Discover 9 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Barrington (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Haines Memorial State Park, Nayatt Point Light, and Barrington Civic Center Historic District. Also, be sure to include St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Barrington (Rhode Island).
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Haines Memorial State Park
State park in Barrington, Rhode Island. Haines Memorial State Park is public recreation area in the town of Barrington on the northeastern side of Narragansett Bay, six miles south of East Providence, Rhode Island. The state park offers picnicking, play fields, fishing and boating facilities, and is a stop on the East Bay Bike Path.[1]
Address: Narragansett Avenue, Barrington
Nayatt Point Light
Lighthouse in Barrington, Rhode Island. Nayatt Point Light is a historic lighthouse in Barrington, Rhode Island.
The current light was built of brick in 1856 and contains an 1828 keeper's house. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[2]
Barrington Civic Center Historic District
Park in Barrington, Rhode Island. Barrington Civic Center Historic District is a historic district in Barrington, Rhode Island on County Road. The district, which consists of the Barrington Town Hall, Leander R. Peck School and Prince's Hill Cemetery, is located on Prince's Hill near the center of Barrington. In 1728, Prince's Hill Cemetery was purchased and later expanded to its present size by 1898. The 1+1⁄2-story Barrington Town Hall was completed in 1888 and originally served as the seat of the town's government, library and high school. With the completion of the Leander R. Peck School in 1917, the high school moved into the adjacent building and the library used its space. The two-story Elizabethan Revival style Peck School is designed with a T-shaped plan and features a stairway to access the main entrance on the second story. The Peck School was later used by the fifth and sixth-grade elementary students before becoming the public library. Also located within the district is Wood's Pond. The Barrington Civic Center Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and serves as a historically significant example of civic and natural environment planning of the late nineteenth century.[3]
Address: 283 County Rd, Barrington
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Episcopal church in Barrington, Rhode Island. St. Matthew's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at 5 Chapel Road in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.
The congregation began as a mission in 1880, and was established as a parish in 1883, under the guidance of Rev. William Merrick Chapin. The church building was designed by William R. Walker & Son, and built in 1891. It is an eclectic mix of Queen Anne and Gothic Revival style. The attached parish hall was built in 1893. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[4]
Address: 5 Chapel Rd, 02806-1861 Barrington
Barrington Public Library
Library
Address: 281 County Rd, 02806-2406 Barrington
Benjamin Aborn Jackson House
Building in Barrington. The Benjamin Aborn Jackson House is an historic house at 115 Nayatt Road in Barrington, Rhode Island. The 2-1/2 story brick house was designed by Norman Isham and completed in 1913 for Benjamin Aborn Jackson, a Rhode Island banking and railroad executive. The house is a rare survivor of the development of Nayatt Point as a resort area. The L-shaped building is set well back from Nayatt Road, and is not far from the Nayatt Point Light.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[5]
Belton Court
Building in Barrington, Rhode Island. Belton Court is a historic estate on Middle Highway in Barrington, Rhode Island.
The building was built as the country home for Frederick Stanhope Peck, a businessman and Rhode Island political figure. It was designed by Martin & Hall, an esteemed Providence architectural firm. The expansive 1927–1928 additions were designed by George Frederic Hall, that firm's successor. Barrington College, a Christian school, owned the building for many years as part of its campus before merging with Gordon College in Massachusetts. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 1985 Belton Court became home to the Zion Bible College, which bought the campus for over $5 million. In 2007, it was listed for sale at $13 million, and Zion Bible College moved to Bradford, Massachusetts in 2008.
In 2011, a Massachusetts-based investor won a bid for Belton Court at auction. The developer, ShineHarmony Holdings LLC, plans to preserve the property and re-use it as elderly housing, including assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care.[6]
O'Bannon Mill
O'Bannon Mill is an historical mill at 90 Bay Spring Avenue in Barrington, Rhode Island. It was one of the first places where artificial leather was manufactured on a large scale.[7]
Allen–West House
The Allen–West House is an historic house at 153 George Street in Barrington, Rhode Island. The main block of the two story timber frame house was built c. 1763 by Joseph Allen, a housewright. It is one of the older houses in Barrington, hearkening to the days when it was still part of Swansea, Massachusetts, and is a well-preserved rare example of a vernacular square house plan. The house stands amid grounds that were farmed from the 17th to the 20th centuries by the owners of this house, who included members of the Allen family until the mid-19th century, and the Wests until the mid-20th. The house has had two major additions: a kitchen ell added to the east in the 19th century and extended in the 1950s, and a c. 1920s single-story enclosed porch on the west side.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.[8]