A history of Narragansett,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Narragansett from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusNarragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 14,532 at the 2020 census. However, during the summer months the town's population more than doubles to near 34,000. The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River (aka Narrow River) to the shore of Narragansett Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. It was separated from South Kingstown in 1888 and incorporated as a town in 1901. With several ocean beaches and a walkable strip along the ocean front, Narragansett is a resort area in the summer season as well as a popular East Coast surfing spot due to frequent southerly swells from Atlantic Oc…
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 15,868 to 14,532 (-8%). Half of its homes were built before 1975.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Narragansett yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Narragansett’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewIndian Rock, Narragansett, Rhode …, 1863: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Narragansett, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Indian Rock, Narragansett, Rhode Islandlabel QS:Len,"Indian Rock, Narragansett, Rhode Island" (1863) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5) and the Library of Congress (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.