Jerimoth Hill

Jerimoth Hill

Jerimoth Hill Summit
Highest point
Elevation 811 ft (247 m)  NGVD 29[1]
Prominence 192 ft (59 m) [1]
Listing U.S. state high point 46th
Coordinates 41°50′58″N 71°46′43″W / 41.8495431°N 71.778681°W / 41.8495431; -71.778681Coordinates: 41°50′58″N 71°46′43″W / 41.8495431°N 71.778681°W / 41.8495431; -71.778681 [2]
Geography
Jerimoth Hill

Rhode Island

Location Foster, Rhode Island, US
Topo map USGS East Killingly, CT
Climbing
Easiest route Highway (RI 101)

Jerimoth Hill (812 ft, 247 m) is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Jerimoth Hill is located in Providence County in the town of Foster, near the Connecticut border.

History

The high point was donated to Brown University by Walter Raymond Turner, a Brown alumnus of the class of 1911. In 1938 he purchased the saltbox house to the west and the surrounding 360 acres (150 ha). Turner provided a right of way, straight north from the high point to Route 101, though eventually it became overgrown.

The Jerimoth Hill sign along Route 101 at the entrance to the path to the actual highpoint

Brown University has used Jerimoth Hill as an astronomy observatory location for decades, because the university has easy access to this land-locked parcel where they have a view of the skies without light pollution from Providence. The high ground has been cleared of pine trees for about an area of about 200 square feet (19 m2). The high point is a rocky outcrop in the woods on the northwest edge of the clearing. A summit register is located in a mailbox for visitors to sign.[3]

As the highest point in Rhode Island, Jerimoth Hill is a destination for high pointers—hikers who try and reach the highest peak in various areas. For many years, hikers could not access the hill because the only path to the summit crossed the driveway of a private property owner, Henry Richardson, who prohibited entry. Richardson posted "no trespassing" signs and installed a security system that alerted him whenever people entered his property. Richardson's belligerence toward hikers made him something of a legend in the community. Eventually, Richardson's son worked out a plan to allow access to the path four times a year.[4] After Richardson's death, his property was purchased in 2005 by the Mosby family, who opened up access and eventually ceded the land to the state. In 2011, the state began the process of acquiring the summit itself from Brown University;[5] this was completed in 2014.[6] It is open every day, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Jerimoth Hill, Rhode Island". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  2. ↑ "Jerimoth Hill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  3. ↑ "Jerimoth Hill: Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering". SummitPost. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  4. ↑ O'Neill, Helen (September 28, 2000). "Why R.I.'s Jerimoth Hill Is Nation's Toughest Summit". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Rhode Island Buying Jerimoth Hill summit". highpointers.org. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  6. ↑ Donita Naylor (2014-10-20). "You, too, can make it to the top in R.I.: Jerimoth Hill access to open". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  7. ↑ "Jerimoth Hill". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  • To The Top: Reaching for America's 50 State Summits, Joe Glickman and Nels Akerlund, Northword Press, 2003, ISBN 1-55971-871-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.