During the Gallaudet Factory period, the Bostitch Corporation, located in East Greenwich, was allowed to dump hundreds of truckloads of waste metal staples along the east facing shore behind the wood bulkhead to control erosion from the 1930s to the early 1950s. The staples rusted in large heaps that gradually were eroded/dissolved by the salt water. In the early 2000s after becoming a city park, Warwick had most of the remaining rust piles removed, but beach walkers can still discover small rust pieces lying about which locals jokingly call "Bostaplite" rock. A few wood piles remain widely scattered along the shore showing how much sand has eroded particularly in the north-east corner popular with fishermen.