Butts Hill Fort Volunteer Fall Cleanup

Col. Burton C. Quist USMC Commemorative Clearing

Portsmouth, RI. The Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee (BHFRC) is inviting volunteers to our Fall Cleanup on Sunday, November 2nd (There is no rain date). 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. No parking is allowed on Butts Street. Participants are asked to park along Dyer Street or at Portsmouth High School.

This event has been designated as “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 the Corps’ 250th birthday on November 10th.

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. We will be clearing up the Southern ramparts and green areas of the fort’s earthworks and trenches ahead of the oncoming winter season. Participants are also encouraged to bring protective eye gear, loppers, shears, weed whackers, and rakes.

The largest Revolutionary War earthwork still standing in southern New England, Butts Hill Fort, is in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. It served as the headquarters for General John Sullivan during the Rhode Island Campaign in 1778 and was occupied and enlarged by allied French troops under Comte de Rochambeau during 1780-1781. 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 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/.