Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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 with an iron railing, and almost surrounded by a small park, handsomely laid out and shaded with noble elms. The streets are irregularly laid out. The site is uneven. In Tenth Ward there are numerous hills and valleys. The city has an abundant supply of water, a complete system of sewerage, several public parks, efficient police and fire departments, and is well lighted throughout by gas and electricity. It has internal communications by horse-car lines, cable-cars, and electric railways. The railroads which centre here are the Old Colony, the New York & New England, and the New York, New Haven & Hartford. The manufacturing industries are located chiefly along the banks of the Woomasquatucket and Moshassuck, partly within Tenth Ward...

Providence was settled by Roger Williams in 1636. A local government was organized in 1640, and in 1649 the settlement was incorporated as a town. The first houses were erected near St. John's church, on what is now North Main street. Pop. in 1840, 23,172; in 1850, 41,513; in 1860, 50,666; in 1870, 68,904; in 1880, 104,857; in 1890, 132,146.

Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott

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