Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485-1528) grew up in Florence, Italy, but around 1506 entered the French navy, with whom he traveled to Egypt, Syria, and the Levant several times. In an effort to keep up with the explorations of Spain and Portugal, Francis I of France granted ships to da Verrazzano in 1524. In January of the following year, da Verrazzano departed in<i> La Dauphine</i>, arriving at Cape Fear, North Carolina, in March. Of the three additional ships in his small fleet, two were lost at sea during a storm. The third was lost in battle against Spanish ships, and only da Verrazzano's ship made it to the New World, seeking a westward route to Asia. He headed south initially, but turned north at the Florida coast and continued up to Nova Scotia, encountering Rhode Island and Manhattan, among others, along the way--he was the first European to enter New York Bay, and, in the naming of Rhode Island, the first to name New World locations after European places.<br><br>After attempting to sail west to Asia via Brazil in 1527, Giovanni da Verrazzano and his brother Girolamo sailed again to Florida in 1528, but drifted into the Caribbean to one of the Lesser Antilles islands, where both brothers were killed and eaten by the local population of Carib Indians.<br>

A map of da Verrazzano's voyage (image from Before Winthrop)

Portrait of da Verrazzano (image from italianhistorical.org)

Giovanni da Verrazzano historic marker in Providence, RI (image from Historic Markers Database)

The Voyage of John de Verazzano: Along the Coast of North America, from Carolina to Newfoundland

Book

Iformation about Verrazano's voyage, including excerpts from primary sources 

More Info

This historic marker is dedicated to Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian explorer who navigated the Atlantic in 1524 on behalf of King Francis I of France. The inscription reads: 
"To Giovanni Da Verrazzano, the navigator from Italy who in 1524 crossed the perilous northern ocean, first to behold the coast of the future United States, cast anchor in this bay,
explore its islands, one of which, because of its shape he Christened Rhodes, name later extended to the entire state of Rhode Island. Donated by Carrara, The Marble City, and by Greve in Chanti, where Verrazzano was born, in pledge of ever growing friendship between the American and the Italian peoples."

Giovanni da Verrazzano Historic Marker

Admin

This walking tour starts at the Roger Williams National Memorial and follows Main Street south along the Providence River. The tour includes numerous historical markers and historic buildings before reaching the John Brown Memorial House at Brown University.

<h4>History of the Hard Scrabble and Snow Town Race Riots</h4>
<p>Providence has one of the oldest African American communities in the United States. Prior to the 18th century, African Americans in Providence represented ten percent of the total population. In 1824, around 1,000 African Americans lived in the Providence neighborhood of Hard Scrabble. As one of the poorest neighborhoods of the city, Hard Scrabble was home to a diverse assortment of poor families and individuals.&nbsp;</p><p>A race riot in Hard Scrabble broke out on October 28, 1824, when a group of African American men refused to yield&nbsp;the “inside walk” to a group of white men. Tensions had already been high, and the following evening, a mob of white residents attacked the northern section of the neighborhood, destroying 21 homes. White residents feared retaliation, and few expressed sympathy&nbsp;for the African American victims. Instead, many white residents hoped to completely remove African Americans from&nbsp;the neighborhood.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Joseph Tillinghast, the defense attorney for the white attackers&nbsp;in the subsequent&nbsp;trial, stated that the reason the accused caused such destruction was that they had been pushed to extreme measures to&nbsp;protect “the morals of the community.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>Years later, in 1831, another race riot broke out after an African American man shot a white sailor who was throwing stones at the African American man’s home. The shooting occurred in Snow Town, an integrated, working-class part of town. In retaliation for the shooting, mobs attacked the homes of Black residents. The local militia was called to disperse the violent mob. Between the actions of the militia and the attempts by African American men to defend their homes,&nbsp;four white rioters were killed during the Snow Town Riot.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The reaction to Snow Town was much different, and journalists, leading citizens, and politicians asked for stronger protections against rioters to maintain order in Providence.</p>

In the first half of the 19th century, Providence witnessed a series of violent episodes that culminated in two major riots between African Americans and whites. Two significant race riots, Hard Scrabble (1824) and Snow Town (1831), led to injuries and property destruction in several Providence neighborhoods that are near the present Rhode Island state capital. Both riots involved white residents attacking African American neighborhoods.

The riots reveal both the extent to which white and Black Rhode Islanders lived near one another in the large industrial cities of the North, as well as the ways in which white Northerners used violence to keep free people of color "in their place"-a phrase that reflects the desire to limit Black social and economic advancement as well as maintain physical and social segregation. After the Snow Town Riot, citizens reflected briefly upon the injustice perpetrated on Black families, but also maintained that these events had spiraled out of control simply because of the actions of a small number of unsavory individuals on both sides of the color line. 

Snow Town Riots Historical Marker, 1831

<p>Roger Williams National Memorial was established by Congress in 1965 to commemorate Williams’s “outstanding contributions to the development of the principles of freedom in this country.” As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, and the site was developed in the late 1970s after land acquisition was completed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The memorial is a 4.5 acre urban greenspace located in downtown Providence. It includes a freshwater spring which was the center of the settlement of Providence Plantations founded by Williams in 1636. Roger Williams was the co-founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and a champion of the ideal of religious freedom. Williams was banished from Massachusetts for his beliefs and founded the colony of Rhode Island as a refuge where all could come to worship as their conscience dictated without interference from the state.<br></p>
<p><span>As of 2006, it is the only unit of the National Park System in Rhode Island.</span></p>

The Roger Williams National Memorial celebrates Roger Williams and his contributions to the creation to the First Amendment. Operated by the National Park Service, the Visitor Center features an exhibit and a short film, and there are also several exhibit panels throughout the 4.5 acre Memorial grounds.

Roger Williams National Memorial

<div>The Sullivan Dorr House looks today much as it did when it was completed 1809, just as Jefferson was handing over the White House to James Madison. The striking architecture involves a mixture of Palladian, Georgian, and Gothic details, which speaks to a noticeable trend at the time that saw architects move away from adhering to Colonial styles. But, the house and lot also stand as a monument to several chapters of Providence and Rhode Island history. For instance, the home that lies on land that served as the initial burial site to Providence’s founder Roger Williams.&nbsp; As well,&nbsp; Sullivan Dorr's son, who grew up in the house, went on to lead what is now known as "Dorr's Rebellion."</div><div><br></div><div>Roger Williams, Rhode Island founder who was laid to rest in the land where the Door house occupies, strongly advocated religious freedoms (including separation of church and state) and disapproved of the practice of seizing land held by Native Americans.&nbsp; His remains were moved before Dorr purchased the lot early in the nineteenth century.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Door, who primarily made his fortune trading with China, and his wife Lydia were the parents of Thomas Wilson Dorr, who led the infamous Dorr’s Rebellion in 1842.&nbsp; Dorr had become an integral figure within the "Law and Order" Party, whose platform focused on suffrage reform. The party developed a new Constitution deemed the "People's Constitution," and afterward elected Dorr as governor of Rhode Island. However, the Rhode Island legislature refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of either the Constitution or Dorr's governorship. As a result, Dorr unsuccessfully attempted to take over the State Arsenal, and he also failed in an attempt to assemble a General Assembly. His failures ultimately forced him to flee the state, only to return -- he was convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison.&nbsp; In 1845, Rhode Island legislatures passed a measure that deemed Dorr and others as wrongly convicted, which resulted in their pardons.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Many historians argue that both Williams' belief in the separation of church and state and Dorr's attempts to reform suffrage strong influenced American polity.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1956, Sullivan Door's great-granddaughter, Margarethe Lyman Dwight, deeded the Dorr Mansion to the Providence Preservation Society,&nbsp; who subsequently financed and managed a project to restore the home.&nbsp;<br><br>To view the home and lot is to see changed in architectural history and be reminded of Rhode Island's founding, as well as its maturation, which included a small "Civil War."&nbsp;</div>

