House in Adamsville
12" x 16"
$300.00

The original settlers in Little Compton were Englishmen who sought to expand their land holdings and settle further on the periphery of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. They petitioned the Plymouth Colony, which granted them their land. There were thirty-two original "owners" of the land, of which one was Colonel Benjamin Church, well known for his role in the Indian Wars of the late 17th century. Church built his homestead in Little Compton by 1675, just prior to King Philip's War. Presently, a plaque on the side of West Main Road details the location of Church's original homestead. Little Compton itself originally belonged to the Wampanoag tribe led by Awashonks, the sister of Metacom (commonly known as King Philip.) The land was called alternately Sakonnet, Sogkonate, Seconit, Seaconnet, and many other variations of the same throughout its existence. Today it is commonly spelled Sakonnet.

The town itself was incorporated in 1682 by the Plymouth Colony, and renamed Little Compton (possibly a reference to Little Compton in Warwickshire, England; however at present there is no direct evidence to substantiate their relationship.) By 1746/7, however, Little Compton had secured its own royal decree and was annexed to Newport County as a part of Rhode Island along with Tiverton and other towns. Because Little Compton was at one point part of the Plymouth Colony, all probate records prior to 1746 can be found in Taunton, MA, United States.

Sites of historic interest in Little Compton include the Wilbor House, built in 1692 by Samuel Wilbor, now the home of the Little Compton Historical Society. [1]

The only town common in Rhode Island is located in Little Compton.

Additionally, the Quaker Meeting House on West Main Road, Number 8 Schoolhouse (now used as part of the Town Hall), Town Hall, Wilbur's Store, and United Congregational Church all predate 1900 and are centered around the town Commons. Additional historic homes are scattered throughout town and include the Asa Gray house, Slicer house, Oldacre, and the C. Brownell house on West Main Road, the Brownell house on Meetinghouse lane, the Whalley farmstead on Burchard Ave., and the Brownell Library on the Commons.

Colonel Benjamin Church and his family are buried in the Commons cemetery, as is Elizabeth Pabodie, the first born child of John and Priscilla Alden of Mayflower fame. The stones in the cemetery reflect a style of carving that is similar to that found both in Newport and in Boston during the same time periods.