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History of Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Journey back in time to Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Visit Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.Do You Have Providence Roots? Share MY Ancestral Story!
Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Providence was so called by Roger Williams, "for God's merciful providence to me in my distress."
How New England Towns Received Their Names
The Day
New London, Connecticut
October 21, 1914
George M. Cohan was born in Providence in 1878. He wrote, "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and a wide variety of other musical entertainment.
50states.com
There is MUCH more to discover about Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Read on!
Postcards and Memories of Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Providence Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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. United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.
Brown was founded in 1764 — the third college in New England and the seventh in Colonial America. Brown was the first Ivy League school to accept students from all religious affiliations...
Originally located in Warren, Rhode Island, and called the College of Rhode Island, Brown moved to its current spot on College Hill overlooking Providence in 1770 and was renamed in 1804 in recognition of a $5,000 gift from Nicholas Brown, a prominent Providence businessman and alumnus, Class of 1786.
Women were first admitted to Brown in 1891...
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Brown University, 1898
Historic Towns of New England. (1898). United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.
Brown was founded in 1764 — the third college in New England and the seventh in Colonial America. Brown was the first Ivy League school to accept students from all religious affiliations...
Originally located in Warren, Rhode Island, and called the College of Rhode Island, Brown moved to its current spot on College Hill overlooking Providence in 1770 and was renamed in 1804 in recognition of a $5,000 gift from Nicholas Brown, a prominent Providence businessman and alumnus, Class of 1786.
Women were first admitted to Brown in 1891...
250.brown.edu
Read more about Nicholas BROWN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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First Baptist Meeting House
It is the oldest Baptist church congregation in the United States, founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The present church building was erected between 1774 and 75 and held its first meetings in May 1775. It is located at 75 North Main Street in Providence's College Hill neighborhood. wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Located in the center of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, The Arcade Providence was built in 1828 and it is the oldest indoor mall in the United States. arcadeprovidence.com
The Arcade is a 3-story, stucco rubble Greek Revival structure that provides both a covered walkway, and a commercial center in between Weybosset and Westminster streets in downtown Providence. The building began construction in 1827, and was completed in 1828 under original owners Cyrus Butler and the Arcade Corporation. The designs for the structure by architects Russell Warren and James Bucklin are a fine example of the Greek Revival style, which uncompromisingly implemented a modern interior plan. brown.edu
At the time of the Arcade's opening, there were few retail stores on the west side of the Providence River. Most shopping was located on the east side or Cheapside district. The arcade was slow to attract customers and was known as "Butler's Folly" for many years because of its distance from the retail districts. This changed when a fashionable hat shop opened next door which attracted wealthy female customers to the neighborhood. After that, Westminster Street and downtown developed into a major shopping area. wikipedia){kind=small}
The Arcade, Built 1828
Located in the center of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, The Arcade Providence was built in 1828 and it is the oldest indoor mall in the United States. arcadeprovidence.com
The Arcade is a 3-story, stucco rubble Greek Revival structure that provides both a covered walkway, and a commercial center in between Weybosset and Westminster streets in downtown Providence. The building began construction in 1827, and was completed in 1828 under original owners Cyrus Butler and the Arcade Corporation. The designs for the structure by architects Russell Warren and James Bucklin are a fine example of the Greek Revival style, which uncompromisingly implemented a modern interior plan. brown.edu
At the time of the Arcade's opening, there were few retail stores on the west side of the Providence River. Most shopping was located on the east side or Cheapside district. The arcade was slow to attract customers and was known as "Butler's Folly" for many years because of ... Read MORE...
Read more about Cyrus BUTLER
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Plant of Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co.
BROWN & SHARPE MFG. CO., Makers of Machinery and Tools. -- In manufacturing interests Providence is one of the leading cities in the country. There are various causes for this supremacy, among which are the transportation facilities by water and rail, and the enterprise and resources of the leading manufacturers. The largest concern in its line, machinery and tools, is the Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., whose works are located on Promenade and Holden streets. The foundation of this business was laid in 1833 by Messrs. David and Joseph R. Brown, father and son. In 1841 the senior partner retired, and the son continued as sole proprietor until 1853, when Mr. Lucian Sharpe became a partner under the firm name of J. R. Brown & Sharpe. In 1868 the present company was incorporated. The works comprise three machine shops, one of which was erected in 1873, extended in 1878, and now contains three floors and a basement, 51 x 291 feet, with two... Read MORE...
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 founded a soap manufactory in Providence, R.I. in 1827. The Kendall Manufacturing Co. was incorporated in 1860. The Company continued to manufacture soap into the mid-20th century. digital.librarycompany.org){kind=small}
Kendall Mfg. Cos
Established 1837
Soapine
The Dirt Killer
Will Not Injure Hands or Fabric
Providence, R.I.
Henry L. Kendall (1805-1883) founded a soap manufactory in Providence, R.I. in 1827. The Kendall Manufacturing Co. was incorporated in 1860. The Company continued to manufacture soap into the mid-20th century. digital.librarycompany.org
Read more about Henry Lewis KENDALL
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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PERRY DAVIS' PAIN KILLER
IT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF FORTY YEARS' TRIAL.
PERRY DAVIS & SON, Proprietors, Providence, R.I.
Perry Davis' Pain Killer was an American opium elixir marketed globally after 1839. Perry Davis’ Pain Killer, a combination of opium, alcohol, and other substances, was formulated in 1839 and marketed successfully worldwide within 4 decades as both an internal and external pain remedy. anesthesiahistoryjournal.org
Read more about Perry DAVIS
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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The Old White Mill, Cranston St., 1912
The Old White Mill was originally a state arsenal; garrisoned in May 1842; unsuccessfully attacked by Thos. W. Dorr and his forces; used in turn as a grist-mill; woolen mill and cotton mill; and purchased by the State of Rhode Island, Dec. 1895. The site is now occupied by the new State Armory, south of Dexter Training Ground, Providence, R.I.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Grace Church
Grace Church is an historic Episcopal church at 300 Westminster Street at Mathewson Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1845-46 and was designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival style.
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Artwork
Arcade, Providence
THE HISTORY & TOPOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, published by J & F Tallis in London about 1850.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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St. Francis Xavier's Academy
St. Francis Xavier Academy was opened by the Sisters of Mercy with twenty students in 1851. At that time, it was both a boarding school and a day school. In 1874, a building with convent and school was erected on Sixty Broad Street in Providence, RI. Two years later, Joseph Banigan, the “Rubber King” gave $25,000 for a new chapel to be designed by a master artist from England. Every detail of the chapel tells the story of the Mother of God. For many students, the chapel was an integral part of the St. Xavier experience... stxavieralumnae.org
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Rhode Island State Normal School, 1912
Rhode Island Normal School was a teacher preparatory college that has since become Rhode Island College. The school was established in 1854, and was housed in several different buildings in the city until 1898, when the building above opened. lostnewengland.com
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 renaming the company the Rumford Chemical Works in honor of Horsford, a chemist, who occupied the Count Rumford Chair of Physics at Harvard University.... ephist.org
The Rumford Chemical Works established its presence in East Providence (moving from Providence) c. 1857, and eventually built an extensive complex of buildings centered on the junction of Newman and Greenwood Avenues with North Broadway... map.roadtrippers.com){kind=small}
1890s
Horsfords Acid Phosphate
Rumford Chemical Works
Providence, R.I.
George Francis Wilson was a school teacher and principal of the Chicago Academy in Illinois who had a desire to enter industry. He moved back to his native town of Uxbridge, MA, in 1854. That same year he entered into business in Providence with J. B. Duggan and Eben Horsford selling chemicals. In 1858 he and Horsford moved the business to Seekonk, MA (now East Providence, RI) renaming the company the Rumford Chemical Works in honor of Horsford, a chemist, who occupied the Count Rumford Chair of Physics at Harvard University.... ephist.org
The Rumford Chemical Works established its presence in East Providence (moving from Providence) c. 1857, and eventually built an extensive complex of buildings centered on the junction of Newman and Greenwood Avenues with North Broadway... map.roadtrippers.com
Read more about George Francis WILSON
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Coleman & Remington
Photographie Studio
25 Westminster St.
Providence, R.I.
Founded by William Coleman and O. M. Remington, 1868
Coleman never married or had children, and he lived in various boarding houses throughout his life. He worked for other photographers until 1868 when he partnered with Orville M. Remington and established a professional studio called “Coleman and Remington” located at 25 Westminster Street in Providence. This ended in 1876 when Remington gave up the photography profession.
