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Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island

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Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

Contents

Prior to 19th century

  • 1635 – Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635
  • 1636 – Providence founded by Roger Williams.
  • 1638 – Baptist congregation formed.
  • 1675 — Narragansetts "harass" white settlers as part of King Philip's War
  • 1676 — March 29: Narragansett warriors led by Canonchet burn about fifty houses, including Roger Williams' house, as part of King Philip's War
  • 1683 — Roger Williams dies
  • 1700 – North Burial Ground established
  • 1711 – First burial at North Burial Ground
  • 1753 – Providence Library Company organized.
  • 1762
  • State House built.
  • William Goddard sets up printing press; Providence Gazette newspaper begins publication.
  • 1764 – College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations established in Warren.
  • 1768 – Brick Schoolhouse built on Meeting Street.
  • 1770 – College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations relocated to Providence.
  • 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
  • 1784 — January: Flooding on the Moshassuck River caused the greatest damage seen since the burning of the town during King Philip's War
  • 1785 – Beneficent Congregational Society established.
  • 1789
  • Providence Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers and Providence Society for Abolishing the Slave-Trade established.
  • 1790
  • U.S. Custom House established.
  • Population: 6,380.
  • 1791
  • October: Providence Bank on South Main Street incorporated; 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 farther north.
  • 1794 – Serril Dodge opens his first jewelry store on North Main Street, thus beginning Providence's jewelry industry
  • 1795 – Theatre opens.
  • 1798 – Providence Marine Society established.

    • 19th century

  • 1800 — Population: 7,614.
  • 1801
  • January 21 — The first "Great Fire" destroys 37 buildings and leaves many families homeless
  • Providence Marine Corps of Artillery founded.
  • 1802 – Providence Phoenix newspaper begins publication.
  • 1805 — Providence streets receive official names for the first time
  • 1810 — Population: 10,071.
  • 1814
  • Union Bank of Providence founded.
  • 1815
  • September 23: The Great Gale of 1815 causes extensive damage and flooding.
  • 1816
  • October 13: The First Congregational Church (Unitarian) dedicated, now known as First Unitarian Church.
  • 1818 – Rhode Island Peace Society and Merchants Bank established.
  • 1819
  • New England Yearly Meeting Boarding School opens.
  • 1820
  • January 3: The Manufacturers' & Farmers' Journal, Providence & Pawtucket Advertiser begins publication, precursor to The Providence Journal.
  • 1822 – Rhode Island Historical Society founded.
  • 1823
  • April — The first ordinance passed requiring snow removal from sidewalks within 24 hours after falling
  • Providence Franklin Society incorporated.
  • 1824
  • The first city directory issued
  • Race riot in Hard Scrabble
  • August 23 — Lafayette visited Providence for the first time since the Revolutionary War to great acclaim
  • 1825
  • May — the second "Great Fire" began at the corner of Union and Westminster Streets
  • 1828
  • Dexter Asylum built.
  • Westminster Arcade built.
  • High Street Bank established.
  • Herald newspaper begins publication.
  • 1829
  • The Providence Journal newspaper begins publishing daily.
  • 1831
  • Boston and Providence Railroad begins operating.
  • Race riot in Snow Town.
  • Gorham Silver and Franklin Lyceum established.
  • 1832
  • City incorporated. City government meets at Market House
  • Samuel W. Bridgham elected first mayor.
  • 1833 — David Brown opens a shop on South Main Street that later becomes Brown & Sharpe
  • 1835 – Train station and first India Point Railroad Bridge built.
  • 1836
  • Providence Athenaeum formed.
  • City hosts Rhode Island Anti-Slavery convention.
  • 1838
  • Providence Association for the Benefit of Colored Children organized.
  • Narragansett Boat Club organized.
  • 1839 – