The ruler of the Native Americans was a female sachem named Awashonks who was friendly to the newcomers and remained so during and after King Phillip's War.

[3] Among the 29 original proprietors was Colonel Benjamin Church, who would become well known for his role in the late 17th-century conflicts with surrounding Indian tribes, initially the Wampanoags and later, the Narragansetts.

A Royal commission changed the state border in 1747, and Little Compton along with Tiverton and Bristol became part of Rhode Island, setting them off from the area of Old Dartmouth.

Beginning in the late Victorian era, the town became a destination for summer visitors drawn to its beaches and farms seemingly untouched by modernity, and for its relatively cool, maritime climate.

[7] Benjamin Church and his family are buried in the cemetery, as is Elizabeth Pabodie, the eldest daughter of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of Mayflower fame.

The stones in the cemetery reflect a style of carving similar to that found both in Newport and Boston during the same time period.

Built as a water tower, local lore claims that it was constructed to obscure the sight-lines of a rival abutting neighbor.

The exclusive club operated between 1864 and 1906, with notable members including the likes of Grover Cleveland, J.P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The remaining structures on the island were destroyed by the Hurricane of 1938, save for three stone support columns that are still extant.

More than half (59%) had earned a bachelor's degree or higher, which was 1.5 times greater than the rate of Rhode Island (34%).

According to Bruce Irving, author of the book New England Icons, "There were once some 250,000 miles of stone walls in the Northeast, enough to stretch to the moon, their epicenter generally sited in a fifty-mile radius around the meeting point of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with the Rhode Island town of Little Compton especially rich in stone walls.

"[21] At times, Little Compton has been considered a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts despite the town residing entirely within Rhode Island.

It has been argued that Little Compton and Tiverton share more in common with the regional identities of the South Coast communities of Westport and Dartmouth (and to an extent Fall River) than the rest of Newport County.

Adamsville is a village situated in the northeast corner of Little Compton and overlaps with the towns of Tiverton and Westport in Rhode Island and Massachusetts respectively.

The majority of Little Compton's civic buildings are located in the Commons, and the town hosts many events in this area.

[27] Little Compton is unique for its real estate transfer tax, which was enabled by state statute in 1985 to preserve farmland in town and protect limited drinking water resources from overdevelopment.

[28] Effective July 1, 2016, real estate property transfers are taxed at a 4% rate, with the first $300,000 is exempted, paid by the buyer in the transaction to the town's Agricultural Conservancy Trust.

The Rhode Island Red is a native breed of poultry first bred by William Tripp in Adamsville.

It is the most successful dual purpose bird [raised for both eggs and meat], and remains an excellent farm chicken [or non-industrial breed].

Another plaque honoring the Rhode Island Red was erected by the state on the breed's 100th anniversary in 1954, 1-mile (1.6 km) south of Adamsville on the wall of what was William Tripp's farm.

The two memorials reflect a dispute between poultry fanciers and farmers over who should have received credit for the breed's success.