Historic Island Connected to Rhode Island's Founder Now For Sale

Forget owning a tropical island. How about purchasing a historic island that once belonged to Roger Williams himself?

An 8-acre island in Rhode Island's North Wickford Cove is on the market for $899,900 and the buyer will own a piece of Ocean State history.

Rabbit Island is just a short canoe or kayak trip away from the mainland of Wickford Village. No houses stand on the island, but there is a central plateau perfect for one along with majestic Red Oaks, a handful of Gray Birch, Sassafras and Wild Black Cherry trees.

Not to mention a great story.

Long before the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, the local Narragansett Indian tribe used this island and most of the surrounding area.

In the 1630s, the wife of the Narragansett chief Canonicus, known as Queen Sachem, gifted Rabbit Island to Roger Williams, Rhode Island's founding father.

Williams had a trading post in the area, where he also raised his goats. Those goats were a problem for Queen Sachem, who often found them in her gardens.

To solve her problem, she gave Williams Rabbit Island, so the goats could live offshore and eat the grass instead of her crops.

Williams sold the island (and his trading post) in 1651 to William Smith, whose homestead still stands in North Kingstown as the Smith Castle museum.

Smith never built on the island either and things have pretty much developed naturally out on Rabbit Island since the mid-1600s.

Jeanne Smith-Haroian/
Augustus Marsella/
Re/Max Professionals

Now up for sale, the 8.39-acre island is a once-in-a-lifetime buying opportunity for someone with dreams of owning a piece of Rhode Island history.

Or at least someone who always wanted to say they own an island.

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