Located on Greenwich Cove and Greenwich Bay, you will find the beautiful Goddard Memorial State Park. The area where Goddard Memorial State Park lies today was previously known as Potowomut. Information can be found here.
History
In 1792, Nicholas Brown bought the land of Richard Green. After passing through several generations, it came to belong to Henry C. Russell. Mr. Russell was responsible for many of the beautiful parts of the park. He built the mansion called the Oaks, which became the centerpiece of his estate. Mr. Russell is also the person who collected trees from all over the world. He brought in 62 different deciduous species and over 19 varieties of evergreens. Unfortunately, the Hurricane of 1938 took out many trees, and in 1975 the mansion burned down. See here for information about Greenwich Cove Site near East Greenwich, RI.
Today
Today Goddard Memorial State Park occupies 490 acres. After the Russell family owned the estate, it passed to Robert Goddard who was a Civil War officer and a Rhode Island politician. In 1927 Goddard’s children gave the estate to the state in memory of their father.
The park contains a 9-hole golf course, 18 miles of horseback riding trails, a beach where people can go swimming, 355 picnic tables, game fields, and even a performing arts center.