To the editor:

Are you interested in history and archaeology in your community? If you are, then read below on developments that are taking place in Portsmouth!

This past summer, students from Stonehill College, Salve Regina University, and the University of Kentucky worked on an archaeological survey in Portsmouth.

Butts Hill Fort is a Revolutionary War Fort that was used in the late 1770’s by both British and American armies, and remains just off of Route 24 in Portsmouth. Butts Hill Fort is just one location of the broader “Battle Of Rhode Island,” and it contributes to our important local, revolutionary history.

Butts Hill Fort is now owned by the Town of Portsmouth, and in collaboration with Battle of Rhode Island Association, they are currently in the process of restoring this historical site. The fort looks different today than it did almost 250 years ago, but recently there has been work and progress in restoring the site to what it may have looked like in the 1770s. If one were to visit today, you can still see the trenches that were in use many years ago and a stone plaque that recognizes the men who fought there.

The Battle of Rhode Island Association has two mission statements:

1. “To research, document and share RI’s significant Revolutionary War history, particularly the Rhode Island Campaign and Butts Hill Fort.

2. “To support the BHFRC (Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee) with funding and publicity."

The Battle of Rhode Island Associations goal is to make Rhode Island’s history more accessible and known, and now with archaeological surveys happening in one of their forts, hopefully more can be known about the past. Local history and archaeology is important to the community because it’s what makes our past, and shapes our present.

During the summer field school, students used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to scan the fort, and gained knowledge on how to use this device and carry out archaeological methods. Students who worked on this site during the summer also presented their research at undergraduate research events both at Stonehill College and Salve Regina University. With more research happening at Butts Hill Fort in the upcoming years, goals of this field school program are to contribute to Rhode Island’s history, to educate, and to get more individuals involved. This field

school is run through local Salve Regina University and Stonehill College, and there is a call for student volunteers for the upcoming year with scholarships available.

This field school program will impact the community in a positive way and contributes to constructing Rhode Island’s important history. To get involved in the Battle of Rhode Island Association or the local archaeological field school, information is provided below.

• Field school information: https://alexandrauhl.com/contact

• Battle of Rhode Island Association information: https://battleofrhodeisland.org

Lily Michel

Class of 2025, Stonehill College

North Easton, Mass.