Colonial New England, Hopkinton RI, Brightman Farm

While Hiking on Canonchet Preserves in Hopkinton RI, it becomes evident that this wooded area was once a thriving colonial village. There are many house foundations, retaining walls, Saw mills,  stone walls, stone piles, and even a few failed colonial dams (with locks). Many of these foundations are along the Canonchet brook which today is a small creek.

Located on private property is the remains of the old Brightman Farm. This farm is along the Canonchet brook, it contains many stone walls, a house foundation, the old colonial road, an interesting natural cliff formation, and some stone piles.

There has been many claims about these stone piles. Some people say they were built by Narragansett Indians. Current day Narragansett Indians have claimed a right of passage ceremony was to carry these rocks here. However, I have personally found pieces of iron in these piles that would disprove this claim. Another counter argument would be the condition of these piles. If they were made during the height of the Narragansett (before 1600), they would have been covered by more leaf litter and dirt. One only has to compare this with other Algonquin Indian sites in New England.

The most likely cause of these stone piles is from Colonial American land clearing. The common technique was to place rocks on bigger rocks so you could farm the land. Colonial Americans would then wait till winter when the land was frozen, then drag a sled to where these rocks are stacked and move them to retaining walls. If you tried to move them during the spring or summer, you would get bogged down in mud, or the axles on your cart would break.

 Also - what else are you going to do in the winter?

Here are some pictures of Joseph Brightman's farm. I know Joseph Brightman settled in Hopkinton in the early 1700s. I assume that he is the son of Joseph Brightman that signed the Postmouth Compact in the 1600s. This would make sense. The Hopkinton area would have seemed safer after the King Phillips War and more people would have settled in the area. Joseph and Sarah Brightman had 7 children at this farm, many of these children lived and raised their family on this land. But then after the American Revolution it seemed that many moved to the Scranton PA area. This was most likely to the destruction of the Iroquois after the American Revolution, once again opening land. There is a cemetery for the Brightmans on a neighboring property.

Looking down at the colonial farm from a colonial retaining wall. There most likely was a barn on top of this retaining wall.

If you look closely you can see a square shape made by stones. This is at the bottom of a retaining wall and is most like the foundation for a barn structure.

One of the many stone piles

The colonial road that leads to the farmhouse foundation

A stone wall near the house foundation

This was most likely the farm's gardening area. It is right across the colonial road and across from where the house was. The land has been cleared of stones and the soil is very good. 

Inside the foundation of the Brightman house. There is also a part of the home that did not have a stone foundation. 

Inside the foundation is this interesting cavern. It was not used as a fireplace (even though it is by the area that would have been the house fireplace). I believe this was used to hide family items. In the leaf litter is a large stone that looks like it would cover this hole. Interestingly other stone foundations in the area have similar features. 

Another retaining wall

Another stone pile