View source for Glocester, Rhode Island

{{Other uses|Gloucester (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Glocester
| official_name      = Town of Glocester, Rhode Island
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[New England town|Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = [[File:Ponaganset High School covered bridge.jpg|230px|border]]
| image_caption      = Covered bridge near [[Ponaganset High School]]
| image_flag         = Flag of Glocester, Rhode Island (Recreation).svg
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_shield       = Coat of Arms of Glocester, Rhode Island.gif
| image_map          = {{maplink
  | frame              = yes
  | plain              = yes
  | frame-align        = center
  | frame-width        = 280
  | frame-height       = 280
  | frame-coord        = {{coord|41|53|27|N|71|41|26|W}}
  | zoom               = 9
  | type               = shape
  | stroke-width       = 2
  | stroke-color       = #0096FF
  | fill               = #0096FF
  | id2                = Q54258
  | type2             = shape-inverse
  | stroke-width2      = 2
  | stroke-color2      = #5F5F5F
  | stroke-opacity2    = 0
  | fill2              = #000000
  | fill-opacity2      = 0
}}
| map_caption        = Interactive map of Glocester
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flagu|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{Flagu|Rhode Island}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Rhode Island|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Providence County, Rhode Island|Providence County]]

<!-- Government -->| named_for          = [[Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Town meeting]]
| leader_title       = Town Council
| leader_name        = Julian Forgue (R)<br/>Walter M.O. Steere, III (R)<br/>Stephen Arnold (R)<br/>William Worthy (R)<br/>William E. Reichart (I)
| leader_title1      = Town Moderator
| leader_name1       = Kevin P. Walsh (R)
| leader_title2      = Town Clerk
| leader_name2       = Jean M. Fecteau (R)
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = February 20, 1731

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 147.2
| area_land_km2      = 142.0
| area_water_km2     = 5.2
| area_total_sq_mi   = 56.8
| area_land_sq_mi    = 54.8
| area_water_sq_mi   = 2.0

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[United States Census, 2020|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 9974
| population_density_km2 = 70.2
| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 597
| pushpin_map        = Rhode Island#USA#North America
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Glocester in [[Rhode Island]]##Location in the United States##Location in [[North America]]
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| coordinates        = {{coord|41|53|27|N|71|41|26|W|type:city(23,000)_region:US-RI|display=it}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 02814 ([[Chepachet, Rhode Island|Chepachet]]), 02829 ([[Harmony, Rhode Island|Harmony]]), 02857 ([[North Scituate, Rhode Island|North Scituate]])
| area_code          = [[Area code 401|401]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 44-30340<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1220070<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1220070}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.glocesterri.gov/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Glocester''', otherwise officially called the '''Town of Glocester, Rhode Island''', is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Providence County, Rhode Island]], United States. The population was 9,974 as of the [[United States Census, 2020|2020 census]]. The villages of [[Chepachet, Rhode Island|Chepachet]] and [[Harmony, Rhode Island|Harmony]] are in Glocester. [[Putnam Pike]] ([[U.S. Route 44]]) runs west through the town center of Glocester into [[Putnam, Connecticut|Putnam]], [[Connecticut]].

==History==
{{See also|History of Rhode Island}}
Glocester, originally named Gloucester for [[Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester]],<ref>''Dictionary of world place names derived from British names'', by Adrian Room, Edition: illustrated, Published by Taylor & Francis, 1989, pg. 68
{{ISBN|0-415-02811-6}}, {{ISBN|978-0-415-02811-0}}</ref> was a part of the [[Providence, Rhode Island|City of Providence]] until 1731, when it had become an independent town within the [[Rhode Island|State of Rhode Island]].<ref>Elizabeth A. Perry, [https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofto00perr_0 ''A brief history of the town of Glocester, Rhode Island''] (Providence Press Co., Printers, 1886)</ref>  Northern Glocester would be incorporated as the Town of [[Burrillville, Rhode Island|Burrillville]] in 1806, whilst at the same time, the residents of Gloucester had voted to change the spelling of the town name from Gloucester to Glocester in order to differentiate it from the [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|City of Gloucester, Massachusetts]], holding the same meaning as Glocester is a historical and alternative variant of the word of Gloucester.

