Historic Walking Tours of Narragansett Pier
Veterans Memorial Park
This nearly two-acre site, opposite the Post Office, was purchased by the town for $25,000 in
1931, and is the location of the original Narragansett Casino, destroyed by fire in 1900. One
tower of the Casino, still supporting an arched promenade over Ocean Road, rests on the
park’s eastern edge.
The park memorializes veterans of 20th-century wars — World Wars I and II, Korean and Vietnam.
There also is a small monument (at right) dedicated to Narragansett residents who were awarded
Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in combat.
Below, from the left, the Vietnam War Veterans marker, the Korean War Veterans memorial, and
the Memorial to World War II veterans. The central panel of this monument features a high-relief
sculpture of a soldier, designed by Florence Brevoort Kane, a noted sculptor who designed the
official portrait bust of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Below, left, a panoramic view of the park. Right, a memorial to the Native American sachem
Canonchet.
SCM photos-jrt 2010