Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
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Prior to 19th century
- 1635 – Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635
- 1636 – Providence founded by Roger Williams.
- 1638 – Baptist congregation formed.
- 1700 – North Burial Ground established[1]
- 1711 – First burial at North Burial Ground[1]
- 1753 – Providence Library Company organized.
- 1762
- State House built.
- William Goddard sets up printing press; Providence Gazette newspaper begins publication.[2]
- 1764 – College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations established.
- 1768 – Brick Schoolhouse built on Meeting Street.
- 1770 – Brown College relocated to Providence.[3]
- 1775 – Market House and First Baptist Meetinghouse built.
- 1776 – 1777: Colonial and French troops use University Hall as a barracks and hospital during the American Revolutionary War[4]
- 1785 – Beneficent Congregational Society established.[5]
- 1789
- 1790
- 1791
- Providence Bank founded on South Main Street. Later known as Providence National Bank, Providence Union Bank and Trust Company, Industrial National Bank, and FleetBoston Financial.
- 1793
- The first covered drawbridge is built over the Seekonk River where the Washington Bridge currently stands, followed the same year by the Central Bridge further north.[10]
- 1795 – Theatre opens.[11]
- 1798 – Providence Marine Society established.[12]
19th century
- 1801 – Providence Marine Corps of Artillery founded.[13]
- 1802 – Providence Phoenix newspaper begins publication.[14]
- 1814
- Union Bank of Providence founded.[15]
- 1815
- September 23: The Great Gale of 1815 causes extensive damage and flooding.[16]
- 1816
- October 13: The First Congregational Church (Unitarian) dedicated; now known as First Unitarian Church.[17]
- 1818 – Rhode Island Peace Society[18] and Merchants Bank established.[19]
- 1819
- 1820
- January 3: The Manufacturers' & Farmers' Journal, Providence & Pawtucket Advertiser, precursor to The Providence Journal, begins publication[20]
- 1822 – Rhode Island Historical Society founded.
- 1823 – Providence Franklin Society incorporated.[21]
- 1824 – Race riot in Hard Scrabble.
- 1828
- Dexter Asylum built.[22]
- Westminster Arcade built.
- High Street Bank established.
- Herald newspaper begins publication.[14]
- 1829
- The Providence Journal newspaper begins publishing daily.[20]
- 1831
- Boston and Providence Railroad begins operating.
- Race riot in Snow Town.
- Gorham Silver and Franklin Lyceum established.
- 1832
- City incorporated.[23] City government meets at Market House[24]
- Samuel W. Bridgham elected first mayor.
- 1835 – Train station and first India Point Railroad Bridge built.
- 1836
- Providence Athenaeum formed.
- City hosts Rhode-Island Anti-Slavery convention.[25]
- 1838 – Providence Association for the Benefit of Colored Children organized.[26] and Narragansett Boat Club organized.[21]
- 1839 – Providence Marine Corps of Artillery armory built.
- 1841 – 1842: Dorr Rebellion
- 1843 – Classical High School established.
- 1844
- Butler Hospital for the Insane founded[27]
- Corliss, Nightingale & Co. in business.[28]
- 1845
- The City Council votes to prepare plans for a new City Hall[24]
- Grace Church built.
- Laureldale Chemical Works established.[29]
- 1846
- Swan Point Cemetery established.
- Scholfield's Commercial College, a business college located downtown, established.[30]
- 1847
- Providence and Worcester Railroad begins operating
- Union Railroad Depot built
- Providence Tool Company[31] established.
- 1848 – Providence Medical Association instituted.[26]
- 1850 – Providence Reform School opens.[26]
- 1852
- Central Congregational Church established.[32]
- Locust Grove Cemetery incorporated.[33]
- 1853 – Providence Young Men's Christian Union[26] and J.R. Brown & Sharpe established.[34]
- 1854 – Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad begins operating.
- 1855
- James Y. Smith becomes mayor.
- Providence Aid Society organized.[26]
- U.S. Customshouse built.
- 1860 - Population: 50,666.[9]
- 1863
- Bryant and Stratton National Business College, now Bryant University, opens a campus in Providence[35]
- 1865 – Population: 54,595.
