Original subtitles

(exciting music)

(exciting music)

(exciting music)

(exciting music)

- Our journey begins

on the southern shore of Block Island

at the cliffs of the Mohegan Bluffs

and the town of New Shoreham.

We'll then move to the mainland

to see the Judith Point Lighthouse

at the twin fishing villages of Galilee and Jerusalem.

From there, we're on to Great Swamp Wildlife Reservation,

and Wesquage Pond.

Next, we will cross the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge

to visit Conanicut Island,

the one time location of the royal residence

of Chief Canonicus of the Narragansett tribe.

From there, we'll explore the state capital of Providence,

and the final resting place

of one of the 20th century's greatest writers,

as well as one of the oldest and most selective universities

in the United States.

We'll complete our journey at the entrance

to the Providence River and the Nayatt Point Lighthouse.

Running for nearly five kilometers,

and rising 46 meters out of the crashing waves

of the Atlantic Ocean

are the steep red clay cliffs of Mohegan Bluffs.

A beautiful landscape with a brutal history.

They are named after a fierce 16th century battle

for control of the island when the native Niantic tribe

forced the invading Mohegans

over the cliffs and to their deaths.

Perched on top of the cliffs and spreading north

are the charming houses of Block Island.

21 kilometers off the coast of the mainland United States,

only about 1,000 people call this tiny islet home,

while 40% of the land

is protected and earmarked for conservation.

The safeguarding of their environment

and the distinctly old world feel of Block Island

has led the Nature Conservancy to list it

as one of the 12 last great places

in the western hemisphere.

The most iconic image on the Mohegan Bluffs

is the Southeast Lighthouse.

Built in 1875 to help steer sailors away

from the deadly submerged rocks encircling the island,

it takes the form of a gothic revival tower

with an attached keeper's house.

The main section is an octagonal structure

rising 20 meters to a cast iron parapet

from a granite foundation.

In 1990, with severe and ongoing erosion of the bluffs

threatening to topple the lighthouse,

the entire 2,000 ton structure

was picked up and moved 90 meters back from the edge.

And around the cliffs to the north

is the municipality of New Shoreham.

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Known as Manisses or Little God's Island

by the native Narragansett tribe,

it has the unique honor of being the smallest town

in the smallest state in the U.S.

The population is only just over 1,000 people.

In summer months, the visitors swell with incoming visitors

to enjoy the peace and quiet of the island,

as well as bicycling, hiking, sailing and fishing.

New Shoreham is accessible by air,

but the most traditional and fastest way to reach the island

is the Block Island Ferry.

Launching from Judith Point on the mainland,

it provides year-round services,

and can have travelers and their cars

through the bay and onto the island in under an hour.

There is also a faster high-speed ferry

during the busy summer months,

which does the trip in 30 minutes.

This vessel was built in 1997 in Panama City, Florida.

It is 63 meters long and can carry up to 1,000 passengers

and 38 vehicles at more than 16 knots.

Of course, the majestic ferry isn't the only ship

cruising the seas here.

Rhode Island's official nickname is The Ocean State,

and it's a fitting label.

This was the home of the America's Cup

for more than 50 years and is widely recognized

as the sailing capital of the world.

And there are few more perfect places to drop anchor

than Block Island's Great Salt Pond.

Nearly 2 1/2 square kilometers in diameter,

it features three expansive marinas and 90 town moorings,

all of which is accessed by a man-made channel

on its northwest shore that connects the pond

to Block Island Sound.

The channel was dredged in 1895 when the U.S. Congress

selected the district as a harbor of refuge.

It's been a continuous sanctuary for sailors ever since.

(majestic music)

But the Great Salt Pond has been home to humans

long before ships patrolled its waters.

This was the principal homestead of many Native Americans,

dating back to the Middle Woodland period 2,000 years ago,

and continued to serve as a residence for many tribes

long after Europeans came to the New World.

Moving away from the relative bustle of the pond,

we find the open serenity

of the northern tip of Block Island.

51 hectares of the island

are protected wildlife refuge lands,

which safeguard a number of pristine beaches,

and more than 70 species of migratory songbirds.

And standing tall and alone on the very tip of the shore

as it has done since 1867 is the Block Island North Light,

now undergoing restoration.

Across the sound to the mainland,

jutting a mile into the ocean is Judith Point,

and its beautiful lighthouse,

which has been standing guard here for over 200 years.

(gentle music)

Heavy seas and thick fog combined with several kilometers

of shallow jagged shoals to make this stretch of water

dangerous enough to have been nicknamed

The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

This is the third beacon to stand here,

after the original wooden tower built in 1810

was devastated by a hurricane only five years later.

The current lighthouse is built of brownstone

and stands 15 1/2 meters tall.

The light can be seen for 16 nautical miles on a clear day.

Many of the same elements that make this coast so dangerous

for sailors also make it a paradise for surfers.

