Rhode Island Postal Cards - Fist Day of Issue

Settling of Rhode Island by Roger Williams in 1636
Designed by David Blossom - Scott #UX112
Issued on June 26, 1986 in Providence, RI
Rhode Island Town Cancels (by RIPS)

The first Post Office at Davisville, (North Kingstown Township, Washington County), Rhode Island was established on December 19, 1851 with James W. Davis as Postmaster. The Post Office was disestablished on April 15, 1932. Davisville Branch of the East Greenwich Post Office was established on December 23, 1942 and closed on April 30, 1964. The 1st Davisville Station of the North Kingstown Post Office was established on May 1, 1964 and was disestablished on January 4, 1974. The 2nd Davisville Station was established on May 1, 1974 and was closed when the Naval Base closed.

The Davisville Naval Base was the home to the Navy Seabees from from 1942 to 1975. It provided a home for the sailors of the Naval Construction Battalions during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict. During World War II over 100, 000 Seabees were stationed and deployed from there. The base was originally known as Camp Endicott and was named for Rear Admiral Mordecai Endicott.

During early 1942, the Navy realized a need for trained construction workers to build base and airstrip facilities in the embattled islands of the Pacific Theatre and in March of that year, they began gathering civilians from each and every construction field in the nation. Shortly thereafter, the first Naval Construction Battalions began forming and training at Camp Endicott in Davisville, Rhode Island.

The Seabees take their name from the first letters of  (C)onstruction (B)attalion - CBs. The symbol of the fighting Seabees is a bumble bee wearing a sailor hat and holding a Machine Gun in one hand and assorted tools in his other hands.

Davisville is also where the Quonset Hut was first designed. The Quonset Huts were a semi-cylindrical shaped, prefabricated portable building which could be quickly shipped and erected anywhere in the world. They are still widely used by today's Navy.

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