Congregation Beth David was chartered as a congregation in 1961, Jews who summered in Narragansett had been gathering in private homes on Friday nights since at least 1946. Most of these vacationing Jews belonged to shuls in the greater Providence area, but they finally decided they needed a summer synagogue. In 1961 they built a small ranch-style building on the corner of Kingstown and Watson Roads. They chartered the congregation as Orthodox, even though over 75% of the families considered themselves Conservative.

The building was dedicated on July 4, 1962; It was named Congregation Beth David in memory of David Frank, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Frank, who had died the previous year. The Franks had often hosted Friday night services in their home before the temple was built. Three years later, there were 200 families on the books, and the congregation was able to burn the mortgage. On August 14, 1966 the officers carried a new Torah Scroll, donated by Martin M. Zucker in memory of his mother Mary, to the Beth David ark, and on August 15, 1976 a Mogen David, which had adorned the walls of Sons of Zion in Providence, was hung over the front door of the shul.

By 1978, the summer Jewish population had dwindled, but there were enough permanent "South County" Jews to convert the synagogue to year-round use, and by year's end the transition was made. The change away from a summer shul and the influx of more "liberal" families into the area, caused a new transition -- to a Conservative affiliation. A long and rancorous standoff ended when a judge ordered that the Friday night services should be conservative and the Shabbat mornings should be Orthodox, although a special Conservative service like a Bar/Bat Mitzvah could pre-empt an Orthodox Saturday service. The Orthodox members did not take advantage of the Saturday services, so after three years, Beth David became a Conservative congregation.