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About Russell DeSimone

Russell J. DeSimone is an independent scholar. He is the compiler of Broadsides of the Dorr Rebellion (1992), and author of The Dorr Rebellion Chronicled in Ballads and Poetry (1993), A Survey of Nineteenth Century Rhode Island Billheads (2002), Rhode Island Election Tickets: a Survey (2007), Rhode Island’s Rebellion (2009) and Remarkable Women of Rhode Island (2014). As a native Rhode Islander he has been a lifelong student of its history having written numerous articles about it. Now retired from both the defense industry and as an adjunct professor at the University of Rhode Island library where he curated numerous exhibitions drawn mainly from his collecting interest including “A Survey of 19th Century Rhode Island Billheads”, “Rhode Island Lotteries – Three Centuries of History”, “Voting and the Spirit of Democracy”, “Picturesque Rhode Island” and in 2005 “Thomas Wilson Dorr – A Bicentennial Birthday Tribute”. DeSimone currently is the co-historian-in-residence for the Dorr Rebellion Project Site http://library.providence.edu/dps/projects/dorr/index.html sponsored by Providence College.
Latest Posts | By Russell DeSimone
Benoni Sweet: a 19th Century Rhode Island Daredevil Worth Remembering
10 months ago

Benoni Sweet: a 19th Century Rhode Island Daredevil Worth Remembering

In the 19th century Rhode Island was the home of two daredevils who achieved fame for their bold acts of daring. The first was Sam Patch who became nationally known …
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Sam Patch: a 19th Century Rhode Island Daredevil Worth Remembering
10 months ago

Sam Patch: a 19th Century Rhode Island Daredevil Worth Remembering

 “Some things can be done as well as others” … Sam Patch

In the 19th century Rhode Island was the home of two daredevils who achieved fame for their bold …
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Rhode Island’s Surviving Town Animal Pounds—Relics of the Past
1 year ago

Rhode Island’s Surviving Town Animal Pounds—Relics of the Past

When traveling through rural Rhode Island one cannot help but notice the numerous stone walls, many of them inexplicably running through wooded areas with no signs of habitation. The stones …
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A Bicycle Paradise: Peter Laudati, Vincent Madonna and the Providence Cycledrome, 1925-1934
2 years ago

A Bicycle Paradise: Peter Laudati, Vincent Madonna and the Providence Cycledrome, 1925-1934

Further back than any reader of today can recollect, Providence was once home to one of the nation’s more important sporting venues. Before the Dunk or the Rhode Island Auditorium …
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Rhode Island’s 19th Century Experiments with Prohibition
3 years ago

Rhode Island’s 19th Century Experiments with Prohibition

The 19th century was known for its social reform movements. The abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage movements are certain to top any list. But at the time temperance reform …
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The Theaters of Providence Part 2 – The Modern Era
3 years ago

The Theaters of Providence Part 2 – The Modern Era

Pleasure the means, the end virtue.[1]

Once upon a time, and in living memory, at least for some of us, there were a number of movie houses in the downtown …
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The Theaters of Providence, Part 1 – The Early Years
3 years ago

The Theaters of Providence, Part 1 – The Early Years

Pleasure the means, the end virtue.[1]

The theater in Providence has a long and rich history. Fledging attempts to establish a theatre in Providence go back to the late eighteenth …
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The Canonization of Thomas Wilson Dorr
3 years ago

The Canonization of Thomas Wilson Dorr

In 1912 a third edition of Jacob Frieze’s book, A Concise History of Efforts to Obtain an Extension of Suffrage in Rhode Island; from 1811 to 1842, was reprinted by …
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The Constitutional Party in Rhode Island, 1834 -1837
4 years ago

The Constitutional Party in Rhode Island, 1834 -1837

Rhode Island has frequently had third parties appear in its statewide elections. Almost always these parties had a single purpose, whether Anti-Masonic, Liberty (opposed to the expansion of slavery), American/Know-Nothing …
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Election Fraud in Rhode Island: Bribery, Intimidation, Ballot-Stuffing, and Other Disreputable Practices
4 years ago

Election Fraud in Rhode Island: Bribery, Intimidation, Ballot-Stuffing, and Other Disreputable Practices

With every election year there is talk of election fraud.[1] The 2020 elections are no different except that this year’s elections will be held in the midst of the COVID-19 …
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