Coleman died in 1908 from pneumonia. He’s buried with his parents and siblings in their family lot at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island. edgarallenpoeri.com
Read more about William Walter COLEMAN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Butler Exchange,
Soldiers and Sailors Monument, 1908
The late 19th century was a time of growing prosperity for the city of Providence, and few buildings indicated this as well as the Butler Exchange. This massive commercial block was built in 1873, and was designed by prominent architect Arthur Gilman. Like many other public buildings of the day, it was designed in the Second Empire style, complete with towers on the corners and a large, two-story mansard roof at the top. On the inside, it consisted of shops on the first floor, with offices on the five upper floors. Starting in 1878, the second floor was also the first home of the Providence Public Library...
...the Butler Exchange itself was demolished in 1925...
lostnewengland.com
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Artwork
Scenes in Providence
Picturesque America... Oliver Bell Bunce, William Cullen Bryant
New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872-1874.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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The Callendar McAuslan and Troup Company
Callendar, McAuslan and Troop’s “Boston Store” opened in the early 1870s at the corner of Westminster and Union Streets. The success of Providence’s first department store led not only to its substantial expansion by 1892, but also to the organization of competing firms, Shepard’s and the Outlet...
Established as a department store — the first of its magnitude in Providence — in 1866, Callendar, McAuslan & Troup first opened in a smaller building on this site. The commercial venture, which soon became known as the Boston Store, was immediately successful and, having outgrown its original facilities, commenced expansion on the site in 1872. This building originally had a cast-iron facade which was removed during the 1892 expansion and remodeling.
The Boston Store was bought by Peerless in the early 1950s...
artinruins.com
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Narragansett Hotel, est. 1877
NARRAGANSETT HOTEL, L. H. Humphreys, Lessee. -- The great hotel of the present has the population of a small village, yet the guests have extraordinary fare and every comfort. Humanity is in one of these mammoth establishments catered by wholesale, while at the same time each individual guest receives as much attention as though he had one whole hotel to himself; and it is this combination of large general figures with the closest attention to the minutest personal detail which forms the chief problem of the hotel proprietor, and constitutes the real mystery of modern hotel-keeping. It is generally admitted by connoisseurs and experienced travelers that the Narragansett Hotel, in Providence, is second to no other hotel in the United States, in combining hospitable ideas and practical business methods with marked ability of management and every luxury. This magnificent hotel was thrown open to the public in 1877, and during the ten years of the... Read MORE...
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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City Hall
Providence City Hall is the center of the municipal government in Providence, Rhode Island, and is located at the southwest end of Kennedy Plaza at 25 Dorrance Street. The building was constructed between 1875 and 1878 and designed by Samuel J. F. Thayer in the Second Empire style. wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Hotel Dorrance, 1909
Built in 1878, demolished in 1978
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Empire Theatre
The Empire Theatre has a long history that began in 1878 as Low's Opera House, when it was a rival to the Providence Opera House on Dorrance Street, opened seven years earlier in 1871. It was re-built, reopening on October 24, 1898 with a seating capacity of 1,801.
In the seventy-one years of its existence in the center of downtown Providence, it served as an illustrious home to theatre and vaudeville and films, under the later names of Keith’s Theatre, B.F. Keith’s New Theatre, Victory Theatre, RKO Victory Theatre, and finally, from 1936 to its demise in 1948, the Empire Theatre.
cinematreasures.org
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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English High School
In September 1878, a “magnificent” new high school was dedicated on Pond Street from plans made by prominent Providence architect William H. Walker. The old high school at Benefit and Waterman Streets had been overcrowded for years. The expansion of the school system--both the number of students served and the buildings that served them--was one of Mayor Thomas Doyle’s major achievements during his eighteen years as mayor... rhodetour.org
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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S. S. Peter's and Paul's Cathedral
In 1873, Patrick Keely was selected to draw the plans for one of the finest churches in the country. The following year, work on the foundation of a temporary church began when Bishop Hendricken signed a contract for the construction at a cost of $18,950. The old rectory was demolished and a new one built at the corner of Fenner and Pond Streets where it still stands.
The cornerstone of the current cathedral was laid in 1878... On June 30, 1889, more than a decade after construction began, the completed cathedral was finally consecrated by Bishop Matthew Harkins.... wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Good Will Engine Co., No. 13
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Murray, Spink & Co.
Jobbers of Fancy Goods,
Show Cases in Large Variety,
26, 28, & 30 Pine Street, & 26 Hay Street,
Providence, R.I.
MURRAY, SPINK & CO., Importers and Jobbers of Fancy Goods, Nos. 26, 28 and 30 Pine Street and No. 30 Hay Street. -- This immense business dates its inception back to 1852, when it was founded by Messrs. Burrington & Hutchins, who developed most important interests and far-reaching connections, which their successors have built upon to great advantage. They were succeeded by the firm of Hutchins & Murray and in 1878 the present firm was organized by Messrs. P. S. Murray, G. A. Spink, H. K. Blanchard and H. A. Young. A more competent body of business men are rarely combined in an organization of this nature. They brought to bear every qualification for the business and have ever retained the confidence and esteem of the commercial world. They are direct importers and leading jobbers of fancy goods, notions and novelties, handling watches and... Read MORE...
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Crown Hotel
Built in 1894, designed by Gould, Angell & Swift for the Providence Athletic Association, the seven-story building grew by two floors in 1901 when it was refitted for use as a hotel. In the 1950s, Johnson & Wales Business College purchased the building for dormitory use. It was demolished in 1992. oldpvd.com
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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R.I. Institute for Deaf and Dumb
Built in 1895, the Rhode Island School for the Deaf was called the R.I. Institute for Deaf and Dumb from 1895 to 1930.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Banigan Building, built 1896
Hailed as the first tall, steel-frame, “fireproof” building in Providence, the ten-and-one-half-story granite-sheathed Banigan Building was built on speculation by Joseph Banigan, founder of a large plant for rubber goods in Woonsocket and eventually also one of the founders of U.S. Rubber when his company went into the giant conglomerate.
sah-archipedia.org
Read more about Joseph Michael BANIGAN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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. United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.){kind=small}
View of Providence, from the South, 1898
Historic Towns of New England. (1898). United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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. United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.){kind=small}
The Capitol, 1898
Historic Towns of New England. (1898). United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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The Mall, Exchange Place, Providence, R.I.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Concert Pavilion and Casino, Roger Williams Park, Providence, R. I.
The Park was created when Betsey Williams, great, great, great granddaughter of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams, left 102 acres of farm and woodland to the City of Providence.
It was built to provide a respite to residents of a rapidly industrializing Providence, factory and mill workers. It was designed before the automobile and many traveled by streetcar to the Park... rwpconservancy.org
Read more about Roger WILLIAMS
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Washington Bridge. Providence, R. I.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Civic Center
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Public Library, 1919
Providence Public Library of Providence, Rhode Island was founded in 1875. The central library building at 225 Washington Street opened in 1900 and was constructed in a Renaissance style with private donations including a large donation from John Nicholas Brown I, and a large addition was built in 1954. wikipedia
Read more about John Nicholas BROWN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Union Trust Building
The Union Trust Company Building is a historic building at 170 Westminster Street and 62 Dorrance Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
It is a twelve-story steel-framed structure, faced in brick and stone. Originally four bays deep, it was expanded to seven bays in 1920. It was designed by Stone, Carpenter & Willson and built in 1901–02 to house the offices of the Union Trust Company, which occupied the first two floors and leased the remaining space. wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Carrie Tower, Brown University, Providence, R. I.
Carrie Tower was erected in 1904, a gift of Paul Bajnotti of Turin, Italy, and a memorial to his wife, born Caroline Mathilde Brown, granddaughter of Nicholas Brown 1786, for whom the University is named, and daughter of Nicholas Brown 1811. She died in Palermo in 1892 after sixteen years of marriage to Bajnotti, who also erected a fountain in her memory in Burnside Park in Providence.
brown.edu
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 as we know it today came into being when it opened its doors to the scholarly world (in 1904) as an independently funded and autonomously administered institution for advanced research, situated within an ornate neo-classical building on a bucolic corner of the Brown University campus...
jcblibrary.org){kind=small}
John Carter Brown Library, Brown University
John Carter Brown’s famed Americana collection was initially formed in 1846 through a series of three spectacular purchases – in February, June, and November of that year – that made the Brown family residence on Benefit Street the site of a monument to American history writ large...