Designed by architect John Holden Greene and completed in 1809, this Georgian mansion appears much as it did in the early republic. The home was built for Sullivan Door, an important business leader and father of father of Thomas Wilson Dorr, the leader of Rhode Island's Dorr Rebellion which led to universal male suffrage in 1842. The mansion is also located at the site of the former home of Providence founder Roger Williams, who was once buried at this site (since moved). 

 Sullivan Dorr House

<p>The home was originally built for John Mawney who was born into a wealthy family of Huguenots, French
Protestants who emigrated due to religious persecution. Mawney was still a boy, likely only twelve or thirteen years old at the time of the home's construction. He&nbsp;inherited
his father’s wealth at the age of three, and it is likely that his guardian
arranged to have the house constructed for him.&nbsp;</p><p>Mawney would later be involved
in the Gaspee Affair of 1772 when a group affiliated with the Sons of Liberty
movement attacked and burned a British customs ship that had run aground on a
sandbar in Narragansett Bay. This incident led the colonists one step further
towards rebellion, and when war broke out, Dr. Mawney, by then having obtained a
medical qualification, would serve as a regimental surgeon with the &nbsp;3rd
Company of Providence, Second Regiment, Providence County Militia.</p>

<p>Dr. Mawney sold the Benefit Street house in 1784&nbsp;to Stephen Harris who was married to Mawney's sister Hannah. By
all accounts, Harris and his wife did not live a long and happy life here. Harris’s
shipping business began to fail after several of his ships were lost at sea,
and Hannah had several stillborn children. Local legend has it that Hannah also
then lost her mind, and was confined to the attic. Hannah died in 1789 and Mawney remarried in
1792 and his second wife and several of their children lived in the home until the latter part of the 19th century. </p>

<p>By 1890, the last member of the Harris family listed as owning the
house had passed away, but the tax rolls still show the property as part of her
estate up until 1924. There was also at this time a co-owner named Sophia
Babbitt with her resident
caretaker, Lillian Phillips. Ms. Phillips resided at 135 Benefit Street
from 1919 through 1920, and during this time she was frequently visited by her
nephew, Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Although he was fond of his aunt, Mr.
Lovecraft (better known by his initials H.P.) found the house somewhat creepy. The house, which Lovecraft referred to in his correspondence as the Babbitt House, would play a&nbsp;starring role in a novella he published in a 1937 issue of pulp magazine <i>Weird
Tales</i>. The home became known as “The Shunned House” owing to his fictional story that took some of its details from a legend about a curse that had afflicted Hannah Mawney.&nbsp;</p><p>The house passed through several owners and
was in poor repair by the early 1970s. Thanks to a new owner who financed extensive
renovations in 1971, the home has increased in value. The new owners&nbsp;must have known something of the house’s horror story&nbsp;connection and had a sense
of humor about the urban legend as they held a grand housewarming party on Halloween of
that year.</p>

Benefit Street is the oldest street in Providence and home to the oldest house in the city. Constructed in 1763, this house once belonged to prosperous merchant Stephen Harris. The handsome 18th century clapboard has been well-preserved. The house A terrible tale full of dark deeds, horrible hauntings and fantastic fiction that has caused 135 Benefit Street to be known, both locally and world-wide, as the “Shunned House”.

Stephen Harris House

The Meeting Street School (also referred to as the Brick Schoolhouse) was the first brick&nbsp; school structure in the city of Providence and one of the first free schools in the United States. Originally, the two-story structure was intended to separate the free school (on the first floor) from the private school maintained by the "subscribers" or "proprietors" (on the second floor). When Rhode Island College (which in 1796 became Brown University) moved from Warren to Providence in 1770, college classes were temporarily held in the school house, and the school served as a meeting place for the committee in charge of deciding on a permanent location for the university.<br><br>During the American Revolution, the Meeting Street School served as a colonial arsenal and gunpowder manufactory from 1776-1784. When the British landed at Newport in 1776, Rhode Island College classes were suspended, and the official campus was used to house French allies and a temporary military hospital until 1782; the schoolhouse may have served, once again, as a refuge for the college during this time. In 1786, the University Grammar School. John Howland, often credited as the father of public school in America, pushed for a public school system, inspiring the city of Providence to purchase the Brick Schoolhouse outright and open as a free school in 1800.<br><br>In 1828, the Brick Schoolhouse became the first public school to admit African American children, with around 100 students in its care. Though attendance decreased by 1836, the building was enlarged in 1850, and a cooking school took up residence in 1865. In 1908, the Schoolhouse became the first American "fresh air" school for children with tuberculosis. For this purpose, the building's upper windows were enlarged, requiring the removal of bricks from the south facade. Around 1913, the building was used by the School for Crippled Children and Adults of Rhode Island, and from 1946-1957 served as the Meeting Street School for children with developmental disabilities (the institution outgrew the building, but continues to operate in Providence).<br><br>The Providence Preservation Society took over the building in 1960, and restorations (including changes to the altered windows) took place. The second floor of the schoolhouse is used as a meeting room and lecture hall, and the building serves as the headquarters for the Providence Preservation Society.<br><br><div>Inscription [Upper Marker:]</div><div>"This building was erected in 1769 as a public school house by the town and its properties. Occupied by Brown University in 1770. One of the four first free public school buildings in 1800. Occupied by a school for colored children for many years. A 'Fresh Air' school established in 1907, was opened here in 1908."</div><div>[Lower Marker:]&nbsp;</div><div>"The Meeting Street School</div><div>The 1st public school to be open to Afro-American children in 1828</div><div>A project of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society"</div><br>

Now the headquarters of the Providence Preservation Society, this historic building was the first brick school built in the city of Providence. The building was also used by Rhode Island College (Brown University today) and even served as an arsenal and temporary military hospital during the American Revolution. In 1800, education pioneer John Howland purchased the building and operated one of the first schools in the United States to be completely free and open to the public. In 1828, the school leaders decided to freely admit children of color, making this the first integrated public school in American history. 

