Newport Realty, Inc. v. Lynch

OPINION

GOLDBERG, Justice.

This case takes us to the historic Newport harborfront. Long before the “City-by-the-Sea” became famous as a tourist destination, Newport’s harbor was the focal point of the community and largely responsible for its rich merchant history. Because of its deep and well-protected harbor, Newport was a thriving commercial port, one of the busiest in the Colonial era. Wharves stretched for up to a mile, where hundreds of merchant ships, including vessels employed in foreign and domestic trade, were moored to land and load goods and supplies. Colonial Rhode Island’s…