The John Carter Brown Library (JCB) as we know it today came into being when it opened its doors to the scholarly world (in 1904) as an independently funded and autonomously administered institution for advanced research, situated within an ornate neo-classical building on a bucolic corner of the Brown University campus...
jcblibrary.org
Read more about John Carter BROWN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Providence Protective Dept. House on Richmond St.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Randall Square
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Journal Building. Providence, R. I.
The ornate new building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Robert Swain Peabody of the noted Boston firm of Peabody & Stearns. It was completed in 1906. wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Ezeja Le. N.S. Do. Rozario. Open September 9, 1906.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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New State Armory
The Cranston Street Armory is an historic building in the Broadway–Armory Historic District of Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1907 at a cost of $650,000.00. wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Corner of Elwood and Potter Ave., 1907
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Providence Novelty Co., 1907
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Bird's Eye View of Providence River, 1907
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Union Station and Capitol Hill
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Westminster Street looking East, 1907
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Crown Hotel and Hof Brau Hous
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Fields Point
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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N.Y.N.H. & H. Station & Capitol
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Weybosset Street, Providence, R.I.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Gorham Mfg. Co. Plant and Elmwood Railway Station
Gorham Silver was founded in Providence, Rhode Island, 1831 by Jabez Gorham, a master craftsman, in partnership with Henry L. Webster. The firm's chief product was spoons of coin silver. The company also made thimbles, combs, jewelry, and other small items. In 1842, the Congress enacted a tariff which effectively blocked the importation of silverware from outside the United States, which aided the American silver industry. Jabez Gorham did not take full advantage of this opportunity, but in 1847 Jabez retired and his son, John Gorham succeeded him as head of the company.
John Gorham introduced mechanized production methods, enlarged the premises in downtown Providence, improved the designs, and expanded the product line. In 1852, Gorham toured many of Europe's silver workshops and manufacturers, speaking with individual specialists, including master craftsmen and toolmakers. He sought highly skilled foreign workmen to train his... Read MORE...
Read more about Jabez GORHAM
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Rhode Island State Capitol
Overlooking downtown Providence from Smith Hill, the State House is the center of Rhode Island government. It was designed by the renowned New York firm of McKim, Mead and White in 1891- 94 and constructed between 1895 and 1904.
sos.ri.gov
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Birds Eye View from State House
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Hope Street, showing residences of Wm. Gammell and Col. R. H. I. Goddard
Read more about Robert Hale Ives GODDARD
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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New Post Office
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Westminster Street
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Y.M.C.A. Building
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Weybosset St. from Matthewson St.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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State Normal School
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Telephone Building
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Webster Street Grammar School
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Moses Brown School
One of Moses Brown's last great contributions to Rhode Island life was his role in the revival of the New England Yearly Meeting School. It had existed intermittently in the 1770s and 1780s, but died out through lack of interest. In 1814, Brown presented the Yearly Meeting with 43 acres of land in Providence, and worked diligently toward the creation of a school on this land. He provided important financial assistance, and also donated his impressive book collection to the school library. His son Obadiah joined him as a major supporter of this effort until his untimely death in 1822. Moses Brown served as the school's treasurer until shortly before his own death in 1836, at the age of 98. The school was renamed in his honor in 1913 as the Moses Brown School, and remains a leading preparatory school in the U.S. wikipedia
Read more about Moses BROWN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Turks Head Building
The Turks Head building was designed in 1913 by New York architects Howells & Strokes. The building was erected by the Brown Land Co. as an investment for members of the Brown family, and was part of a highway improvement plan that would encourage more useful road relocation movements in the future. A portion of the original lot was taken by the city for widening the highway at the street intersection. The Turk's Head which has been familiar to nearly every resident of the state for more than three generations graces its origin back to the days when signs, instead of numbers, were used by business houses to guide and attract customers.
Jacob Whitman's house originally stood on this site in 1750... brown.edu
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Court House, 1914
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 Author: W.A. Greenough & Co Volume: 1915 Publisher: Boston : W.A. Greenough & Co.){kind=small}
Patents - U.S. and Foreign
Joseph A. Miller & Company
New Bedford ... directory : of the inhabitants, business firms, institutions, streets, societies (1915) Author: W.A. Greenough & Co Volume: 1915 Publisher: Boston : W.A. Greenough & Co.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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The New R.R. Station
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Exchange Place, 1916
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Providence College, Providence, R. I.
Providence College was founded in 1917 by the Dominican Friars at the invitation of Bishop Harkins to provide a Catholic education in the arts and sciences.
about.providence.edu
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Rhode Island Hospital Trust Co.
Location: 15 Westminster Street, Providence,
Built: 1917
Architect: York & Sawyer
Incorporated on October 24, 1867, Rhode Island Hospital Trust was the first trust company in New England. It owes its unique name to the fact that it was chartered by the board of trustees of Rhode Island Hospital. The new hospital had been founded four years earlier and the trust company was intended to help finance it. Hospital Trust’s original charter required the bank to pay one third of its annual net profit above 6 percent to Rhode Island Hospital. This provision was to remain in effect until another institution stepped forward to assume a benefactor’s role. While that never came to pass, the philanthropic provision was cancelled in 1880 by mutual agreement of the bank and the state’s General Assembly. In exchange, the hospital received 100 shares of the bank’s stock.
Hospital Trust was organized by William Binney, who served as the company’s first... Read MORE...
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Shubert Majestic Theatre
Built in 1917, first named Emery’s Majestic, it was later renamed Shubert’s Majestic before it became simply the Majestic.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Market Square
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 and Knowles Loom Works (established 1855). It had manufacturing facilities in Worcester, Mass., Providence, R.I., Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C.
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Crompton & Knowles Loom Works
Firm was established in 1897 by the consolidation of Crompton Loom Works (established 1851) and Knowles Loom Works (established 1855). It had manufacturing facilities in Worcester, Mass., Providence, R.I., Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C.
snaccoopertive.org
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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New Industrial Trust Building, Exchange Place
INDUSTRIAL TRUST COMPANY, No. 57 Westminster Street. -- During the last few years a class of institutions has sprung up in the United States intended to meet the requirements of holders of property, for their 'better protection during life', and the more certain and speedy transmission of property to heirs at death. These trust companies not only receive money on deposit like banks, but also securities and other articles of value, and are besides authorized to act as trustee, executor, administrator, etc. Being corporations, they never die. The Industrial Trust Company, of Providence, whose offices and banking-rooms are eligibly located at No. 57 Westminster Street, was incorporated June 9, 1886, and began business in August, 1887. It has a cash capital of $500,000, and is officered as follows, viz: President, Samuel P. Colt; vice-president, Albert L. Calder; treasurer, J. M. Addeman; directors, James M. Kimball, Providence; Geo. L.... Read MORE...
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Weybosset St., 1920s
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Providence Biltmore Hotel
The Providence Biltmore was constructed by the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain, founded by John McEntee Bowman and Louis Wallick. It was built in the neo-Federal Beaux-arts style and designed by the architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore, who also designed Grand Central Terminal. The hotel opened on June 6, 1922, and was the second-tallest building in the city after the Rhode Island State House... wikipedia
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Providence, R.I.){kind=small}
"Front Campus"
Brown University
Providence, R.I.
Read more about John BROWN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 became the school’s first principal. The Brothers gave the school direction and purpose and a set of core values that the school still holds dear today. A school, our school, was born.
With the Brothers’ arrival in the fall of 1871 a new era was about to begin for Catholic education in the state. In 1876, Bishop Thomas Hendricken, who like his predecessors was deeply impressed by the devotion and dedication of the Christian Brothers, gave the school its official name, La Salle Academy, in honor of the founder of the Christian Brothers... lasalle-academy.org){kind=small}
La Salle Academy, 1935
...In 1871, three brothers arrived in Providence to operate the school and instill it with the values of their order’s founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle. Brother Ptolemy (Dandurand) became the school’s first principal. The Brothers gave the school direction and purpose and a set of core values that the school still holds dear today. A school, our school, was born.
