William Blackstone Monument - Cumberland, RI - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

In front of the mill is the William Blackstone Monument, erected in 1889 very near the grave of William Blackstone, the first white settler in what is now the State of Rhode Island, though he took no part in the founding of the Colony (see History). Blackstone was born in England near the end of the 16th century. He was graduated from Cambridge University, was ordained an Anglican clergyman, and came to Massachusetts in 1623. After several years residence on the site of present-day Boston, he came here in 1635, calling his new home Study Hall. Though somewhat of a recluse, he occasionally visited Roger Williams's settlement at Providence. Blackstone died in May, 1675, just before the outbreak of King Philip's War which laid his home in ashes; his library of some 186 volumes was also destroyed. A few apple trees, supposed to have been descended from Blackstone's original orchard, were still standing in the vicinity as late as 1836. Blackstone is said to have planted the first orchard in Rhode Island and also the first one in Massachusetts, and, according to tradition, he rode about the countryside on a cream-colored bull, carrying
apples in his pockets to give children.

Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State, Tour 5 p.395



This monument was in fact located across the street at the Ann & Hope Mill, however was moved to this location in 1996. The actual remains of William Blackstone remains a mystery with them being lost in one of the moves of his grave.

Book: Rhode Island Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 395 Year Originally Published: 1937

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