Sandy Point Island
Sandy Point Island (more commonly referred to as Sandy Point) is a island in Little Narragansett Bay, lying mostly in Westerly, Rhode Island and partly in Stonington, Connecticut. Once an extension of Napatree Point, Sandy Point is now a island that serves as an important nature preserve and recreation site. Sandy Point is the westernmost piece of land in the state of Rhode Island. History Before the Great September Gale of 1815, Sandy Point was the farthest extension of Napatree Point, forming a small, sickle-shaped peninsula on the western edge of Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Following the storm, virtually all of the trees on the once-forested peninsula were destroyed, allowing the coastal vegetation to occupy the landscape. Even during the period when it was connected to the mainland, Sandy Point was never built upon. Fort Mansfield, situated at the elbow of the peninsula, marked the end of the developed portion of the land. In 1926, following the closure of the fort, the federal government put Fort Mansfield and all the land beyond it (that is, Sandy Point) up for sale. A New York developer proposed Sandy Point be subdivided into 674 lots and in response a syndicate of Watch Hill