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A small white historic building with four columns and green shutters stands at a roadside; the sign above the door reads “Kentish Guards 1774.” — Historical Marker Database

Historic Site

Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

Rhode Island

1774 Armory Street East Greenwich, RI 02818

East Greenwich, RI

Home of the Kentish Guards, a historic Rhode Island Independent Military Organization, founded in 1774.

Historical Marker Database

The Kentish Guards were formed on September 24, 1774, to protect East Greenwich, Rhode Island, from a Tory mob. They were chartered by the Colonial Assembly on October 29, 1774, as the first Independent Militia Company for Kent County. Using the Kent County Courthouse as their armory, they participated in establishing the Rhode Island Navy in 1775. The Guards built Fort Daniel at Greenwich Cove, equipped it with nine cannons, and garrisoned it throughout the Revolutionary War to defend Warwick Bay from naval attacks. There is a marker about 400' away denoting their drill field. Noted members of the Guards include James Mitchell Varnum and Nathanael Greene.

What's Nearby

Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.

Historic Site

A small white historic building with four columns and green shutters stands at a roadside; the sign above the door reads “Kentish Guards 1774.”

Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

East Greenwich, RI 02818

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Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

Historic Site

A historic yellow civic building stands behind a flagpole flying the American flag.

Site of the First Colonial Navy

East Greenwich, RI 02818

0.11592894381772

Site of the First Colonial Navy

Historic Site

Colonial Home of General James Mitchell Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum House, East Greenwich

East Greenwich, RI 02818

0.13372727739307

James Mitchell Varnum House, East Greenwich, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

A small fortress like brick building sits on a street corner, with arched wooden doors, battlements, and a nearby cannon.

Varnum Armory Museum

East Greenwich, RI 02818

0.33272014391999

Varnum Armory Museum

Historic Site

Colonial era 2-story manor house with 9 windows trimmed in white, with 2 chimneys and a red cannon in the front yard.

The Major General Nathanael Greene Homestead

Coventry, RI 02816

8.5702803657731

The Major General Nathanael Greene Homestead

Historic Site

Bronze marker on boulder to commemorate spot of the burning of the Gaspee

Gaspee Monument

Warwick, RI 02888

12.493075471115

Gaspee Monument

Historic Site

Red gambrel-roof farmhouse built in 1754 with center fireplace

Joy Homestead, Cranston, RI

Cranston, RI 02921

13.250692700294

Joy Homestead, Cranston, RI

Historic Site

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Marker

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode

Bristol, RI 02809

14.345675532488

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode Island (RI-3)

Historic Site

Granite monument to 1st Rhode Island African American Regiment

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Portsmouth, RI 02871

17.294285781668

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A sunlit grassy field stretches toward a dense line of leafy trees, with long shadows cast across the ground.

Butts Hill Fort

Portsmouth, RI 02871

17.422626021925

Butts Hill Fort

Historic Site

A rectangular historical marker to British General Prescott mounted on a red wooden wall.

Prescott's Headquarters, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

17.9490284168

Prescott's Headquarters, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

Tombstones in the Friends Meeting House Cemetery, Portsmouth, RI1

Friends Meeting House, Portsmouth, RI

Portsmouth, RI 02871

18.045246278768

Friends Meeting House, Portsmouth, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

A large brick building with white trim and classical details stands behind a tall white fence, framed by autumn trees under a partly cloudy sky.

John Brown House Museum, Providence, RI

Providence, RI 02906

18.431154125942

John Brown House Museum, Providence, RI

Historic Site

A reddish‑brown historic wooden house with tall narrow windows and an American flag at the entrance stands behind a matching rod iron fence.

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

Providence, RI 02903

18.603154674685

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

Historic Site

A three‑story brick brownstone building with symmetrical windows and a central stone‑framed entrance stands behind a black streetlamp.

Old State House, Providence, RI

Providence, RI 02903

19.001708946105

Old State House, Providence, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

A white colonial‑style building with a central staircase and double doors is framed by bright pink flowering trees, with an American flag near the entrance and a clear blue sky overhead.

Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02841

19.946099809984

Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

Historic Site

A small rocky island with a cream-colored lighthouse and red roof surrounded by water.

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Newport, RI 02840

20.497932287382

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A small rocky island with a cream-colored lighthouse and red roof surrounded by water.

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Newport, RI 02840

20.497932287382

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Historic Site

A tall flagpole flying the U.S. flag rises from an open grassy field, with a leafy green tree beside it and a line of trees along the horizon.

Conanicut Battery, Jamestown, RI

Jamestown, RI 02835

20.523097950495

Conanicut Battery, Jamestown, RI

Historic Site

General Lafayette Marker, Tiverton, Rhode

Tiverton, RI 02878

20.581499077254

General Lafayette Marker, Tiverton, Rhode Island (RI-8)

Historic Site

Mid-18th-century Georgian mansion museum with period furnishings.

Hunter House, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

21.645119537972

Hunter House, Newport, RI

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A white stone marker labeled “Green End Fort” stands in a grassy landscape with bare trees and a bright blue sky.

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

21.84739127353

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

Artillery Company of Newport Museum

Newport, RI 02840

22.278464359495

Artillery Company of Newport Museum

Historic Site

A light‑colored historic building with dark shutters and a central double‑door entrance sits on a corner lot, featuring three dormer windows on the roof and a short staircase leading up from the sidewalk.

Vernon House, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

22.350524673587

Vernon House, Newport, RI

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A stone fort wall with an arched entrance rises behind a grassy area where an informational sign, an old cannon, and a picnic table sit under a bright blue sky.

Fort Adams, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

22.404689868636

Fort Adams, Newport, RI