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1889 Map of Charlestown

Name: 1889 Topographic Map of Charlestown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

Indian Burying Hill stands as a significant cultural landmark in this coastal region of southern Rhode Island, surveyed in the late 19th century. The landscape is defined by its extensive wetlands and ponds, including the massive Great Swamp and Indian Cedar Swamp, which dominate the interior. The coastal geography is characterized by a series of salt ponds like Ninigret Pond and Quonochontaug Pond, separated from the Atlantic by narrow barrier beaches.

Transport and industry follow the river valleys, with the New York Providence and Boston Railroad and the Wood River Branch Railroad connecting mill villages such as Carolina, Shannock, and Kenyon. These settlements developed along the Pawcatuck River and its tributaries, where the terrain allowed for early industrial water power. Further east, the village of Kingston and its namesake Kingston Hill overlook the low-lying glacial plains, illustrating the transition from the rocky interior hills to the maritime environment.