Rocky Point State Park

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A black, white, and light blue striped header image reading Rocky Point State Park

Back in late May 2023, I visited Rocky Point State Park, formerly an amusement park in Warwick, RI managed by Rhode Island State Parks (RISP) with funding from the City of Warwick and the Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). Together, these organizations have transformed the area into a kite flying field, oceanfront beach, and ADA compliant trails, along with supporting the Rocky Point Park Pathways Project by Leadership Rhode Island. Since 2017, a series of pathway signs detail the history of the park using text and images.

The Beach at Rocky Point State Park; A grassy beach beside Narragansett Bay 'Building a Better Warwick' Sign at Rocky Point State Park; a six foot by three foot sign near a paved path

The Saltwater Pool

Built in the early 1930s, the original saltwater pool lasted only a few years before the Great 1938 Hurricane destroyed it. Interestingly, the trials for the 1936 U.S. Olympic Men’s swimming team were held in the pool using water from Narragansett Bay. (As a side tangent, the women’s trials were held in Astoria, Long Island, New York, as the city had recently opened a new pool. Twenty-year-old Uxbridge resident, Alice Bridges (Roche), qualified as an alternate for the women’s team and later won bronze in the 100m backstroke. A bridge over the Mumford River in Uxbridge is appropriately named after her.) Saltwater pools are no longer sanctioned by the modern swimming organization World Aquatics (formerly known as Fédération internationale de natation or Fina), as the current rules state that “No World Records will be recognized in any kind of sea or ocean water”. Another pool was built in place of the 1930s pool after the hurricane, but that has been filled in, too.

Saltwater Pool sign at Rocky Point State Park; an informational sign with a replica postcard of the saltwater pool along with text describing the history of the pool Filled-In Saltwater Pool at Rocky Point State Park; worn concrete edge with green grass in the center.

The Arch

The story of the massive sixty-foot arch begins not in Warwick but in New York City during the 1964 World’s Fair. This arch was one of eleven “archways to understanding” used as an electronic billboard and paid for by General Foods, a now-defunct monopoly that had previously purchased brands like Kellogg Company (cereal), Jell-O, Maxwell House (coffee), and Birds Eye (frozen food) before a 1995 buyout by even larger monopoly, Kraft Foods. The life of this arch was likewise convoluted. The arch lost its electronic billboard after the fair and spent several years in Chicago, IL. According to Art in Ruins, a historical structure documentation project with a focus on Rhode Island, the arch arrived in Rocky Point some time after 1949, when Vincent Ferla, Sr. purchased the amusement park and installed his brother, Conrad Ferla, as the general manager.

The Arch at Rocky Point State Park; a sixty foot tall whitewashed metal arch with a light blue bar about a third of the way up Sign for the Arch at Rocky Point State Park; Informational sign with a photograph of the arch, an advertisement for the 1964 World's Fair, and text describing the history of the Arch.

The Pier (Larry Mouradjian Fishing Pier)

The first iteration of this pier appeared in 1860 with the help of American Steamship Company (not related to the modern American Steamship Company headquartered in Buffalo, NY and founded in 1907). This pier was rebuilt after an 1883 fire, the Great 1938 Hurricane, and Hurricane Carol of 1954. The pier found a new life as a fishing derby site for the next twenty years until the 1980s. The current iteration of the pier stretches 280 feet long and boasts railings, benches, a pavilion, and solar lights thanks to the support of former RIDEM Assistant Director Larry Mouradjian for whom the pier was named as a retirement gift in 2018 after thirty-seven years of working for the RIDEM.

Decorative fence near the pier at Rocky Point State Park; green and brown grass between the paved path and the fence with Narragansett Bay beyond the fence Crab design from the decorative fence near the pier at Rocky Point State Park Pavillion on the pier at Rocky Point State Park; a fifteen-foot tall pavilion with open sides, a peaked metal roof, and a decorative cupola
 The full pier at Rocky Point State Park; grassy shore lined by coastal shrubs lead to a long wooden pier with metal railings jutting out into Narragansett Bay 
Sign for Larry Mouradjian Fishing Pier; informational sign with old photos, new photos, and a portrait of Larry Mouradjian, along with text describing the history of the bridge and Mouradjian's career Sign for the Pier at Rocky Point State Park; regular informational sign with an old picture of the pier and text describing its history Recycling and Fishing Signs at Rocky Point State Park; the sign on the left describes best practices when recycling fishing materials, while the sign on the right details what fish are legal to catch.

