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Sowams

Ghost town · Bristol County, Rhode Island

Narragansett Bay quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1890, 1:62,500)
Narragansett Bay quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1890, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Sowams is a ghost town in Bristol County, Rhode Island. It is one of 2 former communities in Bristol County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 4th among the 5 Rhode Island counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Sowams as a historical populated place on the Bristol topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 41.7309° N, 71.2864° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleBristol
Elevation0 ft
Nearest living townOcean Grove, MA
Distance to it4 miles
GNIS feature ID1904522
Coordinates41.73093, -71.28644

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Sowams is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Ocean Grove, MA (population 3,099), about 4 miles away in a straight line. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Sowams?

Sowams is in Bristol County, Rhode Island, at 41.7309, -71.2864.

How many ghost towns are in Bristol County?

Bristol County, Rhode Island has 2 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.