The Undiscovered Gem in Narragansett Bay, Prudence Island

Have you ever visited Prudence Island, which is near the geographical center of Narragansett Bay? Recently, we did with our adventurous buyers who were absolutely passionate to buy a home on the third largest island in the bay. It is actually part of the town of Portsmouth. We four excited enquiring souls left one blustery frigid winter morning on the ten o’clock ferry from the Church Street Pier in Bristol, RI. We were equipped with one vehicle, one dog and our picnic lunches. Restaurants and supermarkets are nonexistent on this little jewel, but you may buy snacks at the two general stores, which are very austere. Prudence Island is accessible only by private boat, water taxi or a thirty minute ferry ride. The next one back to the mainland was at four o’clock!

Upon arriving we were greeted at the ferry by the lone local constabulary on the island. He makes an appearance, it is said, to set the standard for proper decorum while visiting the island. This is probably not necessary. At the ferry landing is one of the two general stores, the post office and the only island gas pump! Originally, the Homestead Casino stood on this site, it was a major attraction to the island in an earlier era. However, it was destroyed in the Hurricane of 1938 and since then the island has peacefully slumbered along.



Off we went, following the real estate Guru/tour guide of Prudence Island down the east coast of the island. We drove past Sandy Point Light, which was actually moved in 1851 from Goat Island in Newport, where its services were no longer needed. It is the oldest surviving light house in Rhode Island. As we turned on to Broadway, which cuts across the island at its widest section, we drove by the century old one room island school house. There are now currently only three students in attendance, fifth graders and up take the ferry daily to school on the mainland! Only approximately 125 hearty souls live on this island year round, however in the summer the population can swell to up to 1,000 people. The residents’ collective intent is to keep anything commercial off of the island and they have succeeded in accomplishing this objective. Seventy percent of the island is owned by the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society and the RI Department of Environmental Management.

Prudence Island is roughly seven miles long and two miles across at its broadest point. In 1637 Roger Williams and John Winthrop bought the island from the Narragansett Indians who called it “Chibachuweset”. Williams named it Prudence Island, as well as Hope Island and Patience Islands, which he subsequently bought. They are to the west and northwest of the island, respectively. During Colonial times the island was mainly used for farming. In times past, the island school children used to learn a catchy rhyme to help them remember their local geography, “Prudence, Patience, Hope and Despair, and little Hog Island right over there”. Despair alludes to Halfway Rock which is under water at high tide, thus being a major navigational hazard in that period.

Had we traveled back in time? Being on the Prudence Island is like being in a time machine. You are suddenly thrust into the past, to a peaceful and serene time which many people today have never experienced. It was a cathartic experience that took us all by surprise.

We looked at three homes, the last of which was just down the lane from the school house. The buyers fell in lust with this property. It abuts the old 849 acre Navy ammunition depot at the southern most tip of the island which was used in WW II. It now serves as a state park and is also home to the Narragansett Bay Estuarine Research Reserve.

We took a drive into the state park and gleefully discovered a “Palazzo Piccolo”, which is how my grandfather used to describe a comfort station. It had solar panels, a digestive composting system and a hand sanitizing machine! This is the only public restroom on the entire island and we had just stumbled onto it! It was discretely tucked away in this park at the southern tip of the island. There is a wonderful crescent shaped beach, picnic tables and an old Navy pier. In this state park there are miles of roads for biking and hiking with old military bunkers scattered throughout, rusting vestiges of WW II.

Prudence Island had been plagued with a large deer population, hence an unwanted proliferation of deer ticks occurred on the island. Thanks to a controlled aggressive thinning of them by bow hunting, over the last number of years, the deer population has been drastically reduced. Happily along with it, the unwelcome deer tick dilemma has been proportionately diminished. Mysteriously, coyotes have recently appeared on the island, further reducing the population. The coyotes are an unsolved mystery which locals can only speculate about – where, how or who? Probably, no one will ever know.

We toured the island, which has several great little protected hidden harbors and scattered summer colonies, most of the roads are not paved. There is a little Victorian enclave on the west side of the island. Here at a stone wharf, in a by gone age, the steamships used to stop to serve the summer colony on their way to and from Providence, Fall River and New York. This stone wharf was severely damaged in the Hurricane of 1938 and today is now just a stubby protuberance sticking out into the bay. We stopped only to devour our picnic lunches, all of us were totally famished from all of our frenzied activities and enthusiastic exploring.


It was now time for us to take leave of this wonderful tranquil island. We drove our vehicle onto the ferry and were told that in this case it pays to be second in line in the winter. Salt water sprays up on to the deck of the ferry and the front cars get incrusted with ice! As the island disappeared into the distance, we thought about what an exhilarating day we had enjoyed. We had not left Narragansett Bay, but, it felt as if we had traveled to a distant place that is buffered from the brunt of the fast paced life which we all experience today. In addition to that, we had made a sale and what a wonderful adventurous way to accomplish that!!!!!!!!

Now we have an open invitation to moor our boat overnight at our new friends’ mooring and visit whenever we want! The buyers are thrilled and are a perfect fit for the island. Even better, they will be exceptional assets to the island going forward.

Prudence Island is not for everyone. It is for those who relish a slow paced way of life and being in touch with nature and the elements. Most people who come over to the island are visiting family, friends or are renters. There are no overnight accommodations on this island.

Now, whenever I drive over the Newport Bridge, I gaze fondly up the bay looking at Prudence Island with a totally new perspective. It truly is a little haven tucked away in beautiful Narragansett Bay! If you ever want a simple enjoyable day trip, bring your bikes or vehicle (reservations are required for cars), but remember to pack a lunch, hopefully on your journey you will find that little “Palazzo Piccolo”!!