Woonsocket Hill, a 586-foot mountain near the center of North Smithfield, is one of Rhode Island’s highest and most dramatic uplands. Originally called Niswasocket, a Nipmuc name meaning “place of steep descent,” it was identified by Roger Williams in 1659. Long thought to be the state’s highest point, it offers wide views from its summit, including Mount Wachusett on clear days. The hill also had economic and practical uses: its rock was prized in the 19th century for hearth stones, and a fire tower placed on the summit in the early 20th century is still manned during dry periods. Its prominence also influenced local and regional place names.