North Kingstown

North Kingstown (kĭngˈstən, kĭngzˈtounˌ) [key], town (1990 pop. 23,786), Washington co., S central R.I., on Narragansett Bay; inc. as Kings Towne 1674, divided into North Kingstown and South Kingstown 1723. North Kingstown includes Quonset Point and six villages. The site of North Kingstown was settled in 1641 by Roger Williams, founder of Providence, R.I. The town is a regional trade center and fishing port and attracts many tourists. Its manufactures include machine tools, primary metals, printed materials, chemicals, plastics, and textiles. Of interest are Smith's Castle (1678); Casey House (1725), which retains bullet holes made during skirmishes in the Revolutionary War; the birthplace (now a museum) of Gilbert Stuart, the portrait painter; and South County Museum. Narragansett Bay is used for recreational boating and fishing.

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