Franklin D. Roosevelt

Executive Order 7903—Transfer of Jurisdiction Over Certain Lands From the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior

May 31, 1938

RHODE ISLAND

Whereas the hereinafter-described lands, together with the improvements thereon, have been acquired by the United States under the authority of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115), in connection with the Department of Agriculture's land-utilization and land- conservation project in Rhode Island known as LA-RI 1; and

Whereas such lands are immediately adjacent to the recreational demonstration project known as the Beach Pond Project, LP-RI 2, which was transferred to the Secretary of the Interior by Executive Order No. 7496, dated November 14, 1936; and

Whereas it appears that the administration of such lands as a part of the said Beach Pond Project would be in the public interest:

Now, Therefore, by virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me under the aforesaid Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, it is hereby ordered that jurisdiction over the hereinafter-described lands, together with the improvements thereon, be, and it is hereby, transferred from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior; and the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to administer such lands, through the National Park Service, as a part of the said Beach Pond Project, LP-RI 2, in accordance with the provisions of the said Executive Order No. 7496 of November 14, 1936:

That certain tract or parcel of land, with all the buildings and improvements thereon, situated partly in the Town of Exeter, in the County of Washington, in the State of Rhode Island, and partly in the Town of West Greenwich, in the County of Kent, in said State, and bounded and described as follows:

Beginning at the northwesterly corner of the premises hereby described, at a point on the southerly side of the Escoheag Hill Road, formerly known as the Old Road to Plain Meeting House, said Corner being also the northeasterly corner of land of Baybrink Inc.; thence turning and running southeasterly twenty-four hundred (2,400) feet, more or less, along the South side of said Road to a brook; thence northwesterly, crossing said Road, five hundred forty (540) feet, more or less, along said brook, to a stone bound at the beginning of a wall; thence turning and running N. 65°20' E. three hundred twelve (312) feet along said wall to a stone bound; thence turning and running S. 41°28' E. four hundred twenty-four (424) feet to a stone bound; thence turning and running S. 43°23' E. Two hundred twenty-four (224) feet to a stone bound on the North side of said Road; the last four courses bounding on land now or formerly of Baybrink Inc.; thence across the Road on the last mentioned course thirty-three (33) feet, more or less, to its southerly side; thence northeasterly and easterly eleven hundred twenty-five (1,125) feet along the South side of said Road to a stone bound; thence turning and running S. 54°58' E. two hundred eighty-four (284) feet to a stone bound; thence turning and running N. 34°42' E. forty-seven (47) feet to a stone bound; thence turning and running S. 63°43' E. one hundred eighteen (118) feet to a stone bound; thence turning and running S. 60°11' E. nine hundred fifty (950) feet, more or less, along a wire and rail fence and stone wall, to a corner of said wall; thence turning and running S. 56°33' E. twenty-four hundred twelve (2,412) feet to a stone bound on the West side of Summit Road; the last five courses bounding on land now or formerly of Baybrink Inc.; thence across said Road thirty-three (33) feet more or less, to the East side of said Road; thence southwesterly and southeasterly along the East side of Summit Road and of Frosty Hollow Road to the intersection of the East side of Frosty Hollow Road with the North side of the New Ten Rod Road, thence southwesterly along the North side of the New Ten Rod Road to the intersection of the North side of the New Ten Rod Road with the East side of the Parris Brook Road; thence northerly thirteen hundred eighty (1,380) feet, more or less, along the East side of said Road, to the North side of the old Ten Rod Road; thence westerly and northerly twenty-one hundred ten (2,110) feet, more or less, on the northerly and easterly side of the Old Ten Rod Road to the intersection of said line with the southerly prolongation of a stone wall; thence turning and running N. 1°22' W. five hundred (500) feet, more or less along said prolongation of wall and said wall to a bend in the wall; thence N. 11°38' E. seventeen hundred fourteen (1,714) feet to the intersection of the South line of Escoheag Trail and the line of a wall; thence northeasterly thirty-three (33) feet, more or less, on the line of said wall to the North side of Escoheag Trail; thence fourteen hundred fifty (1,450) feet, more or less, southeasterly along the North side of Escoheag Trail to the old gate; thence turning and running N. 31°21' E. three hundred (300) feet as the Fence and wall now stand, across the Wood River, to the North bank thereof; thence southeasterly on the high bank of said river twenty-one hundred (2,100) feet, more or less, to the old ditch near the old Blacksmith shop, bounding northeasterly on land now or formerly of Stephen O. Metcalf; thence turning and running S. 22°30' W. twelve (12) feet in a straight line to the middle of Wood River on a line with a stake and stones opposite the house and near the old dam on the bounds of the highway; thence southeasterly one hundred sixty (160) feet, more or less, along the middle of the Wood River, to the South side of a wooden bridge crossing said Wood River; thence turning and running N. 62°01' E. thirty-eight (38) feet, more or less, crossing the river, to a bend on the South side of the Old Ten Rod Road; thence southeasterly twenty-three hundred (2,300) feet, more or less, on the southwesterly side of the Old Ten Rod Road to the intersection of said line with the prolongation of an old rail fence; thence turning and running N. 9°36' E. twelve hundred thirty-five (1,235) feet, more or less, along said rail fence, to a bend; thence turning and running N. 38°27' E. fifteen hundred twenty (1,520) feet, more or less, along said rail fence to the North side of a trail; thence turning and running northwesterly nine hundred (900) feet, more or less, along an old rail fence to the West side of Flat River; thence turning and running northerly eight hundred twenty (820) feet, more or less, on the West side of said river, to the intersection of said line with the prolongation of a line of a wire fence; thence turning and running N. 82°30' W. thirty-three hundred fifty-two (3,352) feet, more or less, to the middle of Wood River; thence turning and running northerly sixty-one hundred (6,100) feet, more or less, along the middle of said river to its intersection with the prolongation of a wire fence at the southeast corner of land now or formerly of Gardner C. and John R. Barber; thence turning and running N. 21°04' E. sixteen hundred five (1,605) feet, more or less, along said wire fence, stone wall and old rail fence, bounding westerly on said Barber land to the beginning of a wall, being a point on the southerly line of land now or formerly of Walter D. Barber; thence turning and running S. 53°51' E. four hundred fifty (450) feet, along a stone wall, to a bend; thence turning and running S. 49°59' E. two hundred seventy-two (272) feet to a point on the South side of Plain Road, formerly known as the Road to Lewis City; the last two courses bounding northerly on said land now or formerly of Walter D. Barber; thence southeasterly along the southerly side of said Plain Road twenty-two hundred forty (2,240) feet, more or less, to the intersection of said southerly side of Plain Road with the prolongation of a stone wall; thence turning and running N. 17°23' E. and crossing said Plain Road, five hundred (500) feet, more or less, along said wall, to a bend in wall; thence turning and running N. 35°44' E. six hundred sixty (660) feet along and to the end of said wall; thence turning and running N. 22°30' E. one hundred fifty (150) feet to a drill hole in a ledge; thence turning and running N. 15°35' E. three hundred thirty-five (335) feet to the beginning of a stone wall; thence turning and running N. 6°57 ' E. two hundred fifty (250) feet along said wall to a drill hole in a ledge; thence turning and running N. 52°44' W. eight hundred sixty-three (863) feet to a granite stone bound; the last six courses bounding on land now or formerly of Walter D. Barber; thence turning and running N. 12°26' E. eleven hundred eighty (1,180) feet to a stone bound; thence turning and running N. 2°57' E. nineteen hundred forty-five (1,945) feet to a stone bound; thence turning and running N. 10°44' E. nine hundred five (905) feet to a stone bound on the South side of said Escoheag Hill Road to the point and place of beginning.

