Brenton Point State Park

About Brenton Point State Park

Located on the grounds of one of Newport's grandest estates, Brenton Point State Park offers visitors the opportunity to relax, picnic and swim in the warm waters of Narragansett Bay. The park is located on a headland where Narrganset Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, and is conveniently located just a few miles south of downtown. Visitors can picnic and hike, kayak, bike, canoe, boat or even cycle to the beach and back.

William Brenton was born in 1600, died in 1674 and was a member of the Royal Society of New England, one of the oldest political parties in England. American colonial officials, he was the son of William Brentin, the first governor of Rhode Island and grandson of John Brentan. He left England in 1633 and worked in Providence, RI. In 1637 he left Massachusetts for Portsmouth (RI) and worked in a settlement in Rhode Island in 1640.

He was deputy governor of Portsmouth and Newport from 1640 to 1647, then moved back to Boston and was part of the group that settled in Newport. He returned to Newport in 1660 and served as governor and deputy governor for the next eight years, then moved back to Boston.

The US Army took over the property in 1941 and used it as a coastal battery from 1941 to 1946. In 1969, Rhode Island acquired the land under the Green Acres Program, and in 1974, the city of Newport agreed to establish Brenton Point State Park, the first national park in the United States.

He died on 18 July 1864 in Newport at the age of 74, just a few months before the birth of his son William.

Brenton Point State Park opened to the public in 1976 and has since then had about 20 picnic tables open to the public, with the motto "First come, first served. His job was to monitor the water quality of the river, the coast and wildlife in the area, as well as the state's waterways.