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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 genealogy.
Old Photos, Pictures, Advertisements and Postcards from Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Arcade, Providence
THE HISTORY & TOPOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, published by J & F Tallis in London about 1850.
Artwork

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Scenes in Providence
Picturesque America... Oliver Bell Bunce, William Cullen Bryant
New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872-1874.
Artwork

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

1890s
Horsfords Acid Phosphate
Rumford Chemical Works
Providence, R.I.
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Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Concert Pavilion and Casino, Roger Williams Park, Providence, R. I.
Postcard

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Coleman & Remington
Photographie Studio
25 Westminster St.
Providence, R.I.
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Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Patents - U.S. and Foreign
Joseph A. Miler & 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.
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History and News of Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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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
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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... Read MORE...
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1662 - January 27 - 1st American lime kiln begins operation (Providence RI)
historyorb.com
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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/ ... Read MORE...
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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
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,... Read MORE...
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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 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
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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... Read MORE...
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
1842 - May 19 – Dorr Rebellion: Militiamen supporting Thomas Wilson Dorr attack the arsenal in Providence, Rhode Island, but are repulsed.
www.wikipedia.org
May 19, 1842
1848 - A man in Providence, Rhode Island, bet five dollars that he could eat a large basket of peaches in one hour.
He was successful, having dispatched one hundred and fifty-two good sized peaches in fifty-two minutes.
Another man ate a basket full without... Read MORE...
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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... 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
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
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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,... Read MORE...
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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
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
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... 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... Read MORE...
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1894 - April 10 - Providence, RI received 9 inches of snow
The Weather Channel
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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... 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... Read MORE...
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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.... Read MORE...
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... Read MORE...
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
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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... 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
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
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... 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
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... 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... Read MORE...
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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 ... 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... Read MORE...
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.... Read MORE...
1914 - Theinert Nominated by State Socialists Lincoln Man Named for Governor in State Convention of Party
Pawtucket Times
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
October 12, 1914
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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... Read MORE...
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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... Read MORE...
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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... Read MORE...
1945 - March 29 - Providence, RI, hit 90 degrees to establish a March record for the New England area.
The Weather Channel
March 29, 1945
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1949 - July 10 - WJAR TV channel 10 in Providence, RI (NBC) begins broadcasting
historyorb.com
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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... Read MORE...
1960 - October 20 - 1st fully mechanized post office opened, Providence, RI
historyorb.com
October 20, 1960
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1975 - August 2 - Temperature reached 104 degrees at Providence, RI
The Weather Channel
Providence, Rhode Island, USA Genealogy
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