Excluding therefrom the following parcels of land lying within the above-described parcel, which said parcels are excepted from this instrument:

The first parcel is a certain tract of land situated in the Town of West Greenwich, in the County of Kent, in said State, and known as the Pine Swamp Lot, situated in the northwesterly portion of the above described parcel, South of Escoheag Road, and bounded and described as follows: Beginning at the southernmost point of said lot, at a stone bound; thence turning and running N. 63°08' W. eight hundred fifty-six (856) feet to a stone bound on the East side of a road; thence northwesterly, northeasterly, and easterly, nineteen hundred seventy (1,970) feet, more or less, along the northeasterly, southeasterly and southerly sides of said road to a stone bound; thence turning and running S. 8°11' E. eight hundred twenty-eight (828) feet to a point in a brook; thence turning and running S. 6°12' W. one hundred forty-one (141) feet to a stone bound on the West side of a road; thence southwesterly one hundred eighty (180) feet, along the north-west side of said road, to a bend in the road; thence turning and running S. 6°13' W. three hundred thirteen (313) feet to the first mentioned bound, at the point of beginning. Containing by estimation twenty-eight (28) acres, more or less.

The second parcel is a certain tract of land known as the Meeting House Lot at four-corners, situated in the Town of Exeter, in the County of Washington, in said State, bounded and described as follows: beginning at a stone wall on the West side of Frosty Hollow Road, said wall being approximately one hundred seventy (170) feet North of the North line of the New Ten Rod Road; thence S. 27°39' W. one hundred seventy (170) feet more or less, along the West side of said Frosty Hollow Road, to the North line of the said New Ten Rod Road; thence turning and running N. 66°30' W. one hundred sixty-four (164) feet, more or less, along the North side of said New Ten Rod Road, to the southerly prolongation of a stone wall; thence turning and running N. 24°E. one hundred fifty (150) feet, more or less, to and along the last mentioned line of wall, to a corner in the wall; thence turning and running S. 72°45' E. one hundred seventy-five (175) feet, more or less, along the first mentioned wall, to the West side of said Frosty Hollow Road, at the point and place of beginning, and containing by estimation approximately twenty-six thousand eight hundred (26,800) square feet of land.

Also excluding from this instrument any and all burial lots and highways and rights of way as now existing particularly the Old Ten Rod Road, but hereby transferring all the right, title and interest of the United States in and to said highways.

By estimation the area of the premises hereby described is one thousand eight hundred and five (1,805) acres of land, more or less, which area does not include the parcels of land herein excepted.

Signature of Franklin D. Roosevelt
FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

The White House,
May 31, 1938.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Executive Order 7903—Transfer of Jurisdiction Over Certain Lands From the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/210509

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