Meeting Street School

Shakespeare's Head (also known as the John Carter House) was
built in 1772. The owner was publisher John Carter, and the building functioned
not only as a home to his family, but also as a post office, bookshop, and
printing shop of the <i>Providence Gazette</i>,
Providence's first newspaper. Carter's advertising sign outside the building
depicted a bust of Shakespeare, earning the house its nickname. The house and a
restored Colonial-style garden are now owned by the Providence Preservation
Society of Rhode Island.



<p><b>History of the<i> Providence Gazette </i>and the
Shakespeare's Head</b></p>

<p>On October 20, 1762, the first issue of Providence's first
newspaper was printed by William Goddard on what is now North Main Street.
Publication was suspended in May of 1765 due to the reduced number of
subscriptions. When Goddard left Providence, his mother, Sarah Goddard,
operated the newspaper.&nbsp;

</p><p>Benjamin Franklin, as newly-appointed Postmaster General, assigned
his apprentice John Carter to the position of Postmaster of Providence in 1767.
Carter worked with Sarah Goddard from 1767-1768, when he took over the printing
of the <i>Gazette</i>. Through his marriage
to Almy Crawford, he acquired the property on which he built the Shakespeare's
Head, which was completed in 1772. Operating his press, post office, and
bookshop on the ground floor, Carter and his family lived on the upper floors
of the three-story building. In 1793, Carter's businesses were moved to Market
Square, which he continued to operate until February of 1814. At that time, he
sold the <i>Gazette</i> to Hugh H. Brown and
William H. Wilson. In an unofficial capacity, the Shakespeare's Head also
served as a meeting place for important figures in the community, and may have
been part of the Underground Railroad system.</p>



<p>Carter's heirs sold the house in 1854 to Stephen O. Metcalf,
who sold it to the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railway Company in 1906. James
M. Stockard purchased the house in 1925. In 1938, the building was condemned,
and the Shakespeare's Head Association purchased the property to prevent its
demolition. Architects John Hutchins Cady and Philip D. Creer were in charge of
the restorations. The building now houses the Providence Preservation Society
offices.&nbsp;

</p><p><b>The Shakespeare's
Head </b><b>Garden</b></p><p>After damages
from a devastating hurricane in 1938, the Colonial-style garden behind the
Shakespeare's Head was restored by landscape architect James Graham. Slight modifications
have simplified maintenance and improved the accuracy of the garden's Colonial
history, under the care of Rhode Island School of Design landscape architect
Lalla Searle.</p>



<p>Some of
the plants featured include: Carolina Silverbell, Common Lilacs, Thift,
Foxgloves, Rosa Mundi, Scotch Rose, Fothergilla, Native Columbine, Gas Plant,
Dwarf Viburnum, Tree Peony, Common Boxwood, Magnolia, Germander, Rose of
Sharon, Barlett Pear Trees, Lady Fern, Herbacious Peony, False Fern, Herbaceous
Peony, False Indigo, Quince Tree, Linden Tree, Currants, Wisteria, Cork Tree,
and Goatsbeard.</p>

<b>Sign 1:</b><br>SHAKESPEARE'S HEAD<br>Built by publisher John Carter in 1772 to house
the printing press of the Providence <i>Gazette</i>, the post office and a bookshop as
well as Carter's growing family, this is one of the oldest three-story
structures in Providence. So named for the sign outside Carter's literary
establishment: a carved bust of William Shakespeare.



<p>The building was saved from demolition in the 1930s and has
been carefully preserved by the Shakespeare's Head Association.</p>

<b>Sign 2:<br></b>JOHN CARTER HOUSE<br>"Shakespeare's Head"<br>Built 1772<br><br><b>Sign 3:<br></b>21 Meeting Street<br>Shakespeare's Head-1772<br><br>Second Floor<br>Providence Preservation Society<br>Administrative Offices<br>PPS Resource Library<br>(through gate and up the stairs)<br><br>Garden Level<br>Junior League of Rhode Island<br>(through gate and down the stairs)<br>

Shakespeare's Head (also known as the John Carter House) was built in 1772. The owner was publisher John Carter, and the building functioned not only as a home to his family, but also as a post office, bookshop, and printing shop of the Providence Gazette, Providence's first newspaper. Carter's advertising sign outside the building depicted a bust of Shakespeare, earning the house its nickname. The house and a restored Colonial-style garden are now owned by the Providence Preservation Society of Rhode Island.

Shakespeare's Head (John Carter House)

<div>The Russell house (1772) is a remnant of an era when Atlantic World trade, was in full-force and consumer culture in the American colonies had significantly grown in power and influence. The house is a monument to a time when Providence overtook Newport as the commercial hub. The Russell's skill in mastering trade relations with other merchants and shippers in the&nbsp;West Indies allowed their store -- The Sign of the Golden Eagle -- to sell vast amounts of imported fabrics, exotic spices, fine housewares, and large casks of rum. The rum trade was&nbsp;an industry heavily dependent upon slave labor.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The house was the second brick edifice and the first three-story structure in Providence, a sign that city was in the process of overtaking Newport as the local urban hub. The elegant entrance and luxuriant interior point to the common practice of American architects during that era to copy from English design books. The house design, as well as the brothers' work as retailers of goods, point to a Colonial culture where many had aspired to live in a manner akin to the English gentry class demonstrating the connection between social status and conspicuous consumption and display of material wealth.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>An intriguing feature of the house, as it appears today, is its entry door that exists on the second floor rather than at the ground level, a consequence of the house being raised one story in 1875 as part of its transformation into the Clarendon Hotel. In 1920 the building was purchased by Joseph Blazer, a retail merchant in Providence. Blazer&nbsp;sold many of the interior items from the late colonial period to museums such as Brooklyn Museum, the Minneapolis Art Museum and the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design.<br></div><div><br><b>Goods shipped by Russell Brothers, per their store's newspaper advertisements, as described by the Minneapolis Institute&nbsp;of Art at (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://new.artsmia.org/living-rooms/just-imported/">https://new.artsmia.org/living-rooms/just-imported/</a>)</b><br><br><div>Sugar Cone &amp; Nippers</div><div>Sugar, a precious commodity in the 1700s, would have come in a hardened cone shape and wrapped in paper. Nippers were used to pinch off the desired amount</div><div><br></div><div>Spices &amp; Tea</div><div>Spices and teas were sourced from many different countries in Asia, such as Indonesia, India, China, and islands nearby. Consumers used them as food preservatives, flavor enhancements, and stimulants, much as they do today.</div><div><br></div><div>Molasses</div><div>Molasses is a syrupy by-product of the refinement process of sugarcane. It is the key ingredient in the manufacture of rum, one of the Colonies’ main exports. Sugarcane was grown in the West Indies through the labor of enslaved people.</div><div><br></div><div>Indigo</div><div>An advertisement for The Sign of the Golden Eagle offers “French indigo,” probably from the French colony of Saint Domingue (Haiti). Like sugarcane, indigo was a crop grown by enslaved people.</div><div><br></div><div>Tobacco</div><div>An export good from the Colonies to Europe and Africa, tobacco was grown in Southern plantations that relied on the labor of enslaved Africans.</div><div><br></div><div>Jamaican Rum</div><div>West Indies molasses was distilled into rum in Providence for export and local consumption.</div><div><br></div><div>Olive Oil</div><div>Olive oil was enjoyed by many in colonial Rhode Island, including Portuguese whalers and fishermen who crewed ships, and the growing Jewish community, also from Portugal.</div><div><br></div><div>Writing Set</div><div>Before phones and computers, correspondence was handwritten. Writing tools and materials like quills, ink, and inkpots were in high demand.</div><div><br></div><div>Clay Pipes</div><div>A clay pipe would have made a useful companion to New World tobacco, grown in the southern Colonies.</div><div><br></div><div>Escutcheons</div><div>Brass drawer handles, pulls, and key locks were desirable goods for the elegantly furnished Colonial home.</div><div><br></div><div>Horn Comb</div><div>Grooming items like this comb were typically made of tortoise shell, ivory, or horn.</div><div><br></div><div>Sealing Wax &amp; Stamp</div><div>Stationery items like sealing wax and stamps kept personal and business letters shut and safe from prying eyes.</div><div><br></div><div>Hemp Rope</div><div>Ropes, used in ship rigging, would have been common around the harbor.</div><div><br></div><div>Codfish</div><div>A New England export, codfish would have been salted to preserve it for transport to the West Indies.</div><div><br></div><div>Metal Buttons</div><div>Apparel goods, like fabrics and finishes, were popular import items to the Colonies.</div><div><br></div><div>Buckram, Western Europe (probably invented in Bukhara, Uzbekistan)</div><div>Starched open-weave canvas. Used as a stiffening agent in clothing and furnishings.</div><div><br></div><div>Cambricks, Flanders, France</div><div>Plainwoven white textiles typically made of linen. Used in high-quality collars and ties for men, sleeve ruffles, and women’s collars and shawls.</div><div><br></div><div>Checks, India</div><div>Low-quality striped or checkered cottons. Used for clothing and household uses.</div><div><br></div><div>Velvet, Western Europe</div><div>A luxury fabric made of silk or cotton, in which case called velveteen or velveret. Used for curtains and fine garments.</div><div><br></div><div>Broadcloths, England</div><div>Thick, durable, weatherproof woolens. Used for outdoor activewear like military coats and women’s riding outfits.<b><br></b><br></div></div>