With the Brothers’ arrival in the fall of 1871 a new era was about to begin for Catholic education in the state. In 1876, Bishop Thomas Hendricken, who like his predecessors was deeply impressed by the devotion and dedication of the Christian Brothers, gave the school its official name, La Salle Academy, in honor of the founder of the Christian Brothers... lasalle-academy.org
Discover Providence: History, News, Travel, and Stories
Add History/News/Story
1636 - ROGER WILLIAMS was banished from the colony of Massachusetts due to his outspoken views of religious inequality, fled to the head of Narraganset Bay, and there, with a few followers, planted the seed of the commonwealth of Rhode Island in 1636
rhodeislandcolonialera.weebly.com/ culture.html
Read more about Roger WILLIAMS
rhodeislandcolonialera.weebly.com/ culture.html
Read more about Roger WILLIAMS
1647 - Three settlements united with Providence, formed single government
Anne Hutchinson and her followers founded Portsmouth in 1638, while others of the same group established Newport. In 1643, several dissidents from Providence founded Warwick. The four settlements were given a charter by England in 1644, and they merged in 1647.
www.u-s-history.com/ pages/ h1924.html
Anne Hutchinson and her followers founded Portsmouth in 1638, while others of the same group established Newport. In 1643, several dissidents from Providence founded Warwick. The four settlements were given a charter by England in 1644, and they merged in 1647.
www.u-s-history.com/ pages/ h1924.html
1663 - King Charles II granted charter for Rhode Island, Providence Plantations
THE CHARTER, GRANTED BY KING CHARLES II., July 8, 1663, and in force until the adoption of the Constitution, May, 1843.
sos.ri.gov/ library/ history/ charter/
In 1663, The Royal Charter of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations – the document that outlined the roles of government within the colony – exceeded all expectations in establishing a lasting form of government, which remained effect until 1843 when the state ratified a constitution. What makes this charter so impressive is that it not only governed the colony under British rule, but following the revolution it continued to do so. The only changes made to the charter were in 1776 when any mention of crown authority over the colony was omitted and replaced with fealty to only the colony itself.
social.rollins.edu/ wpsites/ hist120/ 2012/ 09/ 25/ the-rhode-island-colonial-charter/
THE CHARTER, GRANTED BY KING CHARLES II., July 8, 1663, and in force until the adoption of the Constitution, May, 1843.
sos.ri.gov/ library/ history/ charter/
In 1663, The Royal Charter of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations – the document that outlined the roles of government within the colony – exceeded all expectations in establishing a lasting form of government, which remained effect until 1843 when the state ratified a constitution. What makes this charter so impressive is that it not only governed the colony under British rule, but following the revolution it continued to do so. The only changes made to the charter were in 1776 when any mention of crown authority over the colony was omitted and replaced with fealty to only the colony itself.
social.rollins.edu/ wpsites/ hist120/ 2012/ 09/ 25/ the-rhode-island-colonial-charter/
1764 - Brown University in Providence is the state's oldest institution of higher education and one of the oldest in the nation. It was chartered in 1764 as Rhode Island College.
www.ereferencedesk.com/ resources/ state-facts/ rhode-island.html
www.ereferencedesk.com/ resources/ state-facts/ rhode-island.html
1772 - 1st naval attack of Revolutionary War takes place in Providence, RI
Rhode Island residents burn British ship Gaspee to protest tax laws.
The World Almanac of the U.S.A, by Allan Carpenter and Carl Provorse, 1996
historyorb.com
June 9, 1772
Rhode Island residents burn British ship Gaspee to protest tax laws.
The World Almanac of the U.S.A, by Allan Carpenter and Carl Provorse, 1996
historyorb.com
June 9, 1772
In 1791, Providence Bank was established with capital of $400,000.
The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, Volume 3
Author Sir David Brewster
Publisher J. & E. Parker, 1832
Page 229
The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, Volume 3
Author Sir David Brewster
Publisher J. & E. Parker, 1832
Page 229
1804 - Brown university, founded in 1764, at Providence, Rhode Island, was known as Rhode Island college until 1804, when its name changed in honor of Nicolas Brown, American merchant, who had given it $100,000.
The Morning Herald
Hagerstown, Maryland
May 7, 1926
Read more about Nicholas BROWN
The Morning Herald
Hagerstown, Maryland
May 7, 1926
Read more about Nicholas BROWN
1815 - Destructive hurricane hits New England
"The Great September Gale" hit New England in September of 1815. It first made landfall on Long Island, N.Y., and then again in Connecticut. The storm flooded Providene, R.I., and caused extensive damage throughout the region.
Hurricane timeline: The 1800s
Sun Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.sun-sentinel.com
"The Great September Gale" hit New England in September of 1815. It first made landfall on Long Island, N.Y., and then again in Connecticut. The storm flooded Providene, R.I., and caused extensive damage throughout the region.
Hurricane timeline: The 1800s
Sun Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.sun-sentinel.com
1817 - An Elm tree is standing near Providence, R. I. which measures, 4 feet from the ground, 21 feet in circumference.
There are 18 main branches, averaging 6 feet 3 inches in circumference; the circumference, of the whole outline of the branches is 378 feet!
genealogybank.com
Spectator
New York
September 16, 1817
There are 18 main branches, averaging 6 feet 3 inches in circumference; the circumference, of the whole outline of the branches is 378 feet!
genealogybank.com
Spectator
New York
September 16, 1817
1839 - Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Chief town, Providence county. Roger Williams was the founder of this beautiful city. He was banished from the Massachusetts colony for maintaining that all denominations of christians were equally entitled to the protection of the civil magistrate; that the church of England was no true church; and that a patent from the king contained no title to the soil.
Providence is approached with great ease from almost every direction. The roads are generally excellent: that to Pawtucket is unequalled by any in New England. The Blackstone canal, after winding its course through a fertile and manufacturing country, from Worcester, Mass., terminates at tide water in the centre of the city. Steam boats, of superior construction and elegant accommodations, ply between this city and New York daily. Rail road cars between Boston and Stonington cross the lower part of the city several times a day, and steam boats and packets are continually passing to and from the several ... Read MORE...
Providence, Rhode Island
Chief town, Providence county. Roger Williams was the founder of this beautiful city. He was banished from the Massachusetts colony for maintaining that all denominations of christians were equally entitled to the protection of the civil magistrate; that the church of England was no true church; and that a patent from the king contained no title to the soil.
Providence is approached with great ease from almost every direction. The roads are generally excellent: that to Pawtucket is unequalled by any in New England. The Blackstone canal, after winding its course through a fertile and manufacturing country, from Worcester, Mass., terminates at tide water in the centre of the city. Steam boats, of superior construction and elegant accommodations, ply between this city and New York daily. Rail road cars between Boston and Stonington cross the lower part of the city several times a day, and steam boats and packets are continually passing to and from the several ... Read MORE...
1842 - May 19 – Dorr Rebellion: Militiamen supporting Thomas Wilson Dorr attack the arsenal in Providence, Rhode Island, but are repulsed.
wikipedia.org
May 19, 1842
wikipedia.org
May 19, 1842
1854 - Providence
Providence, a city, port of entry and seat of justice of Providence county, Rhode Island, and semi-capital of the state, is situated at the head of navigation on the north-western arm of Narraganset bay, or Providence river, as it is called, 35 miles from the ocean, 43 miles S. S. W. from Boston, and about 176 miles N. E. from New York. Lat 41° 49' 22" N., Lon. 71° 24' 48" W. The river divides the city into two nearly equal parts, which are connected by several substantial bridges, one of which is 90 feet wide. The site is very irregular, portions of it rising into prominent elevations, the highest of which on the W. is 78 feet, and on the E. 204 feet above the level of the harbor. On account of the inequalities of the surface, but little regard was paid to regularity in laying out the streets, though from time to time many of them hove been variously improved. Near the centre of the business portion of the city is a delightful sheet of water, of an elliptic form, about a mile in... Read MORE...
Providence, a city, port of entry and seat of justice of Providence county, Rhode Island, and semi-capital of the state, is situated at the head of navigation on the north-western arm of Narraganset bay, or Providence river, as it is called, 35 miles from the ocean, 43 miles S. S. W. from Boston, and about 176 miles N. E. from New York. Lat 41° 49' 22" N., Lon. 71° 24' 48" W. The river divides the city into two nearly equal parts, which are connected by several substantial bridges, one of which is 90 feet wide. The site is very irregular, portions of it rising into prominent elevations, the highest of which on the W. is 78 feet, and on the E. 204 feet above the level of the harbor. On account of the inequalities of the surface, but little regard was paid to regularity in laying out the streets, though from time to time many of them hove been variously improved. Near the centre of the business portion of the city is a delightful sheet of water, of an elliptic form, about a mile in... Read MORE...
1857 - The Boiler Explosion at Providence.
The Providence papers contain full accounts of the boiler explosion in the India Rubber works of NATH. HAYWARD, on Thursday morning. The Journal says:
Such was the force of the explosion that the boiler, weighing some four tons, was thrown out, carrying with it the wall of the building, hitting and cutting off an elm tree nine inches in diameter, and breaking away the side of a house opposite, and not expending its full force against these obstacles, it continued some three hundred feet along the street, and there fell, a part of it red hot when it struck the ground.
