At
that time, Scituate boundaries also encompassed the land which is now Foster, so it was
bounded by Glocester to the north, Providence to the east, Warwick to the south, and
Connecticut to the west. In 1781, the present day town boundaries were created when a
western portion of largely unsettled woodlands was given to create Foster.
As the population grew, the villages of North Scituate and Hope also grew. North
Scituate was the home of the "Scituate Manufacturing' Company's mills, a National
Bank, well-kept livery stores and other establishments". (1) Hope was the stopping
point for the Pawtuxet Valley Railroad, and a mill that manufactured cannons used in the
Revolutionary War. Other villages also developed, including Ashland, Clayville, Elmdale,
Fiskeville, Glenn Rock, Harrisdale, Jackson, Kent, Ponaganset, Potterville, Richmond,
Rockland, Saundersville, and South Scituate.
In 1915, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to take 14,800 acres of land in
Scituate (38% of the town) to create a reservoir to supply fresh water to greater
Providence. This project resulted in the condemnation of "1,195 buildings, including
375 houses, seven schools, six churches, six mills, thirty dairy farms, eleven ice houses,
post offices, and an electric railway system, the Providence and Danielson Railway
system". (2) The hamlets of Kent, Richmond, Rockland, South Scituate, Ashland,
Saundersville, Ponaganset and parts of North Scituate and Clayville disappeared forever.
Scituate has played an important role in many of the United States wars. During the
Revolutionary War, 76 cannons were forged at the Hope Furnace. During World War II,
Scituate was the site of a radio monitoring system that intercepted enemy signals. Because
of this, in 1946, the Chopmist Hill area was considered as the headquarters of the United
Nations. (3)
The present-day Scituate offers suburban conveniences and proximity to Providence, and
a tranquil, rural environment of unspoiled forests and pristine streams and ponds. Low
taxes, an excellent school system, and location make Scituate a desirable place to live in
Rhode Island.