Constructed in 1772, the Russell house stands as a monument to a time when the Atlantic World economy -- including the slave trade -- was the cornerstone of Providence and the economic engine behind the growth of the American colonies. Joseph and William Russell were two of the leading merchants in colonial Providence thanks to their participation in the trade with the West Indies. This building was the first three-story structure in Providence. The British blockade of shipping lanes during the Revolutionary War caused the Russell Brothers to suffer financial peril, forcing them to sell the house in 1798 to another prominent Providence resident, John Corliss.  

Joseph and William Russell House

<div>The five-story Elizabeth Building building was built roughly in the 1875-1876 timeframe and stands today as one of Providence's few cast-iron fronts. The building represents a period in Providence (and the U.S.) when commercial architecture grew increasingly popular and distinct, a precursor to the age of the glass and steel skyscraper. The Elizabeth Building arose during a commercial construction boom in Providence during the 1870s and 1880s coinciding with a population boom (the city populace grew by more than 50% during the decade).&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The structure's Black-painted cast-iron front dually forms the main (east) street facade and also wraps around a two-bay section of the south side of the thin but sizable, rectangular structure, which allows one to see the ornamental detailing even if approaching the building from an angle as it wraps around the building. Moreover,&nbsp; an 1891 photograph offers evidence that the upper stories of the iron front minted in a light color imitated a stone facade.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Though the cast-iron cast facade enjoys four separate levels, the building contains five stories, which can be seen by looking at the rear of the building. Meanwhile, given its commercial purpose, the interior possessed little decoration or complexity.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In the end, to look at the Elizabeth Building is to peer into a time when the Industrial Revolution was taking hold of the U.S. and commercial building dominated the urban landscapes. Cast iron facades served as the forerunner to city downtown regions and modern skyscrapers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>Today, the building functions as an apartment complex.&nbsp;</div>

The Elizabeth Building (1876) represents an era when cast-iron commercial building dominated urban downtown regions, both in Providence and throughout the nation, serving as the precursor to the modern, steel skyscraper. The building is one of the few remaining buildings built during the era. The structure arose concurrently with Providence's population boom (growing more than 50% during the 1870s) and commercial construction boom. 

Elizabeth Building

<div>The Fleur-dé-Lys Studios (1885) stands as an indispensable&nbsp;architectural monument to the American Arts and Crafts Movement, both to the movement itself and to the broader aspects of American architecture.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>By the early 1880s, the Arts and Crafts Movement proliferated in England, existing as a contrast to the increasingly mechanized culture (and perceived lack of creativity)&nbsp;tied to nineteenth-century industrialization. The movement emphasized producing artwork by hand and discovering ways to intertwine art with everyday life, the embodiment of which exists in the Fleur-dé-Lys.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Fleur dé Lys Studios emerged in 1885 just as the Arts and Crafts Movement took hold in the U.S. Sydney R. Burleigh, a painter, collaborated with Architect Edmund R. Willson in designing the building.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Burleigh studied painting in Paris between 1876 and 1880 before returning to Rhode Island. In addition to the Fleur-dé-Lys, his works were displayed regularly at the National Academy of Design in New York, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and Rhode Island School of Design. Burleigh also served on the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island School of Design from 1887 to 1893 and its Board of Trustees from 1919 until his death in 1931. Burleigh's</div><div><br></div><div>Willson attended Harvard College and the Ecole des Beaux-arts. His work enjoyed critical acclaim in prestigious professional journals, especially American Architect and Building News by academics of American architectural history.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The studio design is distinct in that it possesses a hand-carved facade comprised of various faux reliefs, unique ornate features, and an eye-catching yellow color scheme, among other characteristics that make it stand out considerably from the other buildings nearby.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Burleigh sought to use the building as his personal workspace, as well as a home to the newly formed Providence Art Club (1880), many of whom provided eclectic furniture that allowed the interior of the studio to be as artful as its exterior, but also welcoming and cozy unlike many art studios of that era.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1939, Sydney Burleigh's wife deeded the building to Providence Art Club (located just east) with the stipulation that the structure remains a place for artist studios. Indeed, The Fleur-de-Lys Studio remains under the curation of the Providence Art Club, having hosted the club for more than a century.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

Built in 1885, the Fleur-de-lys Studios is a unique historical building in Providence. It was designed by Sydney Burleigh and Edmund Russell Wilson in the Tudor Revival style (other artists contributed to the building as well). It is a 2.5 story wood frame structure with decorative stucco artwork in between the timbers. The building was meant to serve as a place where artists could have their studios and this remains the function today. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Fleur-de-lys Studios