The engine had been started about twenty minutes before the explosion. The ashes, and coal, and scalding steam, were blown into all parts of the building, and the whole was almost instantly enveloped in flames. The destruction of the works is complete, and a pile of ruins is all that remains. The counting room, which is separate, was little injured, except by water.
The works consisted of five buildings beside... Read MORE...
The Providence papers contain full accounts of the boiler explosion in the India Rubber works of NATH. HAYWARD, on Thursday morning. The Journal says:
Such was the force of the explosion that the boiler, weighing some four tons, was thrown out, carrying with it the wall of the building, hitting and cutting off an elm tree nine inches in diameter, and breaking away the side of a house opposite, and not expending its full force against these obstacles, it continued some three hundred feet along the street, and there fell, a part of it red hot when it struck the ground.
The engine had been started about twenty minutes before the explosion. The ashes, and coal, and scalding steam, were blown into all parts of the building, and the whole was almost instantly enveloped in flames. The destruction of the works is complete, and a pile of ruins is all that remains. The counting room, which is separate, was little injured, except by water.
The works consisted of five buildings beside... Read MORE...
1873 - Providence, Rhode Island, has a big gasometer, and the city papers are confident its dome is the largest in the world, it being 140 feet in diameter, or one foot larger than the dome of St. Peter's in Rome.
It holds, above the top of the tank, 1,540,000 cubic feet.
The Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana
April 8, 1873
It holds, above the top of the tank, 1,540,000 cubic feet.
The Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana
April 8, 1873
1873 - Joseph Sweet, ninety-one years of age, has been elected President of the Eagle National Bank at Providence, Rhode Island.
Whether Joseph will make it sweeter for himself or the bank is not definitely known.
The Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana
April 24, 1873
Whether Joseph will make it sweeter for himself or the bank is not definitely known.
The Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana
April 24, 1873
1877 - President Rutherford Hayes tested new telephone, call from Rocky Point to Providence, distance 8 miles
The rich and the famous also came to Rocky Point. One of its most illustrious visitors was President Rutherford B. Hayes, who visited here in 1877, the summer after becoming president in the disputed Election of 1876. Hayes made history's first presidential telephone call when he called Dr. Alexander Graham Bell from Rocky Point. Hayes later reported that he could understand words, but could not understand whole sentences.
www.warwickhistory.com/ index.php?option=com_content &view=article &id=233:rocky-point-2-steamboats-a-harrington &catid=55:resorts &Itemid=126
Read more about Rutherford Birchard HAYES
The rich and the famous also came to Rocky Point. One of its most illustrious visitors was President Rutherford B. Hayes, who visited here in 1877, the summer after becoming president in the disputed Election of 1876. Hayes made history's first presidential telephone call when he called Dr. Alexander Graham Bell from Rocky Point. Hayes later reported that he could understand words, but could not understand whole sentences.
www.warwickhistory.com/ index.php?option=com_content &view=article &id=233:rocky-point-2-steamboats-a-harrington &catid=55:resorts &Itemid=126
Read more about Rutherford Birchard HAYES
1878 - George M. Cohan was born in Providence in 1878. He wrote, "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and a wide variety of other musical entertainment.
www.ereferencedesk.com/ resources/ state-facts/ rhode-island.html
Read more about George Michael COHAN
www.ereferencedesk.com/ resources/ state-facts/ rhode-island.html
Read more about George Michael COHAN
1882 - Six of the persons injured in yesterday's fire in the Callender building, Providence, Rhode Island, have already died, and it is expected that the injuries of others will prove fatal.
The Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana
November 22, 1882
The Indianapolis News
Indianapolis, Indiana
November 22, 1882
1888 - MORE FIRES IN PROVIDENCE. THE THIRD LARGE BLAZE WITHIN FIVE DAYS.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Feb. 19. - The third large fire during the last five days occurred this afternoon on the scene of the disastrous conflagration of September, 1877. At 4:10 o'clock a man in a broker's office on the second floor of the Daniels Building in Custom House-street, a structure which rose on the ashes of the iron-front building which melted away in the great heat of 11 years ago, smelled smoke, and looking about the landing found a closet on the floor all ablaze. Just under the ceiling was a battery of gas meters for the supply of all the tenants on that floor. The connections on these were melted by the fire, and there was a great outrush of gas, which bursting into flame fired the adjoining rooms. The fire spread very quickly. The Protective Department had only time to spread their covers in the first and second stories. Very little in the building was saved. A dense smoke poured from every crack in the central part of the building for three stories of its height.
The... Read MORE...
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Feb. 19. - The third large fire during the last five days occurred this afternoon on the scene of the disastrous conflagration of September, 1877. At 4:10 o'clock a man in a broker's office on the second floor of the Daniels Building in Custom House-street, a structure which rose on the ashes of the iron-front building which melted away in the great heat of 11 years ago, smelled smoke, and looking about the landing found a closet on the floor all ablaze. Just under the ceiling was a battery of gas meters for the supply of all the tenants on that floor. The connections on these were melted by the fire, and there was a great outrush of gas, which bursting into flame fired the adjoining rooms. The fire spread very quickly. The Protective Department had only time to spread their covers in the first and second stories. Very little in the building was saved. A dense smoke poured from every crack in the central part of the building for three stories of its height.
The... Read MORE...
1890 - THE BIG PROVIDENCE FIRE. THOUSANDS OF CURIOUS PERSONS WATCHING THE RUINS.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Dec. 14. - Thousands of spectators flocked around the scene of Saturday's half-million-dollar fire to-day. Chief of Police Child ordered the circle of the ropes contracted to within safe distance of the tottering walls in order that the crowds might better survey the ruins. Trains coming into the city and the street-car service brought a multitude of spectators, who came and went till late this evening. Portions of the walls which remain, cornices, and a network of Miscellaneous wires are frosted with ice, pendant in stalactites, that glistened in the sunlight of electric light. Adjacent streets are aflow with water and slush.
Hook and Ladder Truck No. 2, upon which the Dorrance Street wall tumbled, was removed to-day in a worthless condition. Fireman Mowry, upon whom the same wall fell and whose leg was broken above and below the knee, is getting along well at the Rhode Island Hospital. The others who were injured are also doing well. From the southeast corner... Read MORE...
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Dec. 14. - Thousands of spectators flocked around the scene of Saturday's half-million-dollar fire to-day. Chief of Police Child ordered the circle of the ropes contracted to within safe distance of the tottering walls in order that the crowds might better survey the ruins. Trains coming into the city and the street-car service brought a multitude of spectators, who came and went till late this evening. Portions of the walls which remain, cornices, and a network of Miscellaneous wires are frosted with ice, pendant in stalactites, that glistened in the sunlight of electric light. Adjacent streets are aflow with water and slush.
Hook and Ladder Truck No. 2, upon which the Dorrance Street wall tumbled, was removed to-day in a worthless condition. Fireman Mowry, upon whom the same wall fell and whose leg was broken above and below the knee, is getting along well at the Rhode Island Hospital. The others who were injured are also doing well. From the southeast corner... Read MORE...
1894 - April 10 - Providence, RI received 9 inches of snow
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
1895 - Providence
Providence, a city (the second of New England in population, wealth, and importance), port of entry, and one of the capitals of the state of Rhode Island, and the county seat of Providence co., is situated at the head of navigation, N. of Narragansett Bay, 30 miles by rail and boat above Newport, 64 miles N.E. of New London, Conn., and 44 miles S.S.W. of Boston, Mass. Lat. 41°49'22" N.; Lon. 71°24'48" W. Providence is delightfully situated around a little lake called 'the Cove,' into which two small rivers, the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck, empty from the N.W. and N.N.E., and out of which, on the S.E., flows the Providence River southward into Narragansett Bay, while the Seekonk forms the E. boundary of the city, entering the bay at the mouth of the Providence. The rivers Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck, and Providence divide the city into 3 parts, the East Side, the West Side, and Tenth Ward. The Cove is elliptical in shape, nearly a mile in circuit, enclosed by a stone wall surmounted ... Read MORE...
