Virtual Exhibition of the American Revolution Fortification at Butts Hill

The American Continental Army initially built an artillery emplacement, or battery, in what was then known as Windmill Hill at the start of the revolution. British forces occupied the area following the 1776 Declaration of Independence. George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, assigned Major General Spencer to assume command of the American forces in Rhode Island in the winter of 1777. Following the revolutionary war and international recognition of American independence, the land was sold to John Butts (hence the name we use today to refer to the hill). The building structures, including the military barracks, were briefly used as an almshouse and later sold off. The site was largely abandoned and rescued from a housing development project during the 1920s, with the land transferred to the Newport Historical Society. In 1939, the Historical Society allowed a baseball diamond and playground for the local Boys and Girls Scouts organization. In the 1960s, ownership of the site was transferred to the Town of Portsmouth.

The fort represents a pivotal time in our nation's history during the American Revolution. The Battle of Rhode Island in 1778 marked the first official allied military cooperation between French and U.S. American forces. It involved the first military unit in American history to enroll Black and Native American soldiers—the First Rhode Island Regiment. Members of the regiment were involved in construction activities at Butts Hill Fort. In 1974 the fort was added to the Battle of Rhode Island Historic District, registered by the U.S. National Parks Service in the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark. In 2021, Butts Hill Fort was added as a location on the National Historic Trail for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, commemorating the journey of the allied forces led by U.S. American General George Washington and French General Rochambeau (Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, count of Rochambeau) from Rhode Island to Virginia during the American Revolutionary War. That same year, the Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA), in collaboration with the Portsmouth Historical Society, established the Restoration Committee to launch a dedicated plan to conserve the site for future generations.

The semiquincentennial marks the 250th anniversary of the declaration of independence by the thirteen American colonies, formally declaring their separation from British rule and establishing the United States of America as an independent nation. The declaration, adopted on July 4, 1776, precipitated the American Revolutionary War. The year 2026 therefore marks 250 years since the declaration, making it a landmark national commemoration. Several efforts to document, preserve, and celebrate historical sites of the American Revolution—including this virtual exhibit—are being undertaken in honor of the nation's semiquincentennial.

The Battle of Rhode Island, which took place in 1778, was an important event in the American Revolutionary War. It culminated in a month-long campaign against British forces occupying Aquidneck Island (in Rhode Island) and served as the first official allied military cooperation between French and U.S. American forces. The conflict also involved German-Hessian forces operating under British command. Notably, the Battle of Rhode Island was fought in part by the First Rhode Island Regiment, the first military unit in American history to enroll Black and Native American soldiers, authorized by the Rhode Island General Assembly in February 1778. The fortification at Butts Hill served as a key strategic point throughout the campaign since its topographic elevation facilitated inspection of the movement of troops and ships during wartime.

With major support from the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities' Celebrate America! program, members of the University of Kentucky's EduceLab collaborated with the Battle of Rhode Island Association, Stonehill College, and the Artillery Company of Newport to bring together digital content related to Butts Hill Fort. The project director is Dr. Hugo Reyes-Centeno, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky and Co-Principal Investigator of EduceLab. Co-Director is Alexandra Uhl, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology and Biology at Stonehill College. The Website Coordinator and Content Manager is Alexander Wise, graduate student in Computer Science at the University of Kentucky. The Archaeological Field Director and 3D Digital Assets Coordinator is Samuel Koontz, graduate student in Anthropology at the University of Kentucky. The exhibit was inspired by non-destructive archaeological research conducted by the team between 2024–2025 (see Keppeler et al. 2025). Additional contributors from the University of Kentucky include Bhushan Chitre, George Crothers, James Keppeler, Philip Mink, Dr. Seth Parker, and Marcus Rodriguez. Collaborators from the Battle of Rhode Island Association include Col. Paul Murphy, Jim Stearns, and Joe Studlick. Additional funding was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Trust, the Battle of Rhode Island Association, the U.S. National Science Foundation (Award No. 2131940: Mid-scale RI-1 (M1:IP), EduceLab: Infrastructure for Next-Generation Heritage Science), and the University of Kentucky.

The aerial footage at the top of the page was filmed at Butts Hill Fort during Portsmouth's 250th anniversary celebrations in May 2025. It shows the site's 4.5-acre restored earthworks from above using drone video collected by Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee volunteer Max McVay of 41 North Photos. The fort was the centerpiece of a living history encampment celebration, featuring reenactment regiments from members of the Brigade of the American Revolution. The event drew over 200 visitors and featured reenactment regiments from six states, with opposing British and American military campsites positioned at opposite ends of the fort's interior, period weapons demonstrations, and educational talks from costumed interpreters. The drone footage captures the site following the completion of the 2024 Southern Battery Earthworks Improvement project, which transformed the previously overgrown grounds into open green space. Visit our 2D collection to see aerial images across the years.

EduceLab is a U.S. National Science Foundation Mid-scale Research Infrastructure laboratory at the University of Kentucky that is dedicated to next-generation heritage science. The lab applies modern technology and advanced computation to the study and preservation of heritage sites and artifacts. EduceLab's work at Butts Hill Fort includes non-destructive archaeological field research and the creation of 3D digital models that form part of this exhibit. Non-destructive work at the fort included analysis of LiDAR data and the acquisition of other remote sensing data, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometry. Learn more about how these techniques were applied by visiting our 3D and 2D exhibit collections.

The Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA) is a nonprofit organization based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, dedicated to commemorating, preserving, and educating the public about the Battle of Rhode Island and its associated historic sites, including Butts Hill Fort. BoRIA is a key partner in this virtual exhibit and has supported the non-destructive archaeological research conducted at Butts Hill Fort, including two archaeological field schools in 2024 and 2025.

The Artillery Company of Newport was chartered in 1741 by King George II of Great Britain and is today a ceremonial unit of the Rhode Island Militia, Council of Historic Military Commands. The Company provides cannon salutes, color guards, and honor guards for official state and local ceremonies, as well as for privately sponsored patriotic and veterans' events. Throughout its proud history of over 281 years, the Artillery Company has served with distinction in both war and peace, including service in the French Indian Wars, the War of the Revolution, at the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, at the First Battle of Bull Run during the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. In addition to its present day ceremonial activities, the Company operates a military museum in its Armory, located at 23 Clarke Street Newport, R.I. The Museum houses one of the country's most extensive collections of military uniforms and memorabilia. Visit our 3D collection to view some of the artifacts and uniforms held in the Artillery Company of Newport's collection.

For in-depth research about Butts Hill Fort and the remote sensing study that inspired this exhibit, see the 2025 open-access publication by Keppeler and colleagues entitled "Remote Sensing of American Revolutionary War Fortification at Butts Hill (Portsmouth, Rhode Island)," published in the journal Heritage. Additional resources include the Battle of Rhode Island Association, the Artillery Company of Newport, the American Battlefield Trust, and EduceLab at the University of Kentucky.