<div>The historic church building was erected in 1774–75 and held its first service in May 1775, but the history of the church in Providence dates back to 1638 when Roger Williams founded the first Baptist Church in America.</div><div><br></div><div>For the initial sixty years of the church's history,&nbsp; services were held in houses of members, although differences in doctrine and intra-church differences divided the church into two factions for a period. Nonetheless, the Baptist church enjoyed greater unity by the mid-1770s, which allowed the church's sixth pastor, Pardon Tillinghast, a chance to spearhead an effort to construct a church building.&nbsp; The Charitable Baptist Society committee formed and procured a Charter of Incorporation, which allowed the congregation an ability to receive and hold property. Meanwhile, the church hired Joseph Brown, amateur architect, and Jonathan Hammond, a master carpenter, to build the church building.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Brown and Hammond visited Boston to view churches and meetinghouses in the city, and Brown also took inspiration from several plates from James Gibbs' Book of Architecture, published in 1728. When completed, the 80-foot square building, with late Georgian church architectural influences, could seat nearly 1,200 persons.</div><div><br></div><div>Given the colonials long history of practicing religion freely, and changing attitudes in 1775 towards Britain, it is not surprising that many church designs of the day diverged from Anglican counterparts, and many Rhode Island Baptists felt that building a church building of any kind was an exercise in vanity.&nbsp; Construction of service halls for Baptists during that era in Providence (and greater New England) often resembled simple meeting houses. However, the First Baptist Church, with its grand design that included a steeple bell resembled traditional Congregational churches.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Brown University's commencement has been held in the Meetinghouse since 1776 (except for 1804 and 1832). One notable graduate,&nbsp; John D. Rockefeller Jr. -- the only son of John D. Rockefeller and father to U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and Arkansas Govoner Winthrop Rockefeller --- funded a complete rehabilitation of the church building in 1957-58. His philanthropic efforts, keeping in spirit with his father's late-life endeavors, allowed the old church to remain useful to town.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The external appearance of the building largely remains the same today as when erected, but the internal layout has changed a few times.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

Providence's First Baptist Church was constructed between 1774 and 1775 by a congregation first founded by Roger Williams in 1638. Church divisions and the belief that lavish church facilities were a sign of vanity thwarted previous efforts towards building a substantial church edifice. By the mid-1770s, a more unified congregation and an acceptance that a substantial meeting hall was necessary and proper led to the construction of this building. 

First Baptist Church in America 

<div>The Dr. George W. Garr House endures as one of Providence's most striking examples of the early "Queen Anne" Style, while also displaying Medieval qualities. English architect Norman Shaw significantly influenced American architecture during the 1870s, which carried over into the design of the Garr House by Edward I. Nickerson during the mid-1880s, as seen by its steep roof sections, tall chimneys and overhanging bays and distinctive decor. In time, the collection of his many works in Providence became affectionately referred to as "Nickersonian Designs."&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) purchased the Carr House in 1916, converting it to a dormitory in 1923 followed by a variety of functions through the 1970s, ranging from an infirmary to a restaurant. As a result, the interior has been renovated and redesigned numerous times, though it's room-layout largely remains intact.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In contrast, the Garr House's exterior remains much the same as it did in the late nineteenth century.&nbsp; When built, Nickerson accounted for the home's sloping lot by emphasizing the structure's vertical attributes rather than its horizontal features. A real sign of the times, as well, the house appears to exist as one substantial residence, but it was two separate dwellings (with a few openings that connected them) with its southern section, three-story house, intended to house a future son or daughter upon marriage.</div>

The historic Dr. George W. Carr House (1885) was one of Providence's most prominent Queen Anne style buildings, designed by architect Edward I. Nickerson. The Rhode Island School of Design purchased the building in 1916, and has since used it for a variety of functions. 

Dr. George W. Carr House

<div>In 1877, a 46-year-old Providence mom of five and Sunday school teacher named Helen Metcalf persuaded her women’s club to spend money left over from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition to create an art school -- the genesis of what became the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).&nbsp; The move towards creating RISD coincided with a cultural trend -- notably among financial elites -- towards embracing the arts, often as a contrast to the urbanization and mechanization arising out of the Industrial Revolution. For instance, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston both opened in 1870, followed by The School of Practical Design (now the Museum of Fine Arts) in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1872. As well, Brown University president, Ezekiel Gilman Robinson, noted in his annual report in 1873 a need for a school of arts.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition served as the United States' first major world’s fair, and it was enormous; the U.S. population was 46 million, but 10 million people attended the festival.&nbsp; Highlights of the exposition included Alexander Graham Bell showcasing his telephone and Providence’s George Corliss wowing the audience with his new, revolutionary steam engine that proved highly influential during the&nbsp; Industrial Revolution, and it powered the 14 acres of machinery at the exposition.</div><div><br></div><div>Helen Metcalf attended the fest and chaired a committee of thirty-five women who raised money for Rhode Island’s exhibit hall. The women also took time to visit the Women's Pavilion, where seventy-five women displayed their patented inventions such as emergency flares, model interlocking bricks and a patent land pulverizer designed by Benjamin Franklin's great-granddaughter,&nbsp; Elizabeth Duane Gillespie.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The exhibition greatly impressed Helen Metcalf, who had already established herself as a benefactor of the poor. As a result, she was inspired to help working women by raising the status and condition of the applied arts. Thus, when the&nbsp; Philadelphia Exposition concluded, Metcalf asked the Rhode Island Women's Centennial Commission to take the&nbsp; $1,675 in leftover funds from the fest and put it towards developing an art school.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In association with the Rhode Island Art Association, chartered in 1854, RISD opened its doors in 1877 under the direction of Metcalf. Classes took place in a newly built building near Brown University with women comprising most of its first forty-three pupils. The initial focus of RISD involved a dedication to "useful arts," such as carriage and furniture making and designing for two prominent Rhode Island industries: Calico printers and Jewelers (many of which helped make Rhode Island a leading city for silverware production).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Metcalf directed the school until her death in 1895, but many members of the Metcalf family had a hand in the success of RISD.&nbsp; Her husband Jesse, a wealthy textile producer, covered the school's losses for several years. After Helen's death, Jesse donated a building, land, and three exhibition galleries in her memory. Steven, their son, became school treasurer in 1884 while another son, Jesse, became a U.S. senator and RISD trustee. Jesse and Helen's son-in-law, Dr. Gustav Radeke, contributed to the museum casts, models, and industrial materials that he had collected while traveling in Europe.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Metcalf influence with RISD continued well into the twentieth century. In 1913, the Metcalfs’ daughter, Eliza Greene Metcalf Radeke, served as college president for eighteen years, followed by Helen Metcalf Danforth in 1931, who became president of RISD and later as chair of the board of trustees until 1965.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Though the Metcalf name remained consistently tied to RISD, the focus of the college eventually transitioned from industrial arts to the fine arts.</div><div><br></div><div>Today, The RISD campus is home to the school, expansive museum, the Fleet Library, a Nature Lab, one of the nation’s oldest independent art libraries. The RISD Museum is composed of five buildings located on the historic East Side of Providence.</div><div><br></div><div>RISD students can cross-register for courses at Brown at no extra cost. RISD grants degrees in virtually every art and design-related field, including interior architecture, graphic design, and as it did in the beginning, jewelry and metalsmithing.</div>

Rhode Island School of Design Museum is an art museum in Providence, Rhode Island. The museum was founded in 1877 when Helen Metcalf inspired a women's club to spend its left-over money from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition to fund an art school. RISD contains a broad range of works from around the world, as well as numerous featured works from a range of Rhode Island artists. In all, the museum houses over 91,000 objects. 



