Historian Seth Rockman’s deeply researched and thoroughly engaging new book, Plantation Goods, deserves to be on the shelf of all those interested in late 18th and 19th century America. Many …
Read More
[From the editor: This article quotes at length from a chapter on child newspaper carriers from the early years of the Providence Journal. The children were required to appear early …
Read More
One of the oldest quarry districts in New England can be found in Westerly, where stone commonly known as Westerly White and Westerly Blue became the United States Bureau of …
Read More
Besides granite and trees, the early colonists found an abundance of water when they moved into the areas around Narragansett Bay. While salt water enabled colonists to ship raw materials …
Read More
Providence and the rest of Rhode Island have an amazing history of impressive manufacturing companies. Of all the hundreds from the nineteenth century, I call five of them based in …
Read More
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 …
Read More
Wrapped in a blanket, a lone radio operator sat huddled in his chair on the second floor of the Massie Wireless Telegraph station at Point Judith, Rhode Island, located in …
Read More
Of all Rhode Island’s successful entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and inventors, none achieved more fame and notoriety in their lifetimes than George H. Corliss, the man whose refinements to the steam …
Read More
Katharine (also spelled Katherine) Prescott Wormeley of Newport took an active role in public affairs throughout her life, founding the Girls Industrial School in Newport before the Civil War, and …
Read More
American history enthusiasts are generally aware of the story of Samuel Slater, and the developments that ensued following his arrival in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in January of 1790.
For readers …
Read More