Charlestown (Washington County, RI) - Tidbits, Odds-and-Ends

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Charlestown, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Charlestown and the surrounding area.

Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Charlestown

Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Charlestown:
- 41.383318, -71.642544
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Charlestown

Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Washington County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Washington County
- Since Charlestown is near New London County and also Newport County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for New London County
- eBird sighting report for Newport County

Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com

Communities Also Named Charlestown ...

We found fifteen communities that share the name Charlestown.

Within Rhode Island, the name Charlestown is unique.

Beyond Rhode Island, we know of another fifteen communities that are located throughout in the United States.

Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Indiana
  - Clark County
  - This Charlestown is located in Clark County and lies 769 miles [1,237.6 km]<1> to the west of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of Charlestown.
- Kansas
  - Doniphan County
  - We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Charlestown [Doniphan County].
- Kentucky
  - Mason County
  - Although located in Mason County, we don't know the location within the county.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mason County community of Charlestown.
- Maryland
  - Allegany County
  - This Charlestown is located in Allegany County and lies 405 miles [651.8 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allegany County community of Charlestown.
  - Baltimore County
  - This Charlestown is located in Baltimore County and lies 303 miles [487.6 km] to the west southwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baltimore County community of Charlestown.
  - Cecil County
  - This Charlestown is located in Cecil County and lies 259 miles [416.8 km] to the west southwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cecil County community of Charlestown.
- Massachusetts
  - Suffolk County
  - This Charlestown is located in Suffolk County and lies 74 miles [119.1 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk County community of Charlestown.
- Nebraska
  - York County
  - This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nebraska community of Charlestown [York County].
- New Hampshire
  - Sullivan County
  - This Charlestown is located in Sullivan County and lies 134 miles [215.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sullivan County community of Charlestown.
- New Jersey
  - Hunterdon County
  - This Charlestown is located in Hunterdon County and lies 179 miles [288.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hunterdon County community of Charlestown.
- Ohio
  - Portage County
  - This Charlestown is located in Portage County and lies 493 miles [793.4 km]<1> to the west of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Portage County community of Charlestown.
- Oregon
  - Umatilla County
  - This Charlestown is located in Umatilla County and lies 2,365 miles [3,806.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Umatilla County community of Charlestown.
- Pennsylvania
  - Armstrong County
  - This Charlestown is located in Armstrong County and lies 396 miles [637.3 km]<1> to the west of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Armstrong County community of Charlestown.
  - Chester County
  - This Charlestown is located in Chester County and lies 222 miles [357.3 km] to the west southwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chester County community of Charlestown.
  - Franklin County
  - This Charlestown is located in Franklin County and lies 346 miles [556.8 km] to the west southwest of the Charlestown that is located in Washington County.
  - For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Charlestown.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Charlestown ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

Green Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Green Hill is located in Washington County
Jerusalem
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerusalem
- Jerusalem is located in Washington County
Peace Dale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peace Dale
- Peace Dale is located in Washington County
Rocky Brook
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Brook
- Rocky Brook is located in Washington County
Rodman Crossing ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodman Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodman Crossing
- Rodman Crossing is located in Washington County
Seaweed Beach
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaweed Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaweed Beach
- Seaweed Beach is located in Washington County
Shady Harbor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Harbor
- Shady Harbor is located in Washington County
Shelter Harbor
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelter Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelter Harbor
- Shelter Harbor is located in Washington County
Snug Harbor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snug Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snug Harbor
- Snug Harbor is located in Washington County
Tuckertown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuckertown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
- Tuckertown is located in Washington County
Wood River Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wood River Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood River Junction
- Wood River Junction is located in Washington County

How Far From Charlestown to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Charlestown to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Charlestown and extending to:

Wakefield, which is the Seat of Washington County, lies just to the East Northeast.
Providence, which is the State Capital of Rhode Island, lies 32 miles [51.5 km]<1> to the north northeast (NNE). If you could walk a straight line from Charlestown to Providence, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
The White House (Washington, DC) is 332 miles [534.3 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,566 miles [8,957.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,270 miles [10,090.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,147 miles [6,673.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Charlestown. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Rhode Island: https://www.ri.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>	Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Charlestown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Charlestown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3833, Longitude: -71.6425
<2>	If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Charlestown could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.
<3>	We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Charlestown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>	The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<5>	While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day.
<6>	The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Charlestown to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<7>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 304.462 degrees.
<8>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.956 degrees.
<9>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 301.32 degrees.