Glocester Town Pound
Glocester Town Pound is a stone animal enclosure built around 1749 in Rhode Island and is believed to be the oldest still standing in the United States. The structure spans approximately 50 feet wide with roughly 6-foot-tall walls made of rounded, rough-cut stones, a flat stone top, and a narrow iron gate at the entrance.
The pound was built around 1749 when settlers struggled with stray animals and needed a secure enclosure to hold livestock until owners could claim them. In 1970, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its importance as one of America's oldest buildings of this kind.
The pound was an important community effort of early settlers, showing how towns worked together to solve practical problems with livestock. The term "pound" is less common today, replaced by modern words like "animal shelter", but the physical structure reminds visitors of how communities cared for stray animals in colonial times.
The structure sits in a quiet rural setting near Pound Road and is easily accessible for visitors wanting to explore the area. Visitors should note it is an open-air outdoor structure with no roof, so it is best seen during favorable weather conditions.
The structure has a slightly trapezoidal shape due to its placement at a road fork, showing how builders adapted to the landscape rather than forcing a standard design. This practical adjustment to local geography sets it apart from other early pounds in New England.
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