Windswept Mansion Ruins on Scarborough Beach (Narragansett, RI)

Perched above the rocky coastline of Narragansett, the Scarborough Beach Ruins — better known as the remains of Windswept Mansion — are among Rhode Island’s most hauntingly beautiful seaside relics. Crumbling stone walls and towering chimneys now stand as ghostly reminders of a Gilded Age estate that once overlooked the Atlantic in elegance and grandeur.

The Beginnings of Windswept Mansion

The story of the Scarborough Beach Ruins begins in 1885, when Edmund Davis, heir to one of Rhode Island’s great fortunes, commissioned a summer retreat unlike any other. His father, Perry Davis, had become wealthy as the inventor of “Perry Davis’s Vegetable Pain Killer,” a patent medicine made from opium and alcohol that became a household name in the mid-19th century.

With this inheritance, Edmund built Windswept Mansion — an oceanfront estate designed to impress. The sprawling 21-room home featured sweeping verandas, formal parlors, servants’ quarters, and panoramic ocean views. It was one of the largest and most opulent residences along Narragansett’s famous Ocean Road, a stretch once lined with Gilded Age mansions.

From Private Estate to Coastal Restaurant

For over four decades, Windswept remained in the Davis family before being sold in 1939 to Paul and Alfred Castiglione, who transformed it into a seaside restaurant called Cobb’s by the Sea.

The elegant dining rooms of the former mansion offered fine meals at modest prices — broiled filet mignon for $2.25, lobster for $1.75, and full Sunday suppers complete with soup, salad, and dessert. A depiction of the mansion appeared on the restaurant’s menus, and locals fondly remember the white letters spelling “Cobbs Restaurant” painted atop the carriage house.

For a time, the old mansion thrived once again, filled with the laughter of diners instead of the quiet of summer residents.

Decline, Fire, and Final Destruction

In 1952, the property was sold to the Lownes family, who used it as a private residence. However, by the late 1960s, the home stood largely vacant and began to suffer from neglect and vandalism.

Between 1972 and 1974, a series of fires devastated the property. The first two caused heavy damage but were repairable; the third — believed to have been the result of arson — completely destroyed Windswept. By the end of 1974, the once-majestic mansion was reduced to ruins and debris.

To prevent luxury redevelopment, the State of Rhode Island purchased the land in 1980, folding it into the public coastline now known as Black Point.

The Ruins Today

Today, the surviving stone foundations and partial walls of Windswept Mansion still stand along the Black Point Trail, overlooking the crashing waves of Scarborough Beach. Visitors hiking the trail from Ocean Road can explore these eerie remnants, where ivy climbs over weathered stone and ocean breezes echo through empty window frames.

Though only fragments remain, the site exudes a haunting charm — a mix of history, mystery, and natural beauty that has turned the ruins into one of Rhode Island’s most photographed hidden gems.

Please note: the ruins are fragile, and visitors should stay on the marked paths and avoid climbing the remaining structures.

Visiting the Ruins Today

The Scarborough Beach Ruins are open to the public year-round as part of Black Point State Park.

• 📍 Address: Ocean Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island
• 🌐 GPS Coordinates: 41.395417, -71.467056
• 🅿️ Parking: Available at the Black Point Trailhead along Ocean Road
• 🏖 Alternate Parking: Scarborough Beach lot (fees apply in summer)
• 🚶‍♂️ Trail Access: The Black Point Trail leads directly to the ruins
• 🕰 Hours: Open daily, dawn to dusk
• ⚠️ Note: Stay on trails; structures are unstable and should not be climbed

Quick Facts

• 🏛 Built: 1885 by Edmund Davis
• 💰 Original Owner’s Fortune: From Perry Davis’s Vegetable Pain Killer medicine
• 🍽 Later Became: Cobb’s by the Sea restaurant (1939–1950s)
• 🔥 Destroyed: 1974 fire
• 🌳 Now Part Of: Black Point, a Rhode Island State Park
• 🌊 Location: Overlooks Scarborough Beach and Narragansett Bay
• 🧭 Nickname: “Black Point Ruins” or “Scarborough Beach Ruins”
• 📷 Best For: Photography, coastal hiking, and historic exploration

Final Thoughts

The Scarborough Beach Ruins — once the grand Windswept Mansion — serve as a poignant symbol of Rhode Island’s vanished Gilded Age. From opulent family estate to seaside restaurant to haunting ruin, its story spans more than a century of coastal history. Today, nature has reclaimed the site, blending stone and sea into a timeless tableau — a place where beauty and decay coexist in perfect harmony.