Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/355

 CONTENTS OF THE NEW TOWN. 281 tending its boundary more than half-way to Providence, thence easterly to Palmer's River, including the section now known as Barneysville. After the set-off to Rhode Island the town was made up of three peninsulas, separated from each other by the two branches of the Sowams River. In the formation of the new town, Harrington contributed the major part of the wealth and population. New Meadow Neck was the centre of a busy people, largely occupied in ship-building. Tustin says that the central part of the town was near Kelly's P'erry, " and was then called the ' Place of Trade,' and for sixty years nearly all the shipping in the foreign and coasting trade, held by the people in this vicinity, was built at and connected with the wharves and warehouses on New Meadow Neck, near the two bridges." Tustin is also authority for the statement that forty-seven families were added to Barrington from Swansea to form the new town. The number of freemen admitted as corporators was only seventy-six, the majority of whom resided on the Bar- rington side. General Fessenden states that " at the time when Warren became a separate town the population was still small, and the majority of its wealth if not of its inhabi- tants was on the Barrington side of the river." The enter- prise of the people on both sides of the river was devoted to ship building and navigation, while agriculture occupied the attention of the more conservative at the date of the union. Ship building was carried on to a considerable extent at several places in Barrington. The Martins built large ves- sels at the ship-yard at Martin's Ferry, near the foot of Ferry Lane. The Bowen ship-yard was first located on the west side of New Meadow Neck, just south of the pres- ent bridge, the near ferry crossing to the west bank of the Barrington River. Vessels were also built on the west shore of New Meadow Neck, above and below the bridge, and as far up as the wharf of Samuel Allen, near the pres- ent residence of Mr. Benson Bean. At Kelly's Ferry there was another ship-yard, owned by the Eddys. The craft built were sloops, schooners, and brigs mainly. After the