Brenton Point State Park is located in Newport, RI, home to some of the most spectacular summer mansions of the past and present. The park is located at the point of land where Narragansett Bay meets the Atlantic, midway along renowned Ocean Drive. In colonial days it was described by M. de Crevecoeur as a place where "a man can farm with one hand and fish with the other".
Brenton Point is named after William Brenton, an early settler whose farm occupied most of the land in this area during the seventeenth century. In 1876 the land at the point passed into the hands of Theodore M. Davis, a lawyer and one of the most famous Egyptologists of his time. Between 1876 and 1883 he erected "the Reef", a large shingled mansion characterized by its tall chimneys, distinctive tower and wide windows overlooking the sea. As landscape gardening enthusiast, M. Davis also created some of the most beautiful and extensive formal gardens in Newport.
We have visited this park many times on our numerous trips to Newport. It's one of our favorites.
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