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20-536: The first bridge was proposed in 1986, when the Town of Foster decided to build a covered bridge in honor of Rhode Island 's 350th birthday. The wood was donated by Providence Water Supply. It used Town lattice trusses and was built over an existing steel bridge. Approval from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation came in 1992, and construction began on 12 September 1992. Jed Dixon

40-509: A century. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 51.9 square miles (134 km ), of which, 51.1 square miles (132 km ) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km ) of it (1.41%) is water. Foster contains Rhode Island's highest point, Jerimoth Hill , with an elevation of 248 m (814 ft). Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there

60-574: A public road. Jerimoth Hill , the highest point of elevation in Rhode Island, is located in Foster. Dyer Woods, Rhode Island's only nudist campground, is in Foster. Jerimoth Hill Jerimoth Hill (812 ft, 247 m) is the highest point in the U.S. state of Rhode Island . It is the lowest state highpoint in New England . Located in the town of Foster in the northwest of

80-479: A security system that alerted him whenever people entered his property. Richardson's attitude toward hikers made him something of a legend in the community. Eventually, Richardson's son worked out a plan to allow access to the path four times a year. After Richardson's death, his property was purchased in 2005 by the Mosley family, who permitted daily access and eventually ceded the land to the state. In 2014, Brown sold

100-411: Is 812 feet (247 m) high and is located 15 miles (24 km) west of Providence, Rhode Island , and 35 miles (56 km) east of Willimantic, Connecticut . The hill was named after Jerimoth Brown (1783–1830), an early settler. The high point was donated to Brown University by Walter Raymond Turner, a Brown alumnus of the class of 1911. In 1938, he purchased the saltbox house to the west and

120-616: Is a town in Providence County , Rhode Island , in the United States. The population was 4,469 at the 2020 census . Foster was originally settled in the 17th century by British colonists as a farming community. In the year 1662, William Vaughan, Zachariah Rhodes, and Robert Wescott, purchased from the Indians a large tract of land called West Quanaug, bordering on Providence . The 'West Quanaug purchase' included nearly

140-519: Is a rocky outcrop in the woods on the northwest edge of the clearing. A summit register is located in a mailbox for visitors to sign. As the highest point in Rhode Island, Jerimoth Hill is a destination for highpointers —hikers who try to reach the highest peak in various areas. For many years, hikers could not access the hill, because the only path to the summit crossed the driveway of a private property owner, Henry Richardson, who prohibited entry. Richardson posted "no trespassing" signs and installed

160-555: Is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Foster has an Oceanic climate , abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps. As of the census of 2000, there were 4,274 people, 1,535 households, and 1,198 families residing in the town. The population density was 83.6 inhabitants per square mile (32.3/km ). There were 1,578 housing units at an average density of 30.9 units per square mile (11.9 units/km ). The racial makeup of

180-582: Is home to the Foster Town House. Built in 1796 and in use to this day, the Foster Town House is the oldest government meeting house of its type in the United States. Foster also contains Rhode Island's only authentic covered bridge , the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge . Built in 1994 by Jed Dixon, a Foster resident, it is a reproduction of an early-19th-century specimen. It is the only covered bridge in Rhode Island located on

200-419: The age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under

220-460: The age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 59,673, and the median income for a family was $ 63,657. Males had a median income of $ 39,808 versus $ 30,632 for females. The per capita income for

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240-457: The roadway area with macadam filling the gaps. The entire deck area is supported by six I-beam stringers. The bridge rests on concrete abutments which extend to form road-level wing walls . Each side has one diamond-shaped opening. A heavy curb-high timber runs along each side of the bridge. This article about a bridge in Rhode Island is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Foster, Rhode Island Foster

260-559: The state, the site is used as an observatory . It is also a popular destination for highpointers , and prior to 2005 was known for being difficult to access due to a local landowner who prohibited entry. The hill is located on Route 101 in Foster , a half mile from the Connecticut line. To ascend the summit, for which there is a sign, there is a .3-mile (480 m) long trail that has a mere 10-foot (3.0 m) elevation gain. The hill

280-514: The surrounding 360 acres (150 ha). Turner provided a right of way, straight north from the high point to Route 101 , though eventually, it became overgrown. Brown University has used Jerimoth Hill as an astronomy observatory location for decades, because the university has easy access to this land-locked parcel where they have a view of the skies without light pollution from Providence. The high ground has been cleared of pine trees over an area of about 200 square feet (19 m ). The high point

300-533: The town was $ 22,148. About 1.5% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Foster's Capt. Isaac Paine Elementary School, has the top spot for reading proficiency according to the New England Common Assessment Program, or NECAP, exams. 82 percent of its students attained proficiency, the state leader in that testing category. Foster

320-507: The town was 97.26% White , 0.21% African American , 0.23% Native American , 0.58% Asian , 0.09% Pacific Islander , 0.26% from other races , and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. Foster's zip code, 02825, has a significantly larger population than the town of Foster. This is because the zip code extends into parts of the more populated town of Scituate, Rhode Island . There were 1,535 households, out of which 36.0% had children under

340-400: The whole southern half of the town of Foster. The first English settler was allegedly Ezekiel Hopkins. Many settlers from Newport were active in the town in the 18th century. Shortly before the incorporation of the town, Foster's first church, a Calvinist Baptist congregation was founded. Shortly afterwards, Six Principle Baptist and Free Will Baptist congregations were founded. Foster

360-607: Was born in Foster in 1841. Senator Aldrich was instrumental in starting the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. In the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan was active in the area. The largest Klan rally north of the Mason–Dixon line was held in Foster on the Old Home Day grounds in 1924 with 8,000 in attendance and U.S. Senator J. Thomas Heflin of Alabama speaking. Foster remained a bastion of racial and religious bigotry for more than half

380-418: Was incorporated with Scituate , Rhode Island in 1730, forming the western section of that township, and remained part of Scituate until 1781, when it was split off as a distinct and separate township. Foster derived its name from U.S. Senator Theodore Foster . Mr. Foster presented the town with a library. Some of the library's original books and town records are still preserved. U.S. Senator Nelson Aldrich

400-486: Was the bridge's designer, and all work was performed by volunteers . The bridge was dedicated on 23 May 1993 but was burned by vandals on September 11 of that year. There was an immediate campaign to rebuild the bridge. Twelve days after the destruction, the town council approved construction of the current bridge, which was dedicated on 5 November 1994. The bridge uses an Ithiel Town lattice truss design including authentic wooden trunnels . Lengthwise planks cover

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