The state Department of Transportation has closed on 52 acres at the head of Point Judith Pond, in Narragansett, the site of an historically significant Narragansett Indian tribal settlement, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said.
The DOT, which condemned the property to protect it from development as houses, wanted the site to balance the effect of its reconstruction of the Providence Viaduct, which carries Route 95 past downtown. That project will damage other Indian remains deeply buried at the construction sited.
The deal ends a contentious dispute in which Kilmartin and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission challenged the property developer's plan to develop the land after discovering evidence of the Narragansett Indian village on the site.
The Narragansett site is considered one of the most important such areas on the East Coast. Unlike many sites it has not been the scene of construction. Archeologists say it offers unprecedented views of village life.