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An Elephant is Murdered in Chepachet in 1826
5 years ago

An Elephant is Murdered in Chepachet in 1826

[Author’s note:  By the 1820s, circuses were becoming a popular form of mass entertainment. Traveling from small town to small town, they attracted increasingly large crowds.  The first elephants from …
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Richard Morris Hunt, Charles F. McKim, and Stanford White: Architects for Newport’s Elite and of the Rhode Island State Capitol
5 years ago

Richard Morris Hunt, Charles F. McKim, and Stanford White: Architects for Newport’s Elite and of the Rhode Island State Capitol

[Editor’s Note: Fittingly, the following biographical entries for these three outstanding architects appear consecutively in Dr. Patrick T. Conley’s The Leaders of Rhode Island’s Golden Age (History Press, 2019). The …
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Did the “Birdman of Loudon, New Hampshire” visit Rhode Island?
5 years ago

Did the “Birdman of Loudon, New Hampshire” visit Rhode Island?

Researching stenciled decorations found on walls of historic American homes must be similar to investigating the cold cases tackled by today’s television detectives. In both such investigations, there are many …
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Recent Books by smallstatebighistory Authors
5 years ago

Recent Books by smallstatebighistory Authors

Recently, there has been a spate of Rhode Island history books published by smallstatebighistory.com authors. These are in addition to Untold Stories of World War II Rhode Island (History Press, …
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“Careless Chinese, These Empire Street Denizens!” A Look at the Struggles of Providence’s Chinatown
5 years ago

“Careless Chinese, These Empire Street Denizens!” A Look at the Struggles of Providence’s Chinatown

Rhode Island has an extensive immigrant history. Evelyn Savidge Sterne’s Ballots and Bibles: Ethnic Politics and the Catholic Church in Providence is a comprehensive story about the discrimination Irish, French …
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Ida Lewis: The Legendary Lady Light Keeper of Lime Rock
5 years ago

Ida Lewis: The Legendary Lady Light Keeper of Lime Rock

By  •  Women

The lighthouse for centuries has been a comforting beacon in the night. Today, these gentle sentinels are automated with sophisticated electronic illumination often powered by solar energy. They require only …
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More Interesting and Amusing Street Names in Rhode Island
5 years ago

More Interesting and Amusing Street Names in Rhode Island

In last week’s article, I listed e my top ten most interesting and amusing street names in Rhode Island. This article includes a list of [14] honorable mention most interesting …
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Top Ten Interesting and Amusing Street Names in Rhode Island
5 years ago

Top Ten Interesting and Amusing Street Names in Rhode Island

Here are my top ten most interesting and amusing street names in Rhode Island. The names of the persons who provided me with the idea for the name and related …
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How Smallpox Trail in Richmond Got Its Name
5 years ago

How Smallpox Trail in Richmond Got Its Name

While Carolyn Richard was a member of the Richmond Town Council, she was approached by a resident who complained about the name of the street where she lived—Smallpox Trail. Carolyn …
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A Town-by-Town Review of the Hurricane of 1938 in Rhode Island
5 years ago

A Town-by-Town Review of the Hurricane of 1938 in Rhode Island

[Note from the Editor: The following is a town-by-town review of the impact of the destructive Hurricane of 1938. It was written by writers hired by the Federal government in …
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