The Shore Dinner Hall

This restaurant lasted from 1847 to 1996 beginning with an innovative concept by Captain William Winslow: transport local people via steamboat to an eighty-nine acre bayside site and serve them a dinner of fresh caught seafood and locally grown produce. Iterations of the business included a 4,000-seat dinner hall; massive clambakes; a 40th anniversary reunion for the Army of the Potomac from the Civil War in 1904; and 37,075 meals served during the United States Bicentennial on July 4, 1976. Plus, any local resident over thirty who visits the site is required to remind the less fortunate younger generation how good the food was. Today, a restaurant in Westerly, RI operating under the same name purports to sell some of the same menu items as the original Shore Dinner Hall.

Black Metal Bench at Rocky Point State Park Sign for The Shore Dinner Hall; regular informational sign with two old photographs of the former hall and text describing its history

Rocky Beach Cottages

Razed after the last owners were forced to leave in October 2006, the hundred-odd tiny cabins were no more than five hundred square feet and acted as vacation homes for local families. Long before Rocky Point Amusement Park declared bankruptcy, the cottages had their own trolley stop.

Beach Plum Flower at Rocky Point State Park; a pink flower with a yellow center surrounded by green leaves Rocky Beach Cottages sign at Rocky Point State Park; standard informational sign with an old image of the cottages and text describing their history

Presidential Phone Call

On June 20, 1877, or 146 years ago as of yesterday, the 19th President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes (who wins both “best name” and “best facial hair” for today), received some assistance from entrepreneur Frederick Allen Gower in making the first telephone call. Hayes called from Rocky Point to the telephone patentee, Alexander Graham Bell, who stood thirteen miles away at the now-demolished City Hotel in Providence, RI. According to the Providence Journal article published nine days later, Bell had a lovely little speech about the honor of speaking to the president over the phone. Hayes set the standard for people with hearing impairments for generations to come when he replied, “That is wonderful. Please speak a little more slowly.” On a more somber note, Gower died in 1885 after he disappeared while crossing the English Channel in a hot air balloon.

Presidential Phone Call sign and the Pier at Rocky Point State Park; the standard informational sign with two old images and text describing the phone call is in the foreground, while the pier is in the background down the hill past a green lawn and paved trails on the far right

Attractions: Circle Swing, House of Horrors, The Skyliner, & Baseball

Clearly not passing current safety standards, the centrifugal circle swing was patented by famous American roller coaster designer Harry Guy Traver on September 11, 1906 and lasted until the mid-1960s, not coincidentally around the same time seatbelts began appearing in cars. The patent expired almost a hundred years ago on September 11, 1923, so you could technically build a circle swing for personal use with no worry about infringement. Nearby, legendary “dark ride” designer Bill Tracy built the haunted house in 1963 under the name Castle of Terror. The attraction was rebranded as House of Horrors in 1970 and closed after Halloween in 1998, three years after the rest of Rocky Point had shut down.

The Circle Swing sign at Rocky Point State Park; informational sign with an old image of the circle swing and text describing its history The Circle Swing at Rocky Point State Park; a tall metal thin triangular structure similar to a radio tower with the informational sign in front House of Horrors sign at Rocky Point State Park; a standard informational sign with a pair of old images and text describing the history of the attraction.

The Skyliner was a gentle ski lift bringing passengers toward the top of nearby cliffs and allowing them to see both the entire amusement park and some of Narragansett Bay. Famous baseball stars, including hall of famer Babe Ruth while he was playing for the Providence Grays, hit triples into the water at Rocky Point during a time when Warwick native Colonel Randall Augustus Harrington leased the property from the Continental Steamboat Company, around 1884 to his death in 1918. Harrington is now a member of the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame for his contribution to this landmark.

The Skyliner sign at Rocky Point State Park; standard informational sign with an old image of the amusement park and text describing the history of the ride Remnants of the Skyliner at Rocky Point State Park; three t-shaped metal structures with a wire stretched between them in the middle of a sloping green lawn leading down to Narragansett Bay Rocky Point and Baseball sign; an old image of the field, a portrait of Babe Ruth, and text describing the history of baseball at Rocky Point.

Conclusion

For an affordable, family-friendly day away filled with easy walking and plenty of signage, cool off this summer with a trip down to Rocky Point State Park. With plenty of park benches and space to bring your own beach chair, you will have no trouble finding a place to relax once you have read your fill of history facts.




Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 9/10



Location: Rocky Point State Park, 1 Rocky Point Ave, Warwick, RI 02889, USA