Butts Hill Fort Leads Off Portsmouth 250th Celebrations
By Paul Murphy, Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee Chairman
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Butts Hill Fort came to life on the first weekend in May 2025 as we collaborated with the Brigade of the American Revolution (BAR) to bring together reenactment regiments from six states to form an authentic living history encampment.
Hosted by the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee (BHFRC) across two and a half days, the BAR brought out over 200 local visitors to experience troops drills, tactical weapons demonstrations and educational talks presented by authentic period military and civilian reenactors in immersive colonial era surroundings. Opposing British and American period campsites faced off from both ends of the fort’s interior, where troops, tents, muskets, uniforms, equipment and genuine 18th century artifacts and lifeways were on exhibit.
BHFRC coordinator Seth Chiaro commented, “Our objective is to educate the public. This is an opportunity for families to see how soldiers from both sides of the Revolution lived and to appreciate this historic fort, now being restored. Butts Hill Fort plays an important role in Aquidneck Island and Rhode Island history.”
BAR weekend also served as the Portsmouth-250 Commission’s (P-250) “kick off” event to commemorate forthcoming Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence events.
P-250 partners Daughters of the American Revolution, Portsmouth Conservation Commission and Town Historian Jim Garman were on hand as co-hosts.
P-250 liaisons to the Portsmouth Town Council David Reise and Sharlene Patton, joined Juan Carlos Payero in making a bi-partisan show of support of the all-volunteer efforts from town leadership levels.
The Chair of the RI-250 Commission, RI Secretary of State Gregg Amore, visited Sunday welcoming BAR Commander John Lopez and all BAR participants, thanking them for the educational opportunity it presented to the community and stating, “This is exactly the type of location and RI-250 event we want to foster and support.” A former history teacher, the Secretary expressed his full support for continued momentum with BHFRC’s mission to save the fort, as well as its complementary mission to educate and highlight Rhode Island’s key role in the American Revolution throughout the entire war.
Secretary Amore joined town leadership to help celebrate the successful completion of BHFRC’s 2024 Southern Battery Earthworks Improvement project which has transformed the once invasive choked 4.5 acre fort into a more usable, visitable campus green space. Surveying the physical progress made since early 2023, Secretary Amore said, “Progress made on the fort to date is just fantastic. It’s an incredible transformation from the tangle of vines and debris we walked through just two years ago.”
A 40 foot blue ribbon stretching between two preserved birch trees was cut to commemorate the project. BHFRC Chairman Paul Murphy remarked, “We are inside a 250-year-old Revolutionary War earthwork amphitheater that has stood the test of time, that was entirely
hand built by the troops you are portraying, we thank you all for bringing it back to life as our team is working on saving it.” The team ribbon cut was followed by a salutary musket volley by the full BAR compliment.
The event culminated Sunday with an afternoon mock attack by British and loyalist troops on the fort’s southern defenses. The attack was successfully repelled by American defenders including the “local favorite” 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, who took positions at the southern battery, then counterattacked across the green.
BHFRC and BAR would like to thank local business owners David Mailloux of WealthCare Investment Partners and Craig Clark of Ocean State Air Solutions for generous use of their indoor facilities throughout the weekend for BAR participant use. Their direct support was deeply appreciated. BHFRC and BAR extend special thanks to BHFRC volunteer Max McVay of 41 North Photos who droned the location on May 2, 2025. Video by Max McVay here: 5.2.25 Battle of Rhode Island Drone
