It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville.

The area comprising modern-day Smithfield was first settled in 1663 as a farming community by several British colonists, including John Steere.

[4] Chief Justice Peleg Arnold lived in early Smithfield, and his 1690 home still stands today.

There was an active Quaker community in early 18th century Smithfield that extended along the Great Road, from what is today Woonsocket, north into south Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Buffum Chace is a well-known person from Smithfield who was influential in both the abolition of slavery, and the women's rights movement.

[5] During the Industrial Revolution, Smithfield transformed from an agrarian community to a manufacturing center, with several textiles mills being founded along the Woonasquatucket River by the mid-1800s.

The colonial ghost town of Hanton City is located within the boundaries of present-day Smithfield, but was a thriving community in the eighteenth century.

[8] St. Phillip's School, a private Roman Catholic academy offering education in grades K–8, is situated in Greenville.