Bristol, RI

Bristol, RI

On several of our various trips down to Newport, we have visited Bristol; a town north of Newport and south of Warren.

Named after Bristol in England, it is the county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, which was created in 1685 as a part of Massachusetts.

In 1747 the county was split into two, with one part becoming part of Rhode Island and the other part remaining as Bristol County in Massachusetts.

The Colt Memorial School, at 570 Hope Street, built around 1806. The building is of marble, and the windows are cast from solid bronze. It was a gift to Bristol from Samuel Pomeroy Colt in his mother's memory.

400 Hope Street, the Burnside Memorial Hall. Built in 1883, this building was named after Ambrose Burnside, who fought in the Civil War and, later, became Senator and Governor of Rhode Island.

It was the Town Hall up until 1969, and today is used as an annex to the present Town Hall, and as the Bristol Visitor Center.

Built in 1861, this is St. Michael’s Episcopal Church at 375 Hope Street. It is the 4th church built on here, the first having been burned down by the British in 1778. The clock dates to 1871, and the present spire replaced the original after the Gale in 1891.

The John Howe House, aka “Four Eagles”, at 341 Hope Street, was built by Howe in 1808.

The four eagles were carved by sailors on board the “Yankee” during the War of 1812 and given to Benjamin Churchill, who was their Captain. He had purchased the house in 1822.

Buuilt in 1792, this is the Royal Diman House at 344 Hope Street. The interior was the subject of a major restoration in the 1930s.

9 Church Street built in 1805 by William Throop, Jr.

Built by the DeWolf brothers in 1797, this was Bristol’s first bank. Restored at the end of the last century, it is now the DeWolf Tavern and Bristol Harbor Inn.

267 Thames Street was built as a warehouse by the DeWolf family in 1818.

343 Thames St. Currently the Stone Harbor Condominium.

Built in 1854, 1 Bradford Street was J. Howard Manchester’s Store. Manchester was a roofing and plumbing contractor. Since 1928, it has been home to the Bristol Phoenix newspaper.

Designed by Russell Warren and built for George DeWolf in 1810, Linden Place is a Georgian mansion at 500 Hope Street. Currently open to the public for tours run by the Friends of Linden Place.

Designed and built by Russell Warren for William Van Doorn in around 1807, Subsequently, Warren purchased 86 State Street in 1813 and lived there until 1823.

The Wissing House at 89 State Street, built in 1850 by Russell Warren.

281 High Street was built in 1824 as a barn for James DeWolf. In 1850, his son William contracted Russell Warren to convert it into a house. You can see the large granite blocks that filled in the barn doors around the new front entrance. Currently, it is the parish house for the Congregational Church.

Built for William H. DeWolf around 1830, 291 High Street was bought by Ramon Guiteras around 1887 who converted the original Greek Revival house into the Eastlake style.

A little whimsy in a Bristol garden!

At 250 High Street, there is the First Baptist Church, built in 1814. Originall, there was a spire, but it was blown off in the gale of 1869. It is also known as the “Stone Chapel”.

Constructed in 1816/7, the Bristol County Statehouse/Courthouse at 240 High Street was one of 5 locations for meetings of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Senate. It then became the Bristol County Court from 1854 up to 1980. In 1997 it was purchased by the Bristol Statehouse Foundation, who have restored it.

Constructed in 1816/7, the Bristol County Statehouse/Courthouse at 240 High Street was one of 5 locations for meetings of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Senate. It then became the Bristol County Court from 1854 up to 1980. In 1997 it was purchased by the Bristol Statehouse Foundation, who have restored it.

The Hope Diner in Bristol. A real, old fashioned diner with no pretension. The food is fine and reasonably priced.

Heading back from Bristol to Newport, we encountered a bit of a traffic hold-up on the Mount Hope Bridge

On several of our various trips down to Newport, we have visited Bristol; a town north of Newport and south of Warren.

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