Home Economy Government Neutaconkanut Hill Park in Providence named to National Register of Historic Places

Neutaconkanut Hill Park in Providence named to National Register of Historic Places

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PBN Staff

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02/12/2026

Neutaconkanut Park — NEUTACONKANUT HILL Park has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, the R.I. Historic Preservation Office announced Thursday. /COURTESY R.I. HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

PROVIDENCE – Neutaconkanut Hill Park has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, the R.I. Historic Preservation Office announced Thursday. “As one of the city’s oldest parks, Neutaconkanut Hill Park has been beloved by our community for generations. I’m thrilled to see it being recognized today in the National Register of Historic Places,”

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PROVIDENCE – Neutaconkanut Hill Park has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, the R.I. Historic Preservation Office announced Thursday. “As one of the city's oldest parks, Neutaconkanut Hill Park has been beloved by our community for generations. I'm thrilled to see it being recognized today in the National Register of Historic Places," said Providence Mayor Brett P. Smiley. "Providence’s parks and greenspaces are vital to the health and well-being of our community and recognitions like this help us to further protect and preserve these important spaces in our community.” Neutaconkanut Hill Park is one of 120 properties in the 1,600-acre Providence Parks System. The National Register nomination was prepared by the Public Archaeology Laboratory Inc. and Sarah Zurier, principal architectural historian with the R.I. Historic Preservation Office. The park encompasses woodlands crisscrossed by trails, a scenic overlook, vestiges of 18th-20th century agricultural use, 1930s park infrastructure and an expansive open area used for varied recreational activities since the early 20th century. Farm ruins, a monument and the remnants of a 1970s-era Chevrolet Camero are some of the more distinctive park features. Neutaconkanut Hill is also the highest point in Providence at 296 feet above sea level. Neutaconkanut or “Notquonckanet” is mentioned in Narragansett Indian sachems Canonicus and Miantonomo’s 1637 deed of Providence to English settler Roger Williams. By the second half of the 17th century, much of the land comprising present-day Neutaconkanut Hill Park was owned by the Borden family. “This designation is a lasting legacy for Providence and the many communities who have long loved and found belonging at Neutaconkanut Hill Park,” said current Providence Superintendent of Parks Wendy Nilsson. On Nov. 6, 1903, the city purchased 31.55 acres of the William L. Smith estate for $32,500 and dedicated it for public park purposes. In 1908, the city hired landscape architectural firm Olmsted Brothers to prepare an expansion plan for the park. The city annexed additional acreage, adding pathways, an access road and other park amenities between 1910 and 1955. During the Great Depression, Providence funded additional park improvements through a municipal public works program and the new federal Works Progress Administration. Stone bleachers, a rain shelter, ski and toboggan slopes and new trails were added during this period. “For more than 100 years, ‘Neut,’ as it is affectionately called, has served its Silver Lake and Olneyville neighborhoods well – a place where community is nurtured,” said Robert McMahon, former superintendent of the Providence Parks Department. “Its placement in the National Register of Historic Places is a testimony to the vision and dedication of the late Elli Panichas, founder of the Neutaconkanut Hill Conservancy.”