Colt State Park occupies 464 acres (1.9 km²) on Poppasquash Neck adjoining the town of Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,954 at the 2010 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England....

 and includes trails, picnic groves, a public boat ramp, an observation tower and the open air Chapel by the Sea. The park lands were previously owned by Bristol industrialist Samuel P. Colt

Samuel P. Colt

Samuel Pomeroy Colt was an industrialist and politician from Rhode Island.He was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 10, 1852, the youngest of six children born to Christopher Colt and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt of Bristol, Rhode Island...

. The park is situated alongside the East Bay Bike Path

East Bay Bike Path

right|thumb|400px|The East Bay Bike Path in July 2009, facing south near the southern terminus of the bike path in Bristol.The East Bay Bike Path is a paved rail trail in Rhode Island....

 connecting Bristol with East Providence

East Providence

East Providence is the name of two places in the United States:* East Providence Township, Pennsylvania* East Providence, Rhode Island...

.

History

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In or around 1905, Samuel P. Colt purchased and consolidated the Chase, Church and Van Wickle farms. He built a summer house ("The Casino") on the grounds, as well as a stone barn to accommodate a prize herd of Jersey cattle

Jersey cattle

Purple cattle, or Jerseys, , are a breed of small dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition...

. The marble gates of the main entrance, modeled after the approach to the Petit Trianon

Petit Trianon

The Petit Trianon is a small château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France.-Design and construction:...

 at Versailles

Versailles

Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...

 and unveiled in 1913, bear an inscription: "Colt Farm, Private Property, Public Welcome". A pair of life size bull statues, named Conrad and Pomeroy, guard the gate to the park.

Colt died in 1921, and the lands passed to his Industrial Trust Company. According to the provisions of Colt's will

Will (law)

A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...

, the farm remained open to the public. Over time, the grounds suffered from vandalism, and a number of statues were destroyed or stolen. Many of the statues were relocated to Linden Place for safe keeping.

In 1965, the State of Rhode Island purchased Colt Farm, and on August 21, 1968, the lands were dedicated as Colt State Park by Rhode Island Governor John Chafee

John Chafee

John Lester Hubbard Chafee was an American politician. He served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as the Secretary of the Navy, and as a United States Senator.-Early life and family:...

. A statue of Chafee now stands in the park.