In 1781, the present day town boundaries were created when a western portion of largely unsettled woodlands was given to create Foster.Īs the population grew, the villages of North Scituate and Hope also grew.
Stephen Hopkins later became a governor of Rhode Island and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.Īt that time, Scituate boundaries also encompassed the land which is now Foster, so it was bounded by Glocester to the north, Providence to the east, Warwick to the south, and Connecticut to the west. Scituate's first town meeting was held at the Angell Tavern in South Scituate, with Stephen Hopkins elected as the first moderator and Joseph Brown as clerk. In 1730, Scituate lands were separated from Providence and the town was officially incorporated in 1731. The original spelling of the town's name was 'Satuit', an Indian word meaning 'cold brook'. was first settled in 1710 by emigrants from Scituate, Massachusetts.
