Take Away Tea Time
By Don Doucette
Beckwith School is an active school within the Route 44 Palmer River School complex – just out of site is the confluence of the Palmer River East and West Branches. The East Branch flows under Route 44 from Rehoboth Village and winds around the school complex to meet the hidden West Branch.
An Eagle Scout project about ten years ago placed a handy canoe/kayak launch next to the Beckwith School car park.
The schools are presently vacant due to the health scare.
The West Branch headwater is near the Red Fox Club located off Fairview Avenue close to the Chartley Country Store and flows under Fairview to collect waters of Foundry Brook, Bliss Brook and in Perryville, Wolf Plain Brook.
The East Branch headwater forms just west of the Corn Crib farm stand off Tremont Street.
Both branches embrace each side of Great Maple Swamp while the East Branch also accepts waters from Little Cedar Swamp located slightly east of the Tremont Street/Anawan Street intersection. The East Branch flows southward just west of the Rehoboth State Forest as there are also forest walking trails gained near a Peck Street sign indicator.
Peck Street leads to the Rehoboth Town Office now located on the former NIKI ROCKET housing complex.
As a kid, I saw the rockets raised during open house days at the actual bunker site located off Fire Tower Road.
A sister rocket site was located at Mount Hope in Bristol near the present Roger Williams University – Mount Hope (Montaup) is close to the site of King Phillip’s betrayal and only a short time prior to the capture and betrayal of Phillips older war captain uncle, Anawan, near Anawan Rock in Rehoboth to end the King Phillip War.
The Palmer River drainage was a portion of that infamous wide-spread battle ground.
Don Doucette
“Ten Mile River Rambles”