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Latest Posts

The Unexpected Preservationist of Old Slater Mill: S. Willard Thayer (1869–1925)
3 years ago

The Unexpected Preservationist of Old Slater Mill: S. Willard Thayer (1869–1925)

By  •  Local Sites

Simon Willard Thayer is celebrated today as one of Rhode Island’s earliest historic preservationists, though he perhaps never intended to be. Tragically, Thayer was killed on the very day that …
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Slater Mill Now Part of a National Park
3 years ago

Slater Mill Now Part of a National Park

Did you know that Slater Mill, one of the most important historic sites in Rhode Island, was transferred in March 2021 to the U.S. National Park Service? I am embarrassed …
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Self-Determination in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
3 years ago

Self-Determination in Rhode Island and Massachusetts

A book review: The City State of Boston: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Power, 1630-1865. By Mark Peterson. Princeton University Press, 2019.

Once upon a time there was …
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A Fourth of July Salute to Congressman George O’Shaunessy
3 years ago

A Fourth of July Salute to Congressman George O’Shaunessy

Rhode Islanders have produced some of America’s greatest patriotic songs. Julia Ward Howe, who composed “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a Civil War anthem, was descended from two Rhode …
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