Butts Hill Fort Volunteer Fall Cleanup

Portsmouth, RI. The Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee (BHFRC) is inviting volunteers to our Fall Cleanup on Saturday, October 31st. (Rain date is Sunday, Nov.1st). Cleanup starts at 10 AM till 1 pm. Come anytime. The meeting point is the Fort gate on Butts St. off Sprague Street. Google “26 Butts Street” for directions to the Main Gate. Parking will be available inside the Fort Parade Field. Paved Parking available at Portsmouth High School tennis court lot, or on Dyer Street. Do not park on Butts Street.

This is our 3rd annual “Col. Burton C. Quist USMC Commemorative Clearing” in memory of BHFRC “Founding Father” who passed away in 2023. We welcome all US Marines to join the volunteer brush fight as a way to celebrate America’s 250 and the Corps’ 251st birthday in November.

We will be clearing up ramparts and trenches ahead of the oncoming winter season. Every participant will need to sign a town liability form upon arrival. BHFRC officials will be on hand throughout the day, so if you join in progress, please sign in with a team member. Bring work gloves and dress warmly.

The largest Revolutionary War earthwork in southern New England, Butts Hill Fort served as American Continental Army’s Headquarters for Major General John Sullivan, Major General Nathanael Greene, and Brigadier General John Glover during the August 1778 Newport Campaign and the culminating Battle of Rhode Island. As the central anchor of the American lines stretching from Narragansett Bay to the Sakonnet, it proved to be unassailable by attacking British and German forces. Later in 1780-81 French and American troops under the command of Comte de Rochambeau, and at the direction of Marquis de Lafayette improved and expanded the fort into the design that exists today. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and on the National Park Service’s Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. The goal of the Restoration Committee is to return it to public use as an historical, educational, and recreational asset.

The Battle of Rhode Island Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to restoring and preserving Butts Hill Fort and raising awareness of Rhode Island’s role in the War for Independence. Donations may be made payable to “BoRIA” at PO Box 626, Portsmouth, RI 02871 or by visiting: https://battleofrhodeisland.org/donate/.

The push continues on our Re-take the Hill campaign, our end goal is to raise enough funds to work on the Northern Ramparts which is the oldest part of the fort.