On June 10, 1772, the British scooner H.M.S. Gaspee had run aground at what is now Gaspee Point chasing a smuggling vessel. John Brown and other American colonists who were fed up with the British Authority's overtaxation seized this opportunity for payback.  They loaded in to eight boats and rowed out to capture the vessel. They overpowered the ship, disabled her commander, took the crew hostage, and burned her to the waterline.  Despite British efforts to bring the culprits to justice, the raiding party was never punished.  This was the spark that ignited the American Revolution and led to our country's independence.  Almost 250 years later this quaint beach community  overlooks both a beautiful view of Narragansett Bay and a genuine piece of American history.