Pawcatuck River - History

History

The river was specified as the western boundary of the Rhode Island Colony in the original charter of 1636. The river was formerly called the Charles River between its source and the mouth of the Wood River near Bradford, Rhode Island.

On April 20, 2006 an Atlantic white-sided dolphin swam several miles up the river to Westerly, Rhode Island from Little Narragansett Bay in Long Island Sound. After the dolphin had been several hours at Westerly-Pawcatuck, near the bridge connecting Rhode Island and Connecticut, several hundred spectators gathered to see it. According to authorities at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration, the dolphin may have become separated from its pod at sea and been searching for them. The dolphin was captured and taken later that night to the aquarium, where it died; it had become sick, underweight and bruised during its journey upriver.

During a fierce rainstorm in New England on March 29, 2010, the Pawcatuck River flooded, with waters overflowing into both Westerly and Pawcatuck. Both towns evacuated low-lying areas and lost some historic buildings, such as a 150-year-old general store, to flood damage. The bridge in downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck was closed for several weeks until the river had gone down enough for divers to inspect the bridge for safety before it reopened.