- 1866
- Providence receives state approval to tap the Pawtuxet River as a source of drinking water[36]
- 1867
- Prospect Terrace Park created.
- Young Women's Christian Association organized.[21]
- 1868
- Rhode Island Hospital dedicated.[37]
- Women's City Missionary Society organized.[38]
- 1869 – Morning Star newspaper begins publication.[14]
- "1870's" – A sewer system is constructed which discharges city waste into the harbor.[39]
- 1871
- Roger Williams Park donated to the people of Providence by Betsy Williams
- Thanksgiving Day: Providence municipal water service begins, pumping water from the Pawtuxet River[36]
- Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument dedicated.[40]
- 1872
- Roger Williams Park Zoo founded.
- First Universalist Church built.
- First Point Street Bridge built.
- 1874
- 1876 – Rhode Island Women's Club established.[21]
- 1877
- Rhode Island School of Design and museum established.
- Providence County Court House dedicated.[42]
- Grammar school built on Candace Street.[43]
- 1878
- Providence Grays baseball team formed; Messer Street Grounds baseball stadium built
- Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul completed
- City Hall opens, November 14.[41]
- Providence Public Library opens.[44][45]
- Homeopathic Hospital founded.[46]
- 1880 – Providence Art Club incorporated.[47]
- 1883
- 1884
- Providence Lying-In Hospital founded.
- Providence Camera Club organized.[21]
- October: The Providence Grays win baseball's 1884 World Series championship game
- 1885
- Fleur-de-lys Studios built
- Providence Grays baseball team disbanded
- The Providence Journal begins publishing seven days per week.[20]
- 1886
- June 9: Thomas A. Doyle, Providence's longest-serving mayor (18 years), dies in office.[49]
- June 14: Providence businesses shut down as Mayor Doyle's funeral procession marches through the city.[50]
- 1888
- City Hall is powered by electric lighting for the first time[24]
- 1891
- Providence Athletic Association incorporated.[51]
- The Outlet Company established.
- Providence News begins publication.[14]
- 1892
- First electric streetcar begins operation on January 20.[52]
- 1894 – Providence Engineering Society founded.[6]
- 1896 – Providence Water Color Club organized.[47]
- 1897 – Emma Goldman arrested for "open-air speaking" at Market Square.
- 1898 – Union Station rebuilt.
20th century
- 1900 – Population: 175,597.
- 1901 – Providence's first sewage treatment plant begins "chemical precipitation" treatment of city waste, one of the first such plants in the US.[39]
- 1904 – Rhode Island State House built.
- 1905 – Handicraft Club organized.[47]
- 1906 – Evening Tribune newspaper begins publication.[53]
- 1907 – Annmary Brown Memorial museum dedicated.[47]
- 1908 – Federal Building constructed.
- 1913
- Turk's Head Building constructed
- 1914
- Johnson & Wales School of Business is formed, later becomes known as Johnson & Wales University[54]
- 1926
- Miriam Hospital opens.
- 1928
- Construction finishes on the Industrial Trust Building (aka "Superman Building").
- February: Providence author H. P. Lovecraft publishes his most famous story The Call of Cthulhu in Weird Tales magazine
- Vedanta Society of Providence founded.[55]
- 1930
- 25 September: Current Washington Bridge south span opens
- 1932
- Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council headquartered in city.[56]
- 1935
- Bryant College of Business Administration, now known as Bryant University, moves from downtown to the East Side[35]
- 1937
- March 15: Author H.P. Lovecraft dies, aged 47
- 1938 – September: Hurricane.
- 1945 – The Providence Journal wins its first Pulitzer Prize[20]
- 1949 – WJAR-TV begins broadcasting.
- 1950 – Veterans Memorial Auditorium opens.
- 1953 – The Providence Journal wins its second Pulitzer Prize[20]
- 1954 – Hurricane Carol.
- 1955 – WPRO-TV begins broadcasting.
- 1956 – Providence Preservation Society organized.
- 1957 – Dexter Asylum demolished.[22]
- 1962 – Brown Broadcasting Service established.
- 1966 – Fox Point Hurricane Barrier built.
