Everyone in Rhode Island knows that the Newport Mansions are the most well-preserved pieces of our recent past, offering an architectural glimpse into life in New England in the 19th century. That being said, Newport is also home to The Bells, a once-grand estate that now lies in shambles in Brenton Point State Park. Still, the remains of this once stunning structure are worth checking out.

Brenton Point State Park sits on Ocean Drive in Newport, occupying 89 acres at the southwestern tip of Aquidneck Island.

Urban Decay Photo / YouTube The state park is stunning, and The Bells sits hidden deep within its borders.

The Bells, which was originally known as The Reefs, was constructed in 1876.

Urban Decay Photo / YouTube Back then, a lawyer and copper magnate named Theodore M. Davis just wanted to construct his dream home.

Once the mansion was complete, Davis moved in and made the place his own.

Urban Decay Photo / YouTube He spent years filling the rooms with artifacts and treasures he’d collected around the world on his travels. These included some Egyptian artifacts that were practically priceless.

Davis passed away in 1915, and the home was sold to the Budong family.

Urban Decay Photo / YouTube In 1928, the Budongs divorced, and the mansion sat abandoned for awhile. While it was used briefly as a defense battery during World War II, it sat empty for decades after, slowly decaying.

In 1960, most of the property was destroyed by a fire – but the carriage house and part of the stables remain.

Urban Decay Photo / YouTube Clearly, the urban explorers and graffiti artists have taken it upon themselves to decorate the place.

The Bells sits on public property, but it’s surrounded by a chain link fence.

Kelly264 / TripAdvisor Still, it’s pretty fascinating to take a nature walk to the property and speculate on why it was abandoned nearly a century ago.

You may not be able to go inside the stables and carriage house here, but you can take a virtual tour through this exciting episode of Urban Explorers on YouTube.

Urban Decay Photo / YouTube

The state park is stunning, and The Bells sits hidden deep within its borders.

Back then, a lawyer and copper magnate named Theodore M. Davis just wanted to construct his dream home.

He spent years filling the rooms with artifacts and treasures he’d collected around the world on his travels. These included some Egyptian artifacts that were practically priceless.

In 1928, the Budongs divorced, and the mansion sat abandoned for awhile. While it was used briefly as a defense battery during World War II, it sat empty for decades after, slowly decaying.

Clearly, the urban explorers and graffiti artists have taken it upon themselves to decorate the place.

Kelly264 / TripAdvisor

Still, it’s pretty fascinating to take a nature walk to the property and speculate on why it was abandoned nearly a century ago.



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Address: Brenton Point State Park, Ocean Drive, Newport, RI 02840, USA