Cliff Walk Trail Marker #1
Easton’s Beach
You’re looking down at historic Easton's Beach, a 3/4-mile-long surf beach.
Relax and play on the white sand ocean beach - surf the waves, ride the beautiful 1950's carousel, visit the
Save the Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium, or get married in a gorgeous beach front ceremony and celebrate in the newly refurbished ballroom. There’s also a “Snack Shack” featuring lobster and clam rolls that’s open during the summer months.
http://www.eastonsbeach.com
The History of Easton’s Beach
Nicholas Easton (c.1593—1675) was one of the first settlers in Newport, and an early colonial
Governor of Rhode Island after which the Beach was named.
By the turn of the twentieth century, vacations had become a popular pastime for middle-class Americans. Reduced work hours and higher wages gave them the time and the means to participate in leisure activities. Easton's Beach became one of the vacation beaches for middle- and working-class visitors.
In the late nineteenth century, Easton's Beach had a restaurant, a bathing pavilion, and a bathing area. Mixed-sex bathing from eleven to noon was the norm, followed by swimming for men only from noon to three. An observer wryly commented that middle-class women bathers could be distinguished by their bare legs.
For a historical look back at early 20
th century life at Easton’s, go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEH1qm82V08