The
Narragansett name for the island was
Chibachuweset (or
Chibachuwese), and the Narragansetts originally offered to gift it to
John Oldham if he would settle there and set up a trading post. Oldham was killed two years later, and
Roger Williams and
John Winthrop subsequently purchased it from the Narragansett tribe in 1637, with each man retaining a one-half interest. Williams took the northern side of the island, and Winthrop took the southern side. Williams and Winthrop hoped to farm pigs on the island. Williams named it "Prudence" and shortly afterwards purchased and named nearby
Patience Island and
Hope Island. He sold his half interest in Prudence Island while in England on behalf of the colony, and Winthrop willed his land to his son Stephen. In colonial times, the island was used mainly for farming. During the
American Revolution, the British forces under Captain
James Wallace raided Prudence Island for livestock and engaged in a skirmish with American forces, losing approximately a dozen soldiers. In the 20th century, farming began to decline and the island began to attract summer residents. In
World War II, the Navy established an ammunition depot on the southernmost of the island. In 1972, the Navy turned the base over to the State of
Rhode Island, leaving bunkers, roads, and a large deep-water pier. Several buildings and businesses that once stood on the island were destroyed by the
1938 New England hurricane and
Hurricane Carol. As of 2018, the only business in operation on the island is a general store that doubles as the post office. Prudence Island is the location of Rhode Island's last one-room schoolhouse. It is operated by the Prudence Island School Foundation in cooperation with the Portsmouth school district and educates island children from kindergarten through fourth grade. The school has served the community on the island since 1896, with a six-year hiatus from 1982 to 1989. In 2019, three students were enrolled. == Summer colonies on Prudence Island ==