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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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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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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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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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On May 27, 1791, Thomas Mount, a white man born in New Jersey, was hanged in the small village of Little Rest, now called Kingston, in South Kingstown. What makes …
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[From the Editor:  The author of this terrific piece has been a great source of assistance for many historians and researchers at the Rhode Island State Archives for decades.  Ken …
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Firstly, I must confess that math is not my biggest strength. As a student at Coventry High School in the early 2000s, I sat through countless hours of algebra and …
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One of the significant stories of World War II emanating from the United States is the sinking of the German U-Boat 853 in Rhode Island waters on May 5, 1945, …
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Two of Rhode Island’s greatest companies in its history are Brown & Sharpe and the Gorham Manufacturing Company.  Each company showed remarkable innovation, produced incredible products, employed thousands of Rhode …
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Rhode Island history books keep flying off the presses!  This is not surprising, given the tremendously impressive and diverse history of Rhode Island.  It may be the smallest state, but …
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