1893 Map of Sakonnet

About this map

The coastal reaches of Little Compton and Middletown meet the Atlantic in this late 19th-century hydrographic and topographic study. Surveyed primarily in 1885, the map documents the complex shoreline where the Sakonnet River opens into the sea. The landscape is defined by its maritime exposures, featuring landmarks such as Sakonnet Point, Sachuest Neck, and the protective Breakwater. The interior of the Little Compton peninsula reveals a low-lying terrain dotted with coastal water bodies like Round Pond and Long Pond, suggesting the salt-pond ecology typical of this corner of Rhode Island. The eastern edge of the sheet identifies the Rhode Island Massachusetts Boundary Line, providing a precise look at the border before 20th-century coastal development transformed these seaside commons and family-named points like Warren Point and Church Point.