- 1968 – Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns headquartered in Providence.[57]
- 1969 – Current Henderson Bridge opens
- 1971
- Bryant College vacates Providence for Smithfield[35]
- 1972 – Providence Zen Center founded.[58]
- 1975 – Buddy Cianci becomes mayor.
- 1976
- November: Masjid Al-Karim, Islamic Center of Rhode Island, established.[55]
- 1978 – City Archives established.[59]
- 1980
- Voters approve an $87 million bond issue to improve municipal sewage treatment plant[39]
- The Narragansett Bay Commission is formed[39]
- 1984
- First Night Providence begins
- Mayor Buddy Cianci forced to resign after pleading "no contest" to an assault charge
- 1986
- Providence Business News begins publication.
- Providence Station opens.
- 1990 – Governor Henry Lippitt House museum opens (approximate date).[60]
- 1991
- Buddy Cianci returns to the mayor's office
- 1994
- Waterplace Park constructed.
- WaterFire begins.
- Gun court established in the Providence Superior Court.[61]
- 1996
- The Providence Journal goes public and subsequently is purchased by the Dallas-based A.H. Belo Company[20]
- 1997
- City website online (approximate date).[62]
- Providence Children's Museum opens.
- 1999
- Providence Urban Debate League founded.
- Providence Place Mall opens.
21st century
- 2001
- April: Sitting mayor Buddy Cianci is indicted on federal criminal charges of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering, and mail fraud
- 2002
- Soviet submarine K-77 museum opens
- September: Mayor Buddy Cianci is sentenced to serve five years in federal prison
- 2003 – David Cicilline becomes mayor.
- 2006 – Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology opens at Brown University.
- 2007
- April 18: Soviet submarine K-77 sinks after a storm.[63]
- May: Former mayor Cianci released from prison[64]
- November: New Iway bridge opens for eastbound traffic
- 2008
- Historic Westminster Arcade closes for renovations[65]
- 2009
- 2010
- Population: 178,042.
- March: A series of rainstorms causes severe flood damage. President Obama declares a state of emergency for the region.[67]
- 2011
- January: Angel Taveras becomes mayor.
- August 28: Hurricane Irene downs 300-400 trees and leaves 12,700 without power.[68]
- October: Occupy protest begins.
- November: Open Providence Commission for Transparency and Accountability established.[69]
- 2012
- October 29: Hurricane Sandy hits Providence. The Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is credited with saving the city from major damage.[70]
- 2013
- Historic Westminster Arcade re-opens after renovation[65]
- Historic Mayoral portraits in City Hall cleaned and restored[71]
- April: The landmark Industrial Trust Building, aka "Superman Building," loses its sole tenant, and goes dark.[72]
- 2014
- October 17: The Phoenix publishes its last print issue[73]
- 2015
- January 5: Jorge Elorza sworn in as mayor
- January: Kennedy Plaza re-opens after major renovation[74]
- September 20: George Redman Linear Park, a bicycle and pedestrian path on the Washington Bridge, is dedicated.[75]
- 2016
- January 28: Former mayor Buddy Cianci dies
- February 6-7: Former mayor Cianci lies in state at City Hall[76]
- February 8: Cianci's funeral procession marches through the city, stopping for a funeral mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and ending at St. Ann’s Cemetery in Cranston for burial.[76]
See also
- History of Providence, Rhode Island
- List of mayors of Providence, Rhode Island
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island
- Construction projects in Providence
- Timeline of Newport, Rhode Island
- Timeline of Rhode Island[77]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Brewster 1830.
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- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Conforti 1976.
- ↑ Willard 1891.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Greene 1886, p. 73.
- ↑ Greene 1886, p. 148.
- ↑ Sampson 1919.
- ↑ Merchants National Bank 1918.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Sampson 1889.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Brown Daily Herald 2009.
- ↑ Charter 1845.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Greene 1886, p. 174.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Sampson 1899.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Greene 1886.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 55.0 55.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 76.0 76.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Bibliography
- Published in the 19th century
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. part 2
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- Published in the 20th century
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (describes Providence)
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- Published in the 21st century
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External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Providence, Rhode Island. |
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- Works related to Providence, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).
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- Map of Providence, 1904
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