1889 Map of Charlestown

About this map

Indian Burying Hill and the vast Indian Cedar Swamp anchor this late-nineteenth-century survey of the Rhode Island coastline. The landscape is defined by its transition from the complex lagoon systems of Ninigret Pond and Quonochontaug Pond to the interior wetlands and glacial ponds like Worden's Pond. Inland, the economy of the era is evident in the dense network of rail and river power. The New York Providence and Boston Railroad cuts across the center of the sheet, connecting industrial hamlets such as Carolina, Shannock, and Kenyon. Small settlements like Richmond Switch and Plainville reflect the importance of transit junctions, while the northern reaches show the winding paths of the Pawcatuck River and Usquepaug River. This survey captures the region before modern coastal development, where family-named landmarks like Tiff's Hill and Larkin's Pond remained central to the local geography.