Providence, a city (the second of New England in population, wealth, and importance), port of entry, and one of the capitals of the state of Rhode Island, and the county seat of Providence co., is situated at the head of navigation, N. of Narragansett Bay, 30 miles by rail and boat above Newport, 64 miles N.E. of New London, Conn., and 44 miles S.S.W. of Boston, Mass. Lat. 41°49'22" N.; Lon. 71°24'48" W. Providence is delightfully situated around a little lake called 'the Cove,' into which two small rivers, the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck, empty from the N.W. and N.N.E., and out of which, on the S.E., flows the Providence River southward into Narragansett Bay, while the Seekonk forms the E. boundary of the city, entering the bay at the mouth of the Providence. The rivers Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck, and Providence divide the city into 3 parts, the East Side, the West Side, and Tenth Ward. The Cove is elliptical in shape, nearly a mile in circuit, enclosed by a stone wall surmounted ... Read MORE...
1895 - KILLED BY A BOILER EXPLOSION - The Accident Occurs Just as a Crowd of Rhode Island Ice Harvesters Begin Work on Mashapang Pond.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Feb. 4 - A boiler exploded at the icehouses of Earl, Carpenter & Sons, at Mashapang Pond this morning. Four men were killed and sixteen other injured.
The Dead.
The dead are:
DARY, MICHAEL, aged twenty-one
HEHIR, JOHN, aged thirty-five; leaves a wife and three children
HEHIR, PATRICK, aged fifty; leaves a wife and nine children
MORTON, WILLIE, a boy; died at hospital.
At the time of the explosion there were 100 men standing about the engine house waiting for orders to begin harvesting ice. Mertie Cross and John Nelson, the fireman and engineer, were given instructions ot start the engine, and they did so.
The first cake of ice had been carried ten feet on the run, when the endless chain caught, and at the same instant the boiler exploded. The driving wheel was thrown 200 feet into the air, and in falling struck the run, demolishing it. Portions of the engine were thrown 400 feet over the ice houses. The boiler proper, weighing three tons, was... Read MORE...
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Feb. 4 - A boiler exploded at the icehouses of Earl, Carpenter & Sons, at Mashapang Pond this morning. Four men were killed and sixteen other injured.
The Dead.
The dead are:
DARY, MICHAEL, aged twenty-one
HEHIR, JOHN, aged thirty-five; leaves a wife and three children
HEHIR, PATRICK, aged fifty; leaves a wife and nine children
MORTON, WILLIE, a boy; died at hospital.
At the time of the explosion there were 100 men standing about the engine house waiting for orders to begin harvesting ice. Mertie Cross and John Nelson, the fireman and engineer, were given instructions ot start the engine, and they did so.
The first cake of ice had been carried ten feet on the run, when the endless chain caught, and at the same instant the boiler exploded. The driving wheel was thrown 200 feet into the air, and in falling struck the run, demolishing it. Portions of the engine were thrown 400 feet over the ice houses. The boiler proper, weighing three tons, was... Read MORE...
1895 - Blizzard - THE STORM STILL HOVERS OVER THE UNITED STATES. IT IS SEVEREST IN THE EAST. TRAFFIC ALMOST ENTIRELY AT A STANDSTILL -- RAILROAD TRAINS BLOCKADED -- BUSINESS PARALYZED -- PEOPLE FROZEN TO DEATH AT SEVERAL PLACES...
...Damage Done By High Tide.
Providence, Feb. 9. - The high tide has done damage in this city almost equal to the great flood of September 1868. Basements were flooded all over the city. The Narragansett Electric Lighting company plant on Elk street was rendered completely powerless, a tidal wave ruining the belts and putting out the fires. Nearly 200 firms suffered all day from lack of power, the engines and other machinery being swamped...
The Delphos Daily Herald
Delphos, Ohio
February 9, 1895
...Damage Done By High Tide.
Providence, Feb. 9. - The high tide has done damage in this city almost equal to the great flood of September 1868. Basements were flooded all over the city. The Narragansett Electric Lighting company plant on Elk street was rendered completely powerless, a tidal wave ruining the belts and putting out the fires. Nearly 200 firms suffered all day from lack of power, the engines and other machinery being swamped...
The Delphos Daily Herald
Delphos, Ohio
February 9, 1895
1896 - Gotta De Mon' - An Italian Banker Skips From Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, R. I., Sept. 2. - The Banca Popolare has closed its doors and today there was an excited lot of depositors in the Italian colony on Federal hill. The institution was run by Valentino and Plumbo, and the latter is missing. He departed Saturday last, leaving four children behind. Valentino is making a hunt for the whereabouts of his missing partner; so are the authorities.
Many Italians who deposited money to be sent home, are the sufferers. Liabilities and assets are unknown.
genealogybank.com
State
South Carolina
September 3, 1896
Providence, R. I., Sept. 2. - The Banca Popolare has closed its doors and today there was an excited lot of depositors in the Italian colony on Federal hill. The institution was run by Valentino and Plumbo, and the latter is missing. He departed Saturday last, leaving four children behind. Valentino is making a hunt for the whereabouts of his missing partner; so are the authorities.
Many Italians who deposited money to be sent home, are the sufferers. Liabilities and assets are unknown.
genealogybank.com
State
South Carolina
September 3, 1896
1896 - November 22 - Announcements
E.W. Theinert, of Providence, R.I., will deliver an address upon socialism in U. V. W. Hall this evening at 7:30...
Worcester Daily Spy
Worcester, Massachusetts
November 22, 1896
Read more about Wilhelm August Erdman THEINERT
E.W. Theinert, of Providence, R.I., will deliver an address upon socialism in U. V. W. Hall this evening at 7:30...
Worcester Daily Spy
Worcester, Massachusetts
November 22, 1896
Read more about Wilhelm August Erdman THEINERT
1898 - Providence - The Colony of Hope by William B. Weeden
The capital of Rhode Island, the second city of New England, an agricultural village in the seventeenth, a commercial port in the eighteenth, and a centre of manufacturing in the nineteenth century, lies at the head of Narragansett Bay. The mainland of the State westward to Connecticut, according to Shaler, rests on very old rocks of the Laurentian and Lower Cambrian series. The greater part of the bay and the land near Providence is upon rocks belonging to the Coal measures. These rocks, softer than the older ones, have been cut away and afford the inlets of the bay. The surface of the State and the sloping hills of Providence have been profoundly affected by the wearing course of the glaciers.
The original village skirted along the western side of the ridge, by which ran the little Moshassuck and Woonsasquetucket Riven. Eastward the ridge stretched in a plateau to the larger Seekonk, which cut off the peninsula. On the eastern side of the Seekonk, Roger Williams had settled and... Read MORE...
The capital of Rhode Island, the second city of New England, an agricultural village in the seventeenth, a commercial port in the eighteenth, and a centre of manufacturing in the nineteenth century, lies at the head of Narragansett Bay. The mainland of the State westward to Connecticut, according to Shaler, rests on very old rocks of the Laurentian and Lower Cambrian series. The greater part of the bay and the land near Providence is upon rocks belonging to the Coal measures. These rocks, softer than the older ones, have been cut away and afford the inlets of the bay. The surface of the State and the sloping hills of Providence have been profoundly affected by the wearing course of the glaciers.
The original village skirted along the western side of the ridge, by which ran the little Moshassuck and Woonsasquetucket Riven. Eastward the ridge stretched in a plateau to the larger Seekonk, which cut off the peninsula. On the eastern side of the Seekonk, Roger Williams had settled and... Read MORE...
1899 - Socialist Labor Party. E. W. Theinert of Providence Was the Orator of the Evening
Pawtucket Times
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
March 31, 1899
Read more about Wilhelm August Erdman THEINERT
Pawtucket Times
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
March 31, 1899
Read more about Wilhelm August Erdman THEINERT
May 15, 1900: Rain and fish fell from the sky in Olneyville, Rhode Island. Most of the fish measured 2- to 4-inches long.
NOTE: Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island
The Old Farmer's Almanac www.almanac.com
May 15, 1900
NOTE: Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island
The Old Farmer's Almanac www.almanac.com
May 15, 1900
1904 - SLIPPERY SIDEWALKS - City Ordinance Does Not Appear to Be Effective.
The sidewalks in the city of Providence are beginning to assume the same condition as last winter, many of them being already covered with snow and ice sufficient to make the walking quite a little dangerous.
For several days the commissioner of public works has had men on the streets with teams sprinkling the icy sidewalks with sand, which is appreciated, and in speaking of the matter this morning Mr. Slade said that this was purely gratuitous on his part, as there was no law compelling the city to keep the sidewalks clear.
