Block Island is a glacial remnant with a history of piracy and indigenous resistance.
In short: Nine miles off the Rhode Island coast lies a landscape shaped by ancient ice and defined by centuries of conflict. From the tragic fate of the Niantic people to the legendary riches of Captain Kidd, this small island holds a complex legacy hidden beneath its popular summer vacation facade.
Formed by the same receding glaciers that sculpted Cape Cod and the Hamptons, Block Island—known to the Niantic people as Manisses—has long been a site of strategic importance. Before European arrival, the island supported a thriving indigenous population that hunted, fished, and farmed using the Three Sisters technique. By the mid-seventeenth century, however, colonial expansion brought devastating consequences. In 1636, a punitive expedition led by John Endicott razed Niantic wigwams and cornfields, an act that served as a precursor to the Pequot War.
The island’s colonial history is equally turbulent. Incorporated as New Shoreham in 1672, it became a refuge and supply point for figures like the pirate William Kidd. Local lore suggests that Kidd rewarded the hospitality of Mercy Sands by filling her apron with gold and jewels, a story that persists in the region’s folklore. By the nineteenth century, the island’s strategic location at the mouth of the Long Island Sound drew the attention of the Royal Navy, which occupied the island during the War of 1812 in a failed search for provisions.
Today, Block Island balances its history with modern conservation and innovation. Roughly 40 percent of its land is protected, serving as a vital stop for migratory birds along the Atlantic flyway. The island also hosts the United States' first offshore wind farm, which began commercial operation in 2016. Despite its small population of 1,410 residents, the island remains a site of deep historical resonance, from the Mohegan Bluffs, where a legendary battle once occurred, to the ancestral stones honoring the last full-blooded Manisses Indian, Isaac Church, who died in 1886.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Block Island
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