When the British occupied Newport, RI. during the Revolution, they often threatened the surrounding towns with raids, or "alarums" as they were called. When a raid began, a system of beacon fires was lit to warn the militia in neighboring towns to turn out. The gathering place for Rehoboth's militia was the "Liberty Tree" near the monument at the foot of the hill on Brook Street. From here, the town kept a continual watch for beacon fires from the direction of Barrington R.I.