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“Died in the Service of his Country:” A New Look at Rhode Island Civil War Death Records
11 years ago

“Died in the Service of his Country:” A New Look at Rhode Island Civil War Death Records

Civil War historians have long been citing that 620,000 American soldiers, North and South, died in the Civil War. In 2012, however, Dr. David Hacker of Binghamton University, using the …
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Vampires in Exeter? The Gruesome Tale of Mercy L. and Edwin A. Brown
11 years ago

Vampires in Exeter? The Gruesome Tale of Mercy L. and Edwin A. Brown

No doubt about it, at this time of year, South County’s most famous brother and sister have to be Mercy and Edwin Brown. One hundred and twenty-three years after their …
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The French Soldiers Commemorated at the North Burial Ground in Providence
11 years ago

The French Soldiers Commemorated at the North Burial Ground in Providence

A large granite monument (see fig. 1) in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island (at the intersection of North Main Street (Route 1) and Branch Avenue) commemorates the …
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Unfortunate Ends: Gleanings from the Death Notices of Early Rhode Island Newspapers
11 years ago

Unfortunate Ends: Gleanings from the Death Notices of Early Rhode Island Newspapers

Death notices began to appear in America with the first newspapers. A community-wide extension of the early notices on tavern and meeting house doors, these first notices were sparse, containing …
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Photo Detective: Middletown Veteran is the Mystery VJ-Day Kissing Sailor
11 years ago

Photo Detective: Middletown Veteran is the Mystery VJ-Day Kissing Sailor

There are photographs that with one glance epitomize a generation as well as a moment in time. The image of the kissing sailor captured by Alfred Eisenstaedt in Times Square …
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The Culper Spy Ring Was Not The First To Warn The French at Newport
11 years ago

The Culper Spy Ring Was Not The First To Warn The French at Newport

On July 10, 1780, a French fleet of seven ships of the line and four frigates under Admiral Chevalier de Ternay, along with thirty-six transport vessels carrying about 6,000 French …
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Sidney Rider and The Business of Rhode Island History
11 years ago

Sidney Rider and The Business of Rhode Island History

More than any other Rhode Islander of his generation, Sidney S. Rider was in the business of history. Rider was the premier bookseller in Rhode Island in the later part …
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Supplying Water to Providence: Cranston’s “Slow Sand” Filtration Plant, Circa 1905
11 years ago

Supplying Water to Providence: Cranston’s “Slow Sand” Filtration Plant, Circa 1905

How did plans for a century old Providence water filtration plant end up in the collections of the Lawrence Public Library in Massachusetts? We may never know, but thanks to …
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The Larchmont Disaster Off Block Island, Rhode Island’s Titanic
11 years ago

The Larchmont Disaster Off Block Island, Rhode Island’s Titanic

The Larchmont Disaster, by Joseph and Janice Soares (Charleston, SC: History Press, 2014, $19.99)

 

It has been called the Titanic of Rhode Island, a little remembered disaster that claimed …
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Photo Detective: Visiting Providence’s Past in 3D
11 years ago

Photo Detective: Visiting Providence’s Past in 3D

Nineteenth century photo studios did more than take images of their clients. Many also took pictures of their communities.

The image in the banner for this article is but one …
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