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A Rhode Islander Visits the U.S. Capitol, 1970 to 2020
4 years ago

A Rhode Islander Visits the U.S. Capitol, 1970 to 2020

In light of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, I thought it might be somewhat of a mildly amusing diversion to tell a few stories of my …
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The Crime Castle: Murder and Mayhem in New England
4 years ago

The Crime Castle: Murder and Mayhem in New England

On May 2, 1935, the Boston Traveler published an article comparing the career of two professionals: the first, Rhode Island-born James Howard McGrath, represented moral certitude and industry, a model …
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Why Newport Scorned the French in 1780
4 years ago

Why Newport Scorned the French in 1780

One would expect that a country that had been at war for five years would welcome its first ally with open arms. We might have mental images of civic officials …
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Camp Hill, Hardscrabble, and Addison’s Hollow in Early Providence
4 years ago

Camp Hill, Hardscrabble, and Addison’s Hollow in Early Providence

Despite its familiarity to students of Rhode Island history as the site of one of this country’s early nineteenth century race riots, occurring the night of October 17-18, 1824, the …
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Wildlife on the Queen River
4 years ago

Wildlife on the Queen River

Five years ago, my wife Margaret and I purchased a home on Queen River in West Kingston, north of historic Usquepaugh and its Kenyon’s Grist Mill. In that time, I …
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Amazing Military Museum Beckons at the World War II Foundation’s Headquarters in Wakefield
4 years ago

Amazing Military Museum Beckons at the World War II Foundation’s Headquarters in Wakefield

[From the editor:  This article first appeared on December 5, 2020. It has been updated by (i) deleting the article’s last paragraph and adding two new paragraphs, including about a …
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Editors at Providence Journal Discriminated Against Irish-Americans
4 years ago

Editors at Providence Journal Discriminated Against Irish-Americans

In late 1841 a large group of Rhode Island reformers led by patrician attorney Thomas Wilson Dorr bypassed the reactionary existing government by invoking the revolutionary principles of 1776. …
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Gray’s Grist Mill, Honorary Rhode Island Location
4 years ago

Gray’s Grist Mill, Honorary Rhode Island Location

As you know, the Online Review of Rhode Island History (aka smallstatebighistory.com) focuses on Rhode Island history. We don’t like going over a state line — particularly now during a …
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The Search for the Site of the Great Swamp Massacre
4 years ago

The Search for the Site of the Great Swamp Massacre

Although the death rate of King Philip’s War, which raged in New England from 1675 to 1676, was higher among Americans than either the American Revolution, Civil War, or World …
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The Newport & Wickford Railroad and Steamship Co., 1870-1963
4 years ago

The Newport & Wickford Railroad and Steamship Co., 1870-1963

Before 1830, travelers from Boston to New York rode by stagecoach down the old Post Road, or sailed around stormy Cape Cod, down along the unpredictable waters of Point Judith …
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