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Colonial

The Narragansett Pacer: Where and How It Evolved, Flourished, and Died Out
9 years ago

The Narragansett Pacer: Where and How It Evolved, Flourished, and Died Out

One of the founding breeds of the Standardbred, the Narragansett Pacer has been extinct since the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Yet the Pacer was ubiquitous in colonial North …
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Unfortunate Ends: Gleanings from the Death Notices of Early Rhode Island Newspapers
10 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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“Money I have none:” Colonial Rhode Island’s Tradition of Negotiating Their Taxes and the Coming of the American Revolution
10 years ago

“Money I have none:” Colonial Rhode Island’s Tradition of Negotiating Their Taxes and the Coming of the American Revolution

In one of his oft-repeated observations, Benjamin Franklin remarked “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”[1] But Franklin would have exempted colonial Rhode …
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A Colonial Newport Tunnel Perfect for Smuggling?
10 years ago

A Colonial Newport Tunnel Perfect for Smuggling?

In 1881 and 1905, two respected Rhode Island history authors made the claim that in colonial times, Godfrey Malbone, a wealthy Newport merchant, had constructed a tunnel from the coastline …
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