The following city ordinance may be of interest to owners or occupants of buildings bordering on a street:
The owner or owners, occupant or occupants, or any person having the care of any building or lot of land bordering on any street, square or public place within the city shall within the first four hours of daylight after the ceasing to fall of any snow cause the snow to be removed from the sidewalks adjoining said building or lot of land, and each... Read MORE...
The sidewalks in the city of Providence are beginning to assume the same condition as last winter, many of them being already covered with snow and ice sufficient to make the walking quite a little dangerous.
For several days the commissioner of public works has had men on the streets with teams sprinkling the icy sidewalks with sand, which is appreciated, and in speaking of the matter this morning Mr. Slade said that this was purely gratuitous on his part, as there was no law compelling the city to keep the sidewalks clear.
The following city ordinance may be of interest to owners or occupants of buildings bordering on a street:
The owner or owners, occupant or occupants, or any person having the care of any building or lot of land bordering on any street, square or public place within the city shall within the first four hours of daylight after the ceasing to fall of any snow cause the snow to be removed from the sidewalks adjoining said building or lot of land, and each... Read MORE...
1905 - $100,000 FIRE IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Providence, R. I., March 16 - Fire and water today damaged Music Hall block in the center of the city to an amount estimated at $100,000.
The Piqua Daily Call
Piqua, Ohio
March 16, 1905
Providence, R. I., March 16 - Fire and water today damaged Music Hall block in the center of the city to an amount estimated at $100,000.
The Piqua Daily Call
Piqua, Ohio
March 16, 1905
1905 - PIRATE DRUGGED HIM. Arrested Shipmate Tells Strange Story of Sloop Dorado.
Special to The New York Times.
NEWPORT, Oct. 24. - The arrest of Otto Steifel in Providence to-day proved of great importance in clearing up the mystery about the sloop Dorado and the plunder found on the two pirate boats held here. Steifel confessed to the Providence police that he had been with H. A. Jackson since Sept. 6, and was part owner of the sloop. He was identified by Deputy Sheriff Harvey as the man aboard the catboat Bessie, stolen from Charles L. Burlingame of Providence.
Steifel protests that he never helped Jackson steal anything, and never stole anything himself. He said:
"I have believed, on a number of occasions, that Jackson drugged me or administered chloroform, and that while I slept off its effects he went plundering yachts near which he would tie up in the Sound or in Narraganset Bay. I know that I would wake up at 10 or 11 o'clock the next morning with an aching head that wasn't due to drinking anything, and the sloop would be miles away from where we... Read MORE...
Special to The New York Times.
NEWPORT, Oct. 24. - The arrest of Otto Steifel in Providence to-day proved of great importance in clearing up the mystery about the sloop Dorado and the plunder found on the two pirate boats held here. Steifel confessed to the Providence police that he had been with H. A. Jackson since Sept. 6, and was part owner of the sloop. He was identified by Deputy Sheriff Harvey as the man aboard the catboat Bessie, stolen from Charles L. Burlingame of Providence.
Steifel protests that he never helped Jackson steal anything, and never stole anything himself. He said:
"I have believed, on a number of occasions, that Jackson drugged me or administered chloroform, and that while I slept off its effects he went plundering yachts near which he would tie up in the Sound or in Narraganset Bay. I know that I would wake up at 10 or 11 o'clock the next morning with an aching head that wasn't due to drinking anything, and the sloop would be miles away from where we... Read MORE...
1905 - PANIC FOLLOWS EXPLOSION. All Providence Scared Over Prediction of Christmas Disaster.
Special to The New York Times.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Dec. 22. - A slight explosion in a jewelry factory, within a short block of the shopping district caused by a panic to-day among the several hundred employes[sic] in the building, two men being painfully injured and a dozen women fainting before any attempt was made to ascertain the nature of the trouble.
The explosion occurred in the Enterprise Building at 7 Eddy Street and was caused by the clogging of a waste pipe in the factory of the Cutler Comb Company. Fire started immediately after the explosion and two or three moments later the street below was filled with fire apparatus.
Seven of the girls in the jewelry concern of Hamilton & Hamilton, Jr., on the fifth floor fainted and others followed suit in other parts of the building. Dozens of the girls ran out on to the fire escapes and stood there screaming. Policemen spreading through the building drove them back and got all safely to the street. Two men were slightly... Read MORE...
Special to The New York Times.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Dec. 22. - A slight explosion in a jewelry factory, within a short block of the shopping district caused by a panic to-day among the several hundred employes[sic] in the building, two men being painfully injured and a dozen women fainting before any attempt was made to ascertain the nature of the trouble.
The explosion occurred in the Enterprise Building at 7 Eddy Street and was caused by the clogging of a waste pipe in the factory of the Cutler Comb Company. Fire started immediately after the explosion and two or three moments later the street below was filled with fire apparatus.
Seven of the girls in the jewelry concern of Hamilton & Hamilton, Jr., on the fifth floor fainted and others followed suit in other parts of the building. Dozens of the girls ran out on to the fire escapes and stood there screaming. Policemen spreading through the building drove them back and got all safely to the street. Two men were slightly... Read MORE...
1906
Providence, a city, port of entry, capital of the state of Rhode Island, and the county seat of Providence co., is situated at the head of navigation on Narragansett Bay, where the Seekonk (or Blackstone) River joins the narrow arm of the bay called the Providence River, 44 miles SW. of Boston, Mass., on the New York, New Haven and Hart ford R. It is the second city of New England in population, wealth, and importance. Providence is noted chiefly for its manufacturing industries. It was at one time an important centre of foreign commerce, but this has materially declined, while its domestic trade has steadily increased. Among its more important manufactures are those of silver-ware, jewelry, tools, steam-engines, locomotives, screws, fire-arms, stoves, gymnastic apparatus, bob bins and shuttles, cotton and woollen goods, shoe- and cor set-laces, webbing, etc. Other industries are dyeing and bleaching, metal-refining, slaughtering and meat-packing, and brewing. The manufacturing... Read MORE...
Providence, a city, port of entry, capital of the state of Rhode Island, and the county seat of Providence co., is situated at the head of navigation on Narragansett Bay, where the Seekonk (or Blackstone) River joins the narrow arm of the bay called the Providence River, 44 miles SW. of Boston, Mass., on the New York, New Haven and Hart ford R. It is the second city of New England in population, wealth, and importance. Providence is noted chiefly for its manufacturing industries. It was at one time an important centre of foreign commerce, but this has materially declined, while its domestic trade has steadily increased. Among its more important manufactures are those of silver-ware, jewelry, tools, steam-engines, locomotives, screws, fire-arms, stoves, gymnastic apparatus, bob bins and shuttles, cotton and woollen goods, shoe- and cor set-laces, webbing, etc. Other industries are dyeing and bleaching, metal-refining, slaughtering and meat-packing, and brewing. The manufacturing... Read MORE...
1908 - Luxury Tax on Bachelors
The Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, has issued an "irade" declaring that bachelors should be taxed. Evidently His Honor believes that single-blessedness is a luxury that should be paid for. However that may be in Providence, Rhode Island, it certainly does not hold good in Scranton.
The Scranton Truth
Scranton, Pennsylvania
August 24, 1908
The Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, has issued an "irade" declaring that bachelors should be taxed. Evidently His Honor believes that single-blessedness is a luxury that should be paid for. However that may be in Providence, Rhode Island, it certainly does not hold good in Scranton.
The Scranton Truth
Scranton, Pennsylvania
August 24, 1908
1912 - Cotton Mill King Dead
Providence, Rhode Island, Nov. 26. - Robert Knight, owner of more cotton mills than any other individual in the world, died today, aged eighty-six. Knight controlled twenty-two spinning, weaving and finishing establishments, employing seven thousand operatives.
The Wilmington Dispatch
Wilmington, North Carolina
November 26, 1912
Providence, Rhode Island, Nov. 26. - Robert Knight, owner of more cotton mills than any other individual in the world, died today, aged eighty-six. Knight controlled twenty-two spinning, weaving and finishing establishments, employing seven thousand operatives.
The Wilmington Dispatch
Wilmington, North Carolina
November 26, 1912
1914 - Theinert Nominated by State Socialists Lincoln Man Named for Governor in State Convention of Party
Pawtucket Times
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
October 12, 1914
Read more about Wilhelm August Erdman THEINERT
Pawtucket Times
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
October 12, 1914
Read more about Wilhelm August Erdman THEINERT
1927 - The Dartmouth [New Hampshire] football team, scheduled to play Brown at Providence, R. I. tomorrow, was marooned at Hanover, N. H.
Overflowing of the White River had flooded a bridge between Hanover and White River Junction, Vt., making it impossible for the team to reach White River Junction by train...
