Encyclopedia:
Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol is a
town in
Rhode Island and the
county seat of
Bristol County. Bristol, a deep water
seaport, is named after
Bristol,
England.
NOTE: Rhode Island has no county governments, so Bristol is the main town of Bristol County.Bristol gained national fame despite its small size as a result of having the oldest, continuous
Independence Day celebrations in the
United States, earning Bristol its nickname, "America's Most Patriotic Town".
Bristol's diverse heritage is influced by a strong
Portuguese-American presence, mostly
Azorean, and
Italian-American. Major industries include
boat building (and related
marine industries),
manufacturing and
tourismhttp://www.destinationbristol.com/. The town's
school system is united with neighboring
Warren, Rhode Island.
History
The first battle of
King Philip's War took place here in
1675; although Philip was eventually defeated, his
Indian name,
Metacom, is now the name of a main road in Bristol.
King Philip also made nearby Mount Hope (Montaup) his base of operations. "King Philip's Chair," a rocky ledge on the mountain, was a lookout site for enemy ships on Mount Hope Bay. After that war concluded, the town was settled in
1680 as part of the
Plymouth Colony. It remained a part of
Massachusetts until the
Crown transferred it to the Rhode Island Colony in
1747.
During the
American Revolutionary War, the
British Navy bombarded Bristol twice. On
October 7,
1775, a group of ships led by
Captain Wallace and the
HMS Rose sailed into town and demanded provisions. When refused, Wallace shelled the town, causing some damage. The attack was stopped when
Lt. Gov. William Bradford rowed out to the
Rose to negotiate a cease-fire, but then a second attack took place on
May 25,
1778. This time, 500
British and
Hessian troops marched through the main street (now called Hope Street) and burnt 30 barracks and houses, taking some prisoners to
Newport.
Bristol also is noted for having the oldest, continuous
Independence Day celebrations in the
United States. The first mention of this comes from July 1777, when a British officer noted sounds coming from across
Narragansett Bay:
:"This being the first anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence of the Rebel Colonies, they ushered in the morning by firing 13 cannons, one for each colony, we suppose. At sunset, the rebel
frigates fired another round of 13 guns, each one after the other. As the evening was very still and fine the echo of the guns down the Bay had a grand effect."
The first formal celebrations were held in
1785 and continue today, organized by the Bristol
Fourth of July Committee
http://www.july4thbristolri.com/. The festivities start over a month before the Fourth of July, and end with the Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade, an event that draws over 200,000 people from Rhode Island and around the world. These elaborate celebrations give Bristol its nickname, "America's most patriotic town."
Until 1854, Bristol was one of the five state capitals of Rhode Island.
Bristol is home to
Roger Williams University, named for Rhode Island founder
Roger Williams.
thumb|right|Bristol HarborNotable Inhabitants:*
Benjamin Bourne, lawyer, jurist, and politician
*
William Bradford (1729-1808), physician, lawyer, and United States Senator
*
Ambrose Burnside, railroad executive, industrialist, politician, and Union general
*
James De Wolf,
slave trader and
United States senator*
Nathanael Herreshoff, yacht designer & builder
*
Ira Magaziner, chief Internet policy advisor to Clinton Administration
*
Samuel P. Colt, entrepreneur, politician, lawyer, gentleman farmer & philanthropist
*
Anthony Quinn, actor
Museums:*
http://www.herreshoff.org/ Herreshoff Marine Museum*
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Haffenreffer/ Haffenreffer Museum of Anthroplogy*
http://www.lindenplace.org/ Linden Place (
1810)
*
http://www.blithewold.org/ Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum (
1907)
*
http://www.coggeshallfarm.org/ Coggeshall Farm Museum (c.
1790)
*
http://www.mounthopefarm.com/ Mount Hope Farm (
1745)
Geography
Bristol is situated on 10.1 square miles of a
peninsula (the smaller sub-peninsula on the west is called Poppasquash), with
Narragansett Bay on its west and Mount Hope Bay on its east. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.4
km² (20.6
mi²). 26.2 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 27.2 km² (10.5 mi²) of it (50.99%) is water. Bristol's harbor is home to over 800 boat moorings in seven mooring fields.
Demographics
As of the
population density was 858.1/km² (2,222.2/mi²). There were 8,705 housing units at an average density of 332.4/km² (860.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14%
White, 0.62%
Black or
African American, 0.16%
Native American, 0.67%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.33% from
other races, and 1.03% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 8,314 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were
married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,689, and the median income for a family was $54,656. Males had a median income of $37,587 versus $26,413 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $21,532. About 5.2% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Points of interest
thumb|right|Mt. Hope Bridge*
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum*
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology*
Herreshoff Marine Museum*
Roger Williams University*
Mount Hope BridgeExternal links
Wikisource1911Enc|Bristol (Rhode
*
http://www.bristolri.us/ Official Town Website*
http://www.onlinebristol.com/ Unofficial Home Page*
http://www.bristolri.com/ Bristol Phoenix, weekly community newspaper*
http://www.destinationbristol.com/ Destination Bristol, official tourism site*
http://www.july4thbristolri.com/ Bristol Fourth of July Committee, official site*
http://www.riparks.com/colt.htm Colt State Park*
http://www.bristolyouthsoccer.com/ Bristol Youth Soccer AssociationRhode
Category:Towns in Rhode IslandCategory:Bristol County, Rhode IslandBristol, Rhode Islandsv:Bristol, Rhode Island
