Fort Wetherill

A Brief History: Nestled on the coast of Rhode Island in the town of Jamestown, at 3 Fort Wetherill Road, Jamestown, RI sits Fort Wetherill. Built around 1776, it was an 8-gun fortress originally known as “Dumpling Rock” when the US military established Fort Dumpling around the same time frame. As time grew on, toward the late 19th century, the country’s defenses for the harbor and coastal areas were getting reorganized so much so that Fort Dumpling was eventually built onto and added to. The fort was expanded and enlarged, gun mounts were added, and eventually in 1900, the fort was renamed to honor General Alexander Wetherill who was an infantry soldier that was killed in the Battle of San Juan during the Spanish-American war. In its heyday, it was home to various troops of the French, British and American forces during the Revolutionary War. Currently, it has been owned by the State of Rhode Island since August 16, 1972, for public use as a state park and registered on the National Register of Historical Places, used for Scuba Diving, hiking, sight-seeing, and viewing the Tall Ships Festival in Narragansett Bay every year.

Haunted History: Like many historical places, this too seems to have some haunted legends and tales following it. One such legend is one which started around the Revolutionary War. It’s said that a large black phantom dog with bright red eyes has been seen roaming the area and inside the tunnels. Witnesses have claimed seeing it walking through walls and hear random barking or howling with no dog to be found. People have said if the dog is to look directly at you, it’s an omen of death. Another claim is people have seen ghostly apparitions of soldiers walking the grounds in full uniform, all throughout the first and second world wars. In 1985, four women in their early 20s were found brutally murdered and left by the docks near the fort. After this incident was publicly recognized, the local police ended up receiving over 200 calls from visitors about many different paranormal happenings from the area, such as disembodied screams, unusual cold spots, and feelings of being watched over the next few years.