The Oelwein Daily Register
Iowa
November 4, 1927
Overflowing of the White River had flooded a bridge between Hanover and White River Junction, Vt., making it impossible for the team to reach White River Junction by train...
The Oelwein Daily Register
Iowa
November 4, 1927
1938 - "Long Island Express" - HURRICANE, FLOODS SWEEP NEW ENGLAND. 296 WERE KILLED IN STORM ALONG ATLANTIC COAST; PROPERTY DAMAGE ENORMOUS.
...Providence Struck By Tidal Wave.
Providence was one of the chief sufferers in Rhode Island, tremendous tides sweeping 1,000 feet into the city and flooding streets eight to 25 feet deep...
The staff of the Providence, R. I., Journal-Bulletin, driven from the plant, went to Boston, 50 miles away, to publish yesterday's evening edition. The tidal wave had caused havoc. Legionnaires and volunteers joined national guardsmen in rescue and patrol work. Many were armed to prevent looting. Thousands were marooned in office buildings. At the height of the storm, a tank car, containing 3,000 cubic feet of illuminating gas, exploded. It was not learned if there had been any casualties. Roofs were blown from the central police station, public library and union station...
Dunkirk Evening Observer
New York
September 22, 1938
The "Long Island Express" was first detected over the tropical Atlantic on September 13, although it may have formed a few days earlier. Moving generally... Read MORE...
...Providence Struck By Tidal Wave.
Providence was one of the chief sufferers in Rhode Island, tremendous tides sweeping 1,000 feet into the city and flooding streets eight to 25 feet deep...
The staff of the Providence, R. I., Journal-Bulletin, driven from the plant, went to Boston, 50 miles away, to publish yesterday's evening edition. The tidal wave had caused havoc. Legionnaires and volunteers joined national guardsmen in rescue and patrol work. Many were armed to prevent looting. Thousands were marooned in office buildings. At the height of the storm, a tank car, containing 3,000 cubic feet of illuminating gas, exploded. It was not learned if there had been any casualties. Roofs were blown from the central police station, public library and union station...
Dunkirk Evening Observer
New York
September 22, 1938
The "Long Island Express" was first detected over the tropical Atlantic on September 13, although it may have formed a few days earlier. Moving generally... Read MORE...
1944 - HURRICANE HITS NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND COASTS. HIGH WINDS LASH JERSEY, LONG ISLAND.
...In Providence the water of the Providence River was but three feet from the floor of the Point Street bridge. The river empties into Narragansett Bay which was being kicked up in sheets by the hurricane force wind.
State guardsmen were mobilized in that state and throughout Massachusetts...
The Troy Record
Troy, New York
September 15, 1944
...In Providence the water of the Providence River was but three feet from the floor of the Point Street bridge. The river empties into Narragansett Bay which was being kicked up in sheets by the hurricane force wind.
State guardsmen were mobilized in that state and throughout Massachusetts...
The Troy Record
Troy, New York
September 15, 1944
1945 - March 29 - Providence, RI, hit 90 degrees to establish a March record for the New England area.
The Weather Channel
March 29, 1945
The Weather Channel
March 29, 1945
1954 - Hurricane Carol - HURRICANE ROARS ACROSS LONG ISLAND. FIVE KILLED BY STORM IN NEW ENGLAND.
...Providence, R. I., was flooded when the storm struck at high tide. Water pushed into the downtown area to within two feet of the level reached in the disastrous hurricane of 1938.
Thousands of workers were marooned in downtown Providence office buildings when the water submerged buses and cars in the area...
The Times Record Troy New York 1954-08-31
Carol formed near the central Bahama Islands on August 25, and moved slowly northward and north-northwestward. By August 30 it was a hurricane about 100-150 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. It then accelerated north-northeastward, make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane over Long Island, New York and Connecticut on the 31st. The cyclone became extratropical later that day as it crossed the remainder of New England and southeastern Canada.
Sustained winds of 80 to 100 mph were reported over much of eastern Connecticut, all of Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts. A peak gust of 130 mph was reported at Block... Read MORE...
...Providence, R. I., was flooded when the storm struck at high tide. Water pushed into the downtown area to within two feet of the level reached in the disastrous hurricane of 1938.
Thousands of workers were marooned in downtown Providence office buildings when the water submerged buses and cars in the area...
The Times Record Troy New York 1954-08-31
Carol formed near the central Bahama Islands on August 25, and moved slowly northward and north-northwestward. By August 30 it was a hurricane about 100-150 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. It then accelerated north-northeastward, make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane over Long Island, New York and Connecticut on the 31st. The cyclone became extratropical later that day as it crossed the remainder of New England and southeastern Canada.
Sustained winds of 80 to 100 mph were reported over much of eastern Connecticut, all of Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts. A peak gust of 130 mph was reported at Block... Read MORE...
1960 - October 20 - 1st fully mechanized post office opened, Providence, RI
historyorb.com
October 20, 1960
historyorb.com
October 20, 1960
1975 - August 2 - Temperature reached 104 degrees at Providence, RI
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Providence:
WaterFire Providence: Start your visit with a truly unique experience by attending a WaterFire lighting. This art installation features nearly 100 bonfires on the rivers of downtown Providence, creating a mesmerizing spectacle. Check the schedule for upcoming events.
Roger Williams Park: This expansive park offers a range of activities, from picnicking and paddle boating to exploring the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the beautiful Botanical Center. The park is a great place to relax and enjoy nature.
RISD Museum: The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum houses an extensive collection of art, including works from various cultures and time periods. It's a great spot to appreciate both classic and contemporary art.
Providence Performing Arts Center: Catch a Broadway show, a concert, or a performance by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at this historic venue. The PPAC hosts a wide range of entertainment options throughout the year.
Providence Children's Museum: If... Read MORE...
WaterFire Providence: Start your visit with a truly unique experience by attending a WaterFire lighting. This art installation features nearly 100 bonfires on the rivers of downtown Providence, creating a mesmerizing spectacle. Check the schedule for upcoming events.
Roger Williams Park: This expansive park offers a range of activities, from picnicking and paddle boating to exploring the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the beautiful Botanical Center. The park is a great place to relax and enjoy nature.
RISD Museum: The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum houses an extensive collection of art, including works from various cultures and time periods. It's a great spot to appreciate both classic and contemporary art.
Providence Performing Arts Center: Catch a Broadway show, a concert, or a performance by the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at this historic venue. The PPAC hosts a wide range of entertainment options throughout the year.
Providence Children's Museum: If... Read MORE...
Discover MY Roots: Providence Ancestry
Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Providence, Rhode Island, USA
We currently have information about 396 ancestors who were born or died in Providence.View Them Now (sorted by year of birth)
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Genealogy Resources for Providence
Our Providence Gift Ideas
Providence, RI Vintage Postcard Ceramic Mug
Capture the charm of Providence, Rhode Island in your daily coffee routine with our Vintage Postcard Ceramic Mug. This mug is more than just a vessel for your favorite brew; it's a nostalgic journey to the heart of Providence.
Rocky Point, Rhode Island Memories Mug Vintage Rocky Point Amusement Park Postcards | Clam Bake, Dining Hall and Midway Promenade | Rhode Island Nostalgia
Take a nostalgic trip back to the iconic Rocky Point Amusement Park with this ceramic mug featuring four charming vintage postcards from Rhode Island's beloved seaside destination. Showcasing iconic scenes like "Getting Ready for a Clam Bake," the bustling "Dining Hall," and the lively "Promenade on the Midway," this mug brings the magic of Rocky Point to your daily coffee or tea ritual. Celebrate the golden days of Rocky Point every morning!
Rhode Island Gift - Clam Chowder, Coffee Milk and Johnny Cakes - I Love Rhode Island! - Ceramic RI Mug for Genealogists Family History
Indulge in a sip of Rhode Island's finest with our Ceramic Mug, lead and BPA-free - Clam Chowder, Coffee Milk, and Johnny Cakes - I Love Rhode Island! This charming mug captures the essence of the Ocean State, celebrating its unique culinary traditions and love for this beautiful corner of New England.
RHODE ISLAND ROOTS - "I'm from Rhode Island!" Quahog Lover's Ceramic Mug
Embrace your Rhode Island roots with this charming and humorous ceramic mug! Perfect for sipping your favorite hot beverages, this mug features the witty caption: "I'm from Rhode Island! That explains a lot about my love for quahogs that I pronounce with confidence, even though I'm not sure what they are."
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