It wasn’t just any fair. It was the . And it wasn’t just any art school. It was the Rhode Island School of Design, or RISD, one of the world’s most prestigious art and design universities. It is also the principal art museum for Southeastern New England.



Rhode Island School of Design Museum

<div>People of other colonies held similar views reflected in similar ways. Famously, people of Boston threw tea unto the harbor in protest of tax laws. This dissatisfaction was build up from years of laws regarding taxation and the limit of trade. In 1733, the Molasses Act was passed by Parliament, which placed a duty in molasses purchases at all non-British owned ports. This was not heavily enforced and, for the most part, importers found ways to get around it. However, in the 1760s in an effort to establish greater control over the colonies, the British began passing stricter laws, including the Sugar Act of 1764. This law ensured that the duties introduced with the Molasses Act would be strictly enforced and introduced patrol boats in Nanagansett Bay in an effort to implement this.</div><div><br><div>More tax laws were to follow in years to come, including the Stamp Act of 1765. When the colony first received word, in August 1764, that a stamp act might be introduced, the then governor of Rhode Island, Stephen Hopkins, wrote "The Rights of the Colonies Examined." In this, he wrote, "All laws and all taxation which bind the whole must be made by the whole." The Stamp Act was declared null and void within the colony by the Rhode Island General Assembly. An angry mob was waiting to meet the people brining the stamps from London and the stamp distributor was forced to resign. The stamps were never unloaded and Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766.</div></div><div><br><div>The repeal of the Stamp Act did not, however, indicate a change of heart on the part of the British. The Townshend Acts were passed by Parliament in 1767 and imposed duties on glass, lead, paper, and tea. The Tea Act was passed in 1773.</div></div><div><br></div>

Near the spot indicated by this marker, citizens of Providence burned British taxed tea to represent their views on unfair taxation. This happened on the night of March 2, 1775.


Burning of British Taxed Tea- Historical Marker

<div>In 1771, the Colonial Assembly of Rhode Island approved a petition in which created a lottery with profits being dedicated to&nbsp;the construction of this building which became Providence's first public market house. By 1775, the Georgian-style Market House construction was completed, just in time to become a strategic building during the Revolution. The Continental Congress Committee of Inspection was formed in 1775 and met at the Market House on March 1st of that year. While at the Market House, they burned 300 pounds of British-taxed tea. Later, during the Revolutionary War, French soldiers used the upper floors of the Market House as their barracks.&nbsp;<br><br>The building&nbsp;and associated town square became the center of the community during its formative years and continues to serve as both a market and meeting space.&nbsp; The building's lower level was designed to serve fishmongers, butchers, and other food vendors while the upper floors functioned as a meeting hall. The stalls used in the lower levels for the market functions were sold at auction in 1776.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>After the war, the Market House served as the focus for many civic activities. For instance, in 1797, and&nbsp;after completing a new third story on the structure, St. John’s Lodge of Masons installed Rhode Island's first Masonic Hall.&nbsp; In 1802 Thomas Webb Smith organized St. John's Encampment (now Commandery) Number One, the oldest organization of the Knights Templar in the U.S. From 1820 - 1890, the Market House served&nbsp;as the seat of Providence's government.<br></div><div><br></div><div>After a thirty-year debate that lasted roughly 1845 to 1875, Providence&nbsp;also constructed a new City Hall. As a result, the city leased this building to the Providence Board of Trade five years later (1880) and relocated to the new city hall. However, this building and the associated market square continued to be the site of political gatherings and protests. For example, in&nbsp;September of 1897, anarchist and feminist Emma Goldman was arrested at this site and charged with&nbsp;unlawful open-air speaking and attracting a crowd.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Many years later, in 1948, Providence deeded the building to the Rhode Island School of Design, who have used it for classrooms and as a place to house student art displays. Market House also serves as a meaningful reminder of the architect, Joseph Brown, who designed many buildings in Providence including&nbsp; University Han at Brown University (1770),&nbsp; the First Baptist Meeting House (1775), and the John Brown House.&nbsp;</div><div><br>Market House demonstrates the connection between local and national histories and its prominent events serve as a timeline of major themes in American history. From hosting protests by colonial Patriots&nbsp;during the Revolutionary War, to the arrest of a&nbsp;feminist speaking out for women's rights, to important meetings by local organizations, the building has been at the center of the community's history in ways that reflect the larger history of the nation.&nbsp;<br></div>

Market House was constructed in 1775 by Joseph Brown, a prominent local architect, and  Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The bottom level originally functioned as a market place while meetings took place upstairs. the building was the site of numerous historically significant political events and protests while the building itself has hosted civic functions and meetings of local organizations nearly two-and-a-half centuries. During the American Revolution, French soldiers encamped in Providence used the Market House as their barracks. The Providence City Council used the building as their headquarters for decades before the city built a dedicated City Hall. 

Market House 

<h4>The 1938 New England Hurricane in Rhode Island</h4>
<p>The hurricane of 1938 that violently struck New England formed near the coast of Africa on September 9th, 1938. It quickly became a category 5 hurricane but calmed to a category 3 before reaching landfall on Long Island around September 21st. Around 3:50 pm, the storm surge hit near Westerly, Rhode Island, and due to the combination of the 95 mph hurricane winds and the autumnal equinox and full moon causing high tides, the storm tides slammed the Rhode Island coast with waters from 14 feet to 25 feet high. Block Island was nearly underwater and about 13 feet of water flooded some areas of downtown Providence. Some motorists drowned, and due to economic strife caused by the Great Depression, looters began ransacking shops, even while the water was high.</p>
<p>Entire beach communities were completely obliterated. For instance, Napatree Point, located just off Watch Hill, Rhode Island, was swept away. Across New England, there were 682 recorded deaths, 57,000 destroyed homes, and about $306 million ($4.7 billion in 2016) in property damage. Because of the 1938 hurricane and the even higher flood waters of Hurricane Carol in 1954, the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier was finally completed to prevent future flooding. To this day, the hurricane of 1938 is the most powerful and deadly hurricane to strike New England, and it may only be eclipsed in intensity by the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635.<sub>1</sub></p>
<h4>Inscription on the Historical Marker</h4>
<p><i>Top Marker</i></p>
<p>The Hurricane of September 21st 1938 driven by a wind velocity of 95 MPH max caused tidal waters to reach a new level as indicated below&nbsp;</p>
<p>13 feet 8½ inches above mean high water one foot eleven and one fourth inches higher than previous record of September 23rd 1815.</p>
<p><i>Bottom Marker</i></p>
<p>In the great gale of September 23rd 1815 the wind driven waters around the walls of this building rose to the level of this line&nbsp;</p>
<p>Eleven feet nine and one fourth inches above mean high water.<sub>2</sub></p>

The 1938 New England Hurricane was one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to ever hit New England, killing 682 people and destroying 57,000 homes across the East Coast. At this site near Canal Walk and on the side of the Old Market House, the Hurricane of September 21st, 1938, historical marker displays the height of the water sea as it tore through Providence. The city was hit especially hard, sweeping summer cottages out to sea. Because of economic difficulties caused by the Great Depression, much of what remained of Providence was looted after the storm was hit (and before the flood waters retreated). The Fox Point Hurricane was finally built after the 1938 and the 1954 hurricanes to avoid such extreme surges from flooding downtown again.

