Coventry, Rhode Island, United States

🇺🇸 Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is part of the Pawtuxet River Valley.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 62.3 sq mi (161 km²). 59.5 sq mi (154 km²) of it is land and 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km²) of it (4.49%) is water. The town is bordered by West Warwick to the east, Foster, Scituate, and Cranston to the north, West Greenwich and East Greenwich to the south, and Sterling, Connecticut, to the west. It is the largest town in land area in Rhode Island, being surpassed in total area only by South Kingstown, Rhode Island, with water and land area of 79.8 square miles (207 km²).

History Coventry was first settled by English colonists in the early 18th century, when the town was part of Warwick. Since the area was so far away from the centre of Warwick, the section that became Coventry grew very slowly. However, by 1741, enough farmers (about 100 families) had settled in the area that they petitioned the General Assembly of Rhode Island to create their own town. The petition was granted, and the new town was named "Coventry", after the English city. For the rest of the 18th century, Coventry remained a rural town populated by farmers. Among the buildings that survive are the Waterman Tavern (1740s), the Nathanael Greene Homestead (1770), and the Paine Homestead (late 17th century/early 18th century). The oldest church, Maple Root Baptist Church, dates from the end of the 18th century. The congregation was organized in 1762 and was affiliated with the General Six-Principle Baptists.

During the Revolutionary War, the people of Coventry were supporters of the patriot cause. Nathanael Greene, a resident of Coventry, rose through the ranks to become a leading general of the American army. By the end of the war, Greene was second in command in the US army after George Washington.

In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution came to Coventry with the building of the first mill in Anthony. Over the next century, the eastern end of town became very industrialized, with manufacturing centres being located in Anthony, Washington, Quidnick, and Harris villages. Many of the old factories still stand in the town, and the village centres (in particular, Anthony and Quidnick) remain mostly intact. The demographics of the town changed, as industrial jobs at these new mill villages attracted French Canadian and Irish immigrants. By the end of the 19th century, almost one fourth of the population was born outside the US, and French was the primary language for many of the people in the eastern part of Coventry. Not all immigrants worked in the factories. Census records from the late 19th century show that some owned farms.

By comparison, the western end of the town remained very rural, with the only centres of population being located at Greene and Summit, both established as railroad stations on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

In the 20th century, the town went through much change. The advent of the automobile brought an end of the railroad. (The track was dismantled in the 1970s, and in the early 21st century, the right of way was revitalized as the Washington Secondary Rail Trail/Greenway). By the mid-20th century, industry had largely left the town and most of the factories closed.

Since the late 20th century, the town has attracted new residents, and the eastern part of the town became suburbanized. In the early 21st century, a movement in the town has developed to limit residential development to keep the rural flavor of the western part of the town.

Recreation Coventry offers a few recreation facilities. The town has youth sport leagues for football (boasting the 2006 American Youth Football National title), basketball, baseball, and softball. Carbuncle Pond off Route 14 (Plainfield Pike) near the Connecticut border is a 39-acre (160,000 m²) pond that is popular for freshwater fishing. Johnson's Pond, a waterfront neighborhood, houses facilities for fishing and watersports. Wakeboarding Magazine rated Johnson's Pond as the best location for wakeboarding in Rhode Island. The 860-acre (3.5 km²) George B. Parker woodland, owned by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, offers several hiking trails. The woodland caretaker's home dates from the mid 18th century.

The town has been investing in the Coventry Greenway, a pedestrian and bicycle path built on the old New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad right-of-way and part of the East Coast Greenway, a trail running from Maine to Florida. The Coventry Greenway travels 15 miles (24 km) from the Connecticut state line to the West Warwick town line. The greenway has recently undergone a massive renovation and has reopened to the public as a walking, cycling, and horse trail.

Villages Coventry has numerous villages founded in the 19th century; they are: • Anthony – Mill village in the eastern part of the town • Arkwright – Mill village founded by James DeWolf, a slave trader • Blackrock – Named after a large dark rock rumored to be the site of Native American marriage ceremonies • Colvintown – Named after original settlers, the Colvin's • Coventry Centre – Village in the geographic centre of Coventry • Fairbanks – Mill village along the Moosup River • Greene – Old railroad village in the western end of town • Harris – Mill village in the north-eastern part of town • Hopkins Hollow – Rural hamlet in the south-western part of town, almost unchanged in over 150 years • Quidnick – Mill village on the border of West Warwick • Rice City – Rural village in the north-western part of town, dominated by Rice Tavern (1804), which used to serve travelers on their way to Connecticut • Spring Lake – Former mill village • Summit – Railroad village near Greene • Tiogue – Formerly Barclay, after Robert Barclay • Washington – Mill village in the centre of the town • Whaley's Hollow – Mill village and location of Waterman Tavern

Historic homes Coventry boasts many old homes, churches and cemeteries. Farmhouses from the 18th century can be found scattered around the town, and many are still private residences. On the eastern side of town, many homes from the 19th century can be found, ranging from the two-family mill workers residence to mansions owned by the town elites. The village of Greene and the Rice City and Hopkins Hollow parts of town have remained unchanged since the 19th century. Also, many of the churches in Coventry date from the 19th century and are still functioning churches.

Historic Places • Isaac Bowen House (1795) • Joseph Briggs House-Coventry Town Farm (1790) • Carbuncle Hill Archaeological District, RI-1072-1079 • General Nathanael Greene Homestead (1770) • Hopkins Hollow Village • Interlaken Mill Bridge (1885) • Moosup River Site (RI-1153) • Paine House (1748) • Pawtuxet Valley Dyeing Company (1859) • Read School (1831) • Rice City Historic District • South Main Street Historic District (Coventry, Rhode Island) • Waterman Tavern (1744) – Historical Marker for Waterman Tavern – HMdb • William Waterman House • Wilson-Winslow House (1812).