During the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]], [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] from [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] were exiled in Glocester to Stephen Keach's farm, including Thomas Vernon, a Tory from Newport, who described Glocester residents in 1776 as: <blockquote>
inclined much to talk of liberty...It is amazing what false and erroneous opinions and ideas these people have entertained...The religion of the people of this town consists entirely of [[New Light Baptists]]. The custom of [[Immersion baptism|Dipping]] is much in vogue in this and the neighboring towns.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=clqxUiI0fKoC&dq=%22thomas+vernon%22&pg=RA2-PA1 ''Diary of Thomas Vernon''] pgs. 9, 26</ref></blockquote>  [[Samuel Willard (physician)]] made rounds on [[smallpox]] victims in North Glocester during the late 18th century.<ref name = "elias">{{cite book |last= Backofen |first= Walter A |title= Elias Frost, M.D., and his strategy for being remembered |year= 2001 |pages= 6 |id= OCLC: 58438763  }}</ref>

The [[Dorr Rebellion]] began in Glocester in 1841.

Since 1927 the [[Ancient and Horribles Parade]] has been an annual [[Fourth of July]] tradition in Chepachet, where residents create traditional and satirical political floats.

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|56.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|54.8|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|2.0|sqmi|km2}} (3.55%) is water. Some bodies of water in Glocester include, [[Waterman Reservoir]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 4025
|1800= 4009
|1810= 2310
|1820= 2504
|1830= 2521
|1840= 2304
|1850= 2872
|1860= 2427
|1870= 2385
|1880= 2250
|1890= 2095
|1900= 1402
|1910= 1404
|1920= 1389
|1930= 1693
|1940= 2099
|1950= 2682
|1960= 3397
|1970= 5160
|1980= 7550
|1990= 9227
|2000= 9948
|2010= 9746
|2020= 9974 
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Cen1865">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NxsxC5mK7NAC | title=Report upon the Census of Rhode Island 1865 | publisher=Providence Press Company | author=Snow, Edwin M. | year=1867 | location=Providence, RI}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]] of 2020, there were 9,974 people and 3,780 households in the town. The population density was {{convert|184.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 4,213 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 92.56% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.55% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.13% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.65% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.14% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.96% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.76% of the population.

There were 3,780 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 16.2% had a male householder with no spouse present. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 19.2% from 25 to 44, 34.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.4 years.

The median income for a household in the town was $111,243, and the median income for a family was $120,417. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $46,846. About 2.9% of the population was below the [[poverty line]], including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Glocester is the home to both [[West Glocester Elementary School]] in West Glocester and the [[Fogarty Memorial School]] in [[Harmony, Rhode Island|Harmony]]. Students of both would attend both [[Ponaganset Middle School]] and [[Ponaganset High School]] for secondary education.

==Notable people==
[[Image:Harmony Chapel.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Harmony Chapel Cemetery]] on [[U.S. Route 44]] around the start of the 20th century]]
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* [[Charles J. Fogarty]], Rhode Island state senator and 67th Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island; lived in Glocester
* [[Ray Fogarty]], Rhode Island state representative, lived in Glocester
* [[Paul Fogarty]], Rhode Island politician; born in Glocester
* [[Charles H. Page]], Rhode Island politician; born in Glocester
* [[Arthur Steere]], businessman and Rhode Island state senator, born in Glocester

==National Historic Sites in Glocester==
*[[Chepachet Village Historic District]]
*[[Cherry Valley Archeological Site, RI-279]]
*[[Glocester Town Pound]] (1748)
*[[Harmony Chapel and Cemetery]] (1816)
*[[Manton-Hunt-Farnum Farm]] (1793)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Glocester}}
* [http://www.glocesterri.org/ Town of Glocester website]
* [http://www.chepachetfire.com/ Chepachet Fire Department]
* [http://www.glocesterheritagesociety.org/ Glocester Heritage Society]
* [http://www.glocesterlibraries.org/ Glocester Libraries, Chepachet]
* [http://www.glocesterlibraries.org Harmony Library, Harmony]

{{Providence County, Rhode Island}}
{{Blackstone Valley}}
{{Rhode Island}}

{{authority control}}{{Portal bar|United States|Rhode Island|New England|Geography}}

[[Category:Glocester, Rhode Island| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Providence County, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Providence metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Rhode Island]]