Roger Wheeler State Beach

Roger W. Wheeler State Beach (formerly and still sometimes referred to as Sand Hill Cove) is a public recreation area on Block Island Sound in the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island with picnicking and ocean swimming.

History

• The beach became state property when it was seized from Tory sympathizers during the American Revolutionary War. Known as Sand Hill Cove, it became Rhode Island's first state beach when 27 acres were transferred to Metropolitan Park Commission in 1929.
• In 1970, the beach was renamed in honor of Captain Roger W. Wheeler (1907-1969) who founded the Rhode Island State Life-Saving System.
• The beach is site of the annual Rhode Island Open Water Swim, a charity swim on behalf of Swim Across America since 2010 that has raised over $2.5 million to fund cancer research at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.

External links

• Rhode Island Open Water Swim
• Facts and Fun on Roger Wheeler State Beach in Rhode Island