Fort Barton was fortified in 1777 by the colonial army to defend against British troops occupying Aquidneck Island, and from here an ill-fated invasion was launched in 1778 that came to be known as the Battle of Rhode Island. Through the unrelenting efforts of Dr. James W. Holt, Jr., Fort Barton was preserved after being given to the town of Tiverton by the Newport Historical Society in 1968, and Dr. Holt planned and implemented the restoration of the redoubt and the development of adjacent woodland trails.