The Hurricane of September 21st 1938 Historical Marker

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In
order to properly present all of the histories surrounding this museum/library,
it’s only right to first begin with the building itself. According to the
libraries’ website, this is a “Greek Revival” style building that was dedicated
in 1838 to become a home for this institution. The construction cost was about
$18,955.76, and was built on land donated by the Moses Ivan Brown family. Also
according to the libraries’ official website, this is the only building in New
England designed by the famous architect William Strickland. William Strickland’s
major contribution to architecture was his Greek Revival style, which was
extremely popular in the America’s between the 1820’s – 1850’s. The main
building that sits here today is mostly original; however, some additions to
the building have been made. In 1914 an addition was made by Norman Isham in
order to give more space to a growing young readership. In 1978 another
addition was made by architect Warren Platner, also with the intended purpose
on providing more room. With the history of the building itself examined, a
look into details about the institution itself is needed.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Like
mentioned previously, the Providence Athenaeum came into existence after the
merging of two previous institutions (Providence Athenaeum 1831 and Providence
Library Company 1753). It originally went simply by the name of “The Athenaeum,”
but changed in 1850 to “The Providence Athenaeum.” According to the libraries official
website, 195 men, two women, and four business firms raised the initial funds
for this institution. It was originally located in the Arcade downtown on
Weybosset Street, but finally completed and opened its doors at this location
on July 11th, 1838. This library attracted more collections and
materials throughout the 19th century. According to its official
website, a few notable acquisitions include the <i>Description de l’Egypte, </i>a 23 volume set describing Napoleons
expedition to Egypt in the 18th century, as well as <i>The Hours</i>, an ivory miniature painted by
Edward Green Malbone in 1801. </p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
first female employee hired to this institution was in 1872. Her name was Mary
Angell, and she was hired as an assistant librarian. According to the libraries
website, her main duty was working on a card catalog, which still remains in
the libraries main floor. These handwritten cards from the nineteenth century
can still be found here. Also according to the official website, Mary’s work
was continued by Grace Leonard, who in 1895 categorized the libraries 56,000
volumes into the Dewey decimal system. Grace eventually became the library’s
first female head librarian, and worked at this institution for a total of 46
years. </p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One of
the most fascinating facts surrounding this library is the people who have
visited here. H.P. Lovecraft, renowned cosmic horror author and Providence
native lived only a few blocks away from this library. According to its
official website, Lovecraft was a not a member here but made frequent visits to
the library and wrote about it in his stories and letters. A quote from him
reads, “…our old Athenaeum, where Poe spent many an hour, and wrote his name at
the bottom of one of his unsigned poems in a magazine…” (Letter to James F.
Morton, May 3, 1923). A beautiful bust of Lovecraft can be found on the main
floor of the Athenaeum, and was sculpted by Bryan Moore and donated to the
library in August 2013. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Another
famous visitor to this museum was Edgar Allan Poe. According to the libraries official
website, Poe travelled to providence in September 1848 in order to “meet and
court the wealthy Rhode Island widow, Sarah Helen Whitman.” Whitman was from
providence and spent a lot of her time at the Athenaeum, where she honed her
writing skills as a poet, critic, and spiritualist. She is mostly known for
being tied to Poe; however, her writing skills are ultimately what attracted
him to her in the first place. There is a very interesting story concerning the
two on the libraries official website. Apparently on December 23, 1848, both
Poe and Whitman were at the Athenaeum when a messenger delivered a message to
Whitman. This message explained how Poe had broken his sobriety and remained a
drinker. Whitman called off their arranged wedding and dramatically exited the
Athenaeum. According to this story on the official website, the two would never
see each other again following this encounter, and Poe would ultimately turn up
dead in a year. Whitman outlived him 30 more years and continued her visits to
the Athenaeum, always advocating the work of Poe.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This
Athenaeum has an extensive amount of history worth exploring. This little
glimpse into it has hopefully shed some light on some of the interesting things
that have happened here. Like mentioned previously, special thanks is needed to
the Athenaeum’s official website as well as Jane Lancaster for providing all of
the information given above. </p>

The Providence Athenaeum is a Library and Museum that was founded in 1836 after the merging of a previous Providence Athenaeum (1831) and the Providence Library Company (1753). According to the Libraries' website, both of these organizations dissolved and formed a new library, combining the collections of each institution. There is a ton of history wrapped up in this Library, including frequent visits from famous authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Sarah Helen Whitman. Any fan of  these authors would enjoy a visit to this Library, and any history buff would be fascinated by the extensive history embodied here.

The Providence Athenaeum

<p>

</p><p>

</p><p>The home of Stephen Hopkins is
one of the oldest buildings in Providence, and can still be seen at the corner
of Hopkins and Benefit Streets. It was first built in 1707, the same year that
Hopkins was born.&nbsp; Prior to Hopkins’ purchase
of the land, the house was very small. &nbsp;It was a plain structure with one room on the
first floor, a small sleeping space above it, and an end chimney. Hopkins
bought the home in 1743 and significantly expanded it. He also added his own
warehouses and wharves nearby, where his ships docked. He lived in the home for
nearly forty years until his death in 1785. </p><p>

</p><p>Hopkins enlarged the one room
home into an L-shaped, 2 ½ story wood-frame structure. Inside, there is a main
parlor room on the right, a study room on the left, and a central hallway with a
staircase leading to the five sleeping rooms on the second floor. There is also
a small keeping room behind the parlor and another small bedroom located behind
Hopkin’s study on the first floor.&nbsp; By
1774 the view from his home at its original located (South Main Street) included
the new customhouse and his own warehouses and wharves, where his ships docked.</p><p>

</p><p>Stephen Hopkins led a successful
career as both a businessman and a politician. When he was just twenty-four
years old, he became the Town Clerk in Scituate, Rhode Island and was made
President of the Town Council three years later.&nbsp; Eventually, Hopkins moved to Providence with
his wife, Sarah. He and his brother, Esek, started their own
mercantile-shipping firm in the early 1740s. Their business built and fitted
vessels used for commercial shipping. During these years he served in the
colonial assembly and as a justice of the colonial high court. Hopkins served
as governor of Rhode Island for several terms during 1755 to 1768 (1755-1757,
1758-1762, 1762-1765, and 1767-1768), alternating with Samuel Ward of Newport. In
1776, Hopkins signed the Declaration of Independence and was a member of the
First Continental Congress. The house is the only significant structure
associated with Hopkins' life.</p><p>

</p><p>Alden Hopkins, a descendant of
the former governor, designed a small pocket-park around the home in the years
after Stephen’s death. The local chapter of the DAR saved the home from
destruction in 1927 and moved it to its present location. In the late 1920s the
house was carefully restored by Norman Isham. The house is now managed by the
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, and is a museum open to the
public. A copy of the Declaration of Independence and a quill pen lie on the desk
in the study as a memorial to the homes most famous resident. </p><p>

</p><p>

</p>

The Governor Stephen Hopkins House is a museum and National Historic Landmark in Providence, Rhode Island. The house was the home of Stephen Hopkins, a local businessman, politician, governor of Rhode Island and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978.

