Bold Point

Bold Point is an area of East Providence, Rhode Island protruding into the Providence River. It was home to Providence Dry Dock and Marine Railway Co. around the turn of the 20th century, and today is home to Bold Point Park.

Providence Dry Dock and Marine Company at Bold Point circa 1910
Debris in Green Jacket Shoal, on the coast of Bold Point Park in 2017

History

Bold Point is located in the Watchemoket area of East Providence. The Wampanoags used the shallow water by Bold Point as a ford across the Seekonk River.[1]

India Point, on the other side of the river, was Providence's first port, which remained active from 1680 until the Great Depression in the early 20th century. Its success was in part due to the large trading businesses of John Brown and his partner, John Francis, who set up in Providence in 1787.[2] Brown built a bridge between India Point and Watchemoket in 1793, while the latter was still part of Rehoboth, Massachusetts.[1]

Bold Point was home to maritime businesses including Providence Dry Dock and Marine Railway Co., which operated two patent slips and the first floating dry dock in Narragansett Bay.[3][4][5] According to The Providence Journal, from 1884 to 1919, it functioned as "the main ship repair facility in Providence."[4] The 33-acre (13 ha) body of water between Bold Point and India Point, Green Jacket Shoal, is now Rhode Island's largest ship graveyard, largely due to the businesses on Bold Point.[6]

Bold Point Park

Bold Point is now a public park, Bold Point Park, owned by the City of East Providence. It is home to a boat launch and fishing area. In 2017, the City leased the area to Live Nation and RI Waterfront Events to hold concerts there, starting in summer 2017.[7] It is the state's largest outdoor concert venue, with the capacity for about 4,000 attendees.[8][9]

References
  1. "About". Watchemoket Square Day. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. Betancourt, Frances (2 May 2002). "The Creation of India Point Park" (PDF). Friends of India Point Park. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 24, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  3. Ridley, Evan; Haas, Meredith (April 1, 2016). "Mallows Bay Ship Graveyard a Map for Rhode Island". Rhode Island Sea Grant. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  4. Hill, John (June 13, 2018). "Off the coast of East Providence, an underwater graveyard". Providence Journal. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  5. Haas, Meredith (11 July 2016). "One Man's Treasure : Uncovering Rhode Island's largest ship graveyard". 41°N Magazine. Rhode Island Sea Grant & The Coastal Institute at the University of Rhode Island. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  6. "The Graveyard in Providence Harbor". Quadrangles Online. University of Rhode Island. 21 November 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  7. Smith, Andy (May 19, 2018). "Concert presenter at East Providence's Bold Point pleaded guilty in domestic violence case". Providence Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  8. Cook, Scott; Keith, Daniel (July 11, 2018). "New security changes at Bold Point Park". WLNE. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  9. Pacitti, Tony (July 17, 2018). "East Providence Rocks". East Side Monthly. Retrieved January 19, 2018.

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