Known for its clean water and swift beach breaks,

Judith Point is surfed year round,

and is especially popular during the late summer

and early fall when hurricane season

turns the moderate swells to thundering surf.

(waves crashing)

Just up the Judith Point coast

is the fishing village of Galilee.

Situated on the Narragansett Bay,

this small town is home to the largest fleet

of fishing ships in the state of Rhode island,

and is the launching point of the Block Island Ferry.

(gentle music)

Galilee got its name in 1902 from a mariner

who felt the village and its fishing shacks

reminded him of the biblical location.

In the Bible, Galilee,

just as in the modern Rhode Island town,

many men make their living from the sea.

Today, boats from this small port catch and export

more than seven million tons of seafood every year.

The legend of how the harbor opposite got its name

involves another fisherman who was asked, "Where am I?"

The answer came back, Galilee.

The stranger then asked what the place opposite was called,

"Must be Jerusalem," came the reply.

A quaint story for a quaint hamlet

that's one part humble fishing village

and one part gated community

where a two bedroom home can sell for upwards of $850,000.

(gentle music)

Construction of the breakwaters

began by a decree of congress in the early 20th century

to provide a safe refuge in bad weather

for ships traveling between New York and Boston.

A little further inland,

we find in the floodplains of three rivers,

the Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area.

A 1,400 hectare reservation of freshwater wetlands

and lush forests just a few kilometers west

of the city of Kingston.

The Great Swamp protects a huge number of native ponds,

trees and wildlife that call this area home.

The swamp is a peaceful place

where hiking and mountain biking trails

crisscross through brooks, streams, and deep marshes,

set against a backdrop of red maple, cedar and birch trees.

Moving east, we pass by the crystal clear waters

of Indian Lake before arriving at Wesquage Pond.

A beautiful coastal barrier lagoon

separated from the Narragansett Bay

only by a thin strip of sand.

Though the saltwater does naturally

pass over the barrier beach from time to time,

the sand is manually parted twice a year

to allow native white perch to spawn

and later return to the sea.

From the pond, we head out over the waters

of the Dutch Island Harbor in the Narragansett Bay,

which is spanned by the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge.

(inspiring music)

Running for 2,240 meters across the bay,

the concrete box girder structure

connects North Kingstown to the city of Jamestown

on Conanicut Island.

It was completed in 1992

replacing what is commonly referred to

as the Old Jamestown Bridge

which served the area for 50 years

before it was deemed too treacherous to remain standing.

It was demolished in 2006.

The current bridge is named after the famed explorer,

Giovanni da Verrazzano,

who made several voyages up the east coast

of what would become the United States,

and became the first European to set foot

on North American soil since the viking expeditions

hundreds of years earlier.

It was also Verrazano, who upon discovering this area

was reminded of Greek Island of Rhodes,

and so gave the state its name.

On the far side of the bridge

is the calm rural island of Conanicut,

the second largest in Narragansett Bay.

On the northern tip is the old Conanicut Lighthouse.

First lit in 1886,

primarily to assist ferry boats on their way across the bay,

the tower once rose 47 feet above the sea,

and is attached to a charming six room

Victorian keeper's dwelling with gingerbread trim.

In the 1930s, sea traffic in the bay

had declined significantly and the cost of the lighthouse

was exceeding its benefits.

The beacon was deactivated in 1933,

and today this is a charming private residence.

A little further north and back on the mainland,

we find Quonset State Airport.

A joint civil-military public airport,

it was first built in 1941 as a naval facility

to aid the U.S. efforts in World War II.

It would remain an important Navy post

throughout much of the Cold War,

before being decommissioned in 1978 following a series

of defense cuts in the wake of the war in Vietnam.

Today, it serves as an Air National Guard Station,

as well as a hub for commercial flights,

and a place for us to refuel.

On the edge of the airport is Allen Harbor

with its 80 moorings and 66 pontoons,

packed with private yachts.

A little further up the coast

is the even more crowded Greenwich Cove.

These are two striking illustrations

of how important sailing is here.

Rhode Island boasts a greater percentage

of coastline relative to its size

than any other continental state in the U.S.

Still moving north, we find ourselves in the western suburbs

of the Providence metropolitan area,

a region that extends into Massachusetts.

This area has a population of 1.6 million,

which exceeds the total number of inhabitants

of Rhode Island by more than 60%,

showing just how small the state is.

In the dead center of the metropolitan area

is the historic Federal Hill district.

Not just a colloquial name, it literally sits high above

the surrounding city of Providence.

A true American melting pot,

the rows of houses sandwiched together here

were begun by the first wave of immigrants

from Ireland, England and Italy,

whose people were particularly drawn to the district.

In 1850, there were a total of 25 Italian men and women

in the entire state of Rhode Island.

Fewer than 100 years later,

there were 40,000 on the Hill alone.