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

<p>This historical marker stands on the site of the Sabin
Tavern, where, in 1772 (18 months before the Boston Tea Party), colonists of
Providence, Rhode Island planned their attack on the <i>H.R.M. Gaspee</i>, a
British navy schooner. The <i>Gaspee</i> was stationed nearby at
Newport, with orders to seize ships suspected of smuggling illegal or untaxed
cargo in Narragansett Bay. Under the command of Lieutenant William Dudingston,
the crew of the <i>Gaspee</i> interpreted their
orders as a license to steal supplies and livestock from both ships and coastal
communities in the bay area. As a final straw, the American vessel <i>Fortune</i> was captured, its cargo
of rum illegally seized, and its captain, Rufus Greene, beaten. Greene
attempted to sue, and the colonists issued a warrant for Dudingston's arrest.
When Britain failed to respond to the colonists' satisfaction, an attack on the
<i>Gaspee</i> was planned.</p>



<p>The Sabin Tavern was built in 1763, and quickly became the
most frequented hostelry in Providence thanks to its proximity to Fenner's
Wharf. The planning of the attack took place in the southeast room of the
tavern on June 9, 1772. The attacking party included members of the Sons of
Liberty, a loosely organized group of anti-British colonists including
prominent politicians and publishers, with chapters in New York, Boston,
Providence, and other American cities. Prominent locals including Stephen
Hopkins, John Cole, and Moses Brown and his brothers John and Jacob appear to
have had knowledge of the attack ahead of time, based on correspondence with
Samuel Adams (who was a Son of Liberty). Also involved were many Providence merchants
(most involved in the distillation and trade of alcohol, particularly rum and
gin), who were eager to stabilize trade by helping to destroy the <i>Gaspee.</i>&nbsp;

</p><p>The attack was carefully planned, accounting for tides,
harbor conditions, and the dismissal of the <i>Gaspee</i>'s
pilot (who was familiar with the harbor) several weeks prior to the attack.
Captain Benjamin Lindsey of the colonial ship <i>Hannah</i> departed from Fenner's Wharf on the evening of June 9, 1772,
and lured the <i>Gaspee</i> around <span>Namquid Point, into the shallows
where Dudingston's ship ran aground. Lindsey reported back to the Sabin Tavern
around 5 pm, coordinating with John Brown and Abrahm Whipple, who organized the
raid on the trapped British vessel. The attack occurred at 12:45 am on June
10th, at moonset, the darkest part of the night. The crew of the <i>Gaspee </i>were captured, Dudingston was
shot (in the groin, though he survived), and the ship was burned to the
waterline.</span></p>



<p>The
British Crown set up a "kangaroo court" to send suspects back to
England for trial, and offered a substantial reward for the names of the
attackers, but the colonists maintained unified silence. The "Gaspee
Affair" and the British response prompted the formation of the Committees of Correspondence and, subsequently, prompted
Virginia leadership to call for the First Continental Congress.
Thomas Jefferson, in fact, cited the latter as a direct result of the Gaspee
Affair. Already furious with the British Crown for unfair taxation without
representation, the colonies needed only one event to move toward unification;
that event was the burning of the <i>Gaspee</i>.</p><p><br></p><p>Inscription:</p><p>[Side 1]</p><p>1772</p><p>HMS Gaspee</p><p>[Side 2]</p><p>1772</p><p>"Sons of Liberty"</p><p>Upon this corner stood the Sabin Tavern</p><p>in which on the evening of June 9th 1772</p><p>the party met and organized to destroy</p><p>the H.R.M. schooner Gaspee,</p><p>in the destruction of which was shed the</p><p>first blood in the American Revolution</p>

This historical marker stands on the site of the Sabin Tavern, where, in 1772 (18 months before the Boston Tea Party), colonists of Providence, Rhode Island planned their attack on the H.R.M. Gaspee, a British navy schooner. The Gaspee was stationed nearby at Newport, with orders to seize ships suspected of smuggling illegal or untaxed cargo in Narragansett Bay. Under the command of Lieutenant William Dudingston, the crew of the Gaspee interpreted their orders as a license to steal supplies and livestock from both ships and coastal communities in the bay area. As a final straw, the American vessel Fortune was captured, its cargo of rum illegally seized, and its captain, Rufus Greene, beaten. Greene attempted to sue, and the colonists issued a warrant for Dudingston's arrest. When Britain failed to respond to the colonists' satisfaction, an attack on the Gaspee was planned.

HMS Gaspee Historic Marker

<p>The main structure was built in 1786 by John Brown. Notable guests during this time include George Washington, who is reported to have visited for tea.</p>
<p>The house was sold in 1901 to the prominent Rhode Island industrialist and banker Marsden J. Perry. Under Marsden's supervision, the extension was renovated to add in modern bathrooms and central heating systems. It was purchased by John Nicholas Brown in 1936.</p>
<p>In 1942, the Brown family donated the house to the Rhode Island Historical Society for preservation. The house was restored to its original colonial decor. The museum now contains many original furniture pieces provided by the Brown family estate and is open for public tours seasonally.&nbsp;</p>
<p>John Brown (1736 – 1803) was an American merchant, slave trader, and statesman from Providence, Rhode Island. Along with his three brothers, John was instrumental in founding Brown University (then known as the College of Rhode Island) and moving it to their family's former land in Providence. John Brown laid the cornerstone of the university's oldest building in 1770, and he served as its treasurer for 21 years (1775 – 1796). Brown was one of the founders of Providence Bank and became its first president in 1791. He was active in the American Revolution, notably as an instigator of the 1772 Gaspee Affair, and he served in both state and national government. At the same time, he was a powerful defender of slave trading, clashing aggressively—in newspapers, courts and politics—with his brother Moses, who had become an abolitionist.<br></p>

The John Brown House is the first mansion built in Providence, Rhode Island. It borders the campus of Brown University. The house is named after the original owner and one of the early benefactors of the University, the early American merchant, statesman and slave trader, John Brown. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1968 and is operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Providence Main Street Tour: Roger Williams to John Brown

Giovanni da Verrazzano Historic Marker

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information