mill towns. These villages and districts are: Avondale,Bradford, Misquamicut, Potter Hill, Shelter Harbor, Watch Hill, Weekapaug, and White Rock.There are also six neighborhoods in the town listed as Historic Districts on the National Register ofHistoric Places. These are Bradford Village, Main Street, North End, Watch Hill, WesterlyDowntown, and Wilcox Park. There are another 11 areas which have been either determinedeligible for Historic District listing, or recommended for nomination or for further study by theresponsible state agency, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission(RIHP&HC). See National Register Information System, http://www.nr.nps.gov.The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission provides municipalities withinthe state with a variety of information on historic resources. In 1978, the Commission developedthe Preliminary Report on Historic and Architectural Resources of Westerly, Rhode Island as a toolto identify and record properties of historic and architectural significance in the town. In addition tothis town-specific survey, the RIHP&HC has prepared several state-wide surveys including a historiclandscapes survey, an outdoor sculpture survey, a historic bridges survey, an engineering andindustrial sites survey and an archeological survey. In each of these historic surveys, sites inWesterly have been identified. For a broad discussion of Westerly’s historic neighborhoods, listedand eligible for listing, see Westerly Preservation Report 2006, Westerly Preservation Society, prepared byEric Dray and Gretchen Schuler, Preservation Consultants, and Historic and Architectural Resources ofWesterly, Rhode Island: A Preliminary Report, Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, March1978, http://www.nr.nps.gov.)Within each of the listed historic districts are structures and sites which are deemed to be“contributing” to the historic character of the particular district. These are so identified in thevarious inventories prepared as part of the listing application process. In addition to historicdistricts, there are eight structures and sites in the town which have been listed individually on theNational Register. These are: Babcock-Smith House; Flying Horse Carousel; Former ImmaculateConception Church (now George Kent Performance Hall of the Chorus of Westerly); Lewis-Card-Perry House; Nursery Site RI-273; U.S. Post Office (Broad and High Streets); Westerly Armory; andWeekapaug Inn. See Rhode Island Properties, Westerly, listed in the National Register,http://www.preservation.ri.gov/register/riproperties.Westerly, Rhode Island 117