Today, the area remains very Italian.

It has cultivated a reputation as a place for great cooking,

and is home to some of Providence's best restaurants.

To the east on the banks of the Blackstone River

in Pawtucket is Slater Mill,

one of the earliest water-powered

cotton spinning mills in North America.

Founded by Samuel Slater, a man President Andrew Jackson

dubbed the father of the American Industrial Revolution.

The mill's initial two story building,

as well as its machines, dam and water wheel

were built in 1793.

Cotton continued to be spun here for more than 100 years,

until the factory was closed in 1895.

Today, Slater Mill is a beautifully restored museum

that traces the history of Rhode Island

from an agricultural community to an industrial center,

and a building that has borne witness to it all.

A little farther south in the northeast corner of Providence

sits the serene 80 hectare burial ground

of Swan Point Cemetery.

First established in 1846 and still in service today,

this peaceful garden graveyard is the final resting place

of more than 40,000 souls, including multiple governors

and congressmen from the Ocean State,

and one of the most influential horror writers in history,

H.P. Lovecraft.

Virtually unknown in his lifetime,

it was not until well after he was laid to rest

in this very soil that Lovecraft was recognized

as one of the most important 20th century horror writers.

Running alongside the cemetery,

sits the equally peaceful Seekonk River,

the northernmost point of Narragansett Bay tide water.

An extension of the much larger Providence River,

the Seekonk runs for eight kilometers,

carving a path through the landscape

between the cities of Providence and East Providence.

Famously the home of the multiple winning

Brown University rowing team,

the Seekonk River derives its name

from a combination of two Native American words

that together mean black goose.

On one side of the river

is the capital of Rhode Island, Providence.

One of the oldest cities in the United States,

it was established in 1636.

The city was founded by Roger Williams,

who left the Massachusets Bay colony

after being convicted of sedition and heresy

for spreading diverse, new and dangerous opinions,

most of which centered around the controversial idea

that Native Americans should be treated

with dignity and respect.

Providence was once given the nickname,

The Beehive of Industry,

for its early adoption of manufacturing,

which made the city invaluable to the union forces

during the American Civil War.

But as the textile boom came to an abrupt end,

ways had to be found to revitalize a city

quickly surrendering to urban decay.

The answer to the capital's troubles

has come from education.

Today, Providence is home to seven intuitions

of higher learning,

including the Ivy League Brown University,

and the Rhode Island School of Design.

On the border of the downtown and Smith Hill sections

of the city is the Rhode Island State House,

home to the General Assembly,

and the offices of the governor.

Built from 1895 to 904,

this is Rhode Island's seventh state house,

but only the second in Providence.

It is constructed from 9,300 cubic meters

of white Georgia marble, 15 million bricks,

and more than 1,000 metric tons of iron beams.

The dome that tops the building is the fourth largest

self-supporting marble dome in the world.

The statue of The Independent Man standing on the top

represents the spirit of freedom,

which led Roger Williams to establish the city,

and later the state.

A little to the east

in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence,

stands one of the city's crown jewels, Brown University.

The seventh oldest in the United States,

and one of only nine colonial colleges

founded before the American Revolution.

Among the most selective institutions in the world,

Brown accepts fewer than 9% of applicants

to its courses of study.

Once a student is accepted though,

they are in excellent company.

Brown has produced a great number of notable alumni,

and is directly connected to seven Nobel Laureates,

as students, faculty or staff.

One of the most striking buildings on the campus

is the John Hay Library, first opened in 1910,

and built in the English Renaissance style.

It's named after the man who graduated from Brown in 1858

and went on to serve as Abraham Lincoln's private secretary

during the Civil War

before being named Secretary of State in 1898.

The University's rare and precious book collection

is still housed in the library.

A little to the south,

Provide Harbor stands alongside the river of the same name

before it flows into the head of the Narragansett Bay.

This waterway once served as the boundary

between the English held New England,

and the Dutch colony of New Netherland.

(peaceful music)

And situated on a large solitary rock on the east side

is Pomham Rocks Lighthouse.

It was built in 1871 and despite its charming exterior,

life for the original keepers was less appealing

than its beautiful construction and location would suggest.

Until the Coast Guard finally

renovated the building in the 1950s,

Pomham Rocks had no telephone,

electricity or even running water.

This fast motorboat is on its way downstream,

and will pass our final location, Nayatt Point Lighthouse.

It's situated on a gentle projection

guarding the entrance to the river.

It's the oldest keeper's dwelling still standing

in the state of Rhode Island.

Built in 1856 to replace the original

poorly constructed beacon on this site,

this lighthouse was only in service for 12 years

before it was sold to a private citizen in 1890 for $4,500.

In 1997, it was put up for sale again,

but this time with an asking price of $1.2 million.

It remains a private residence today,

a beautiful reminder of a time gone by,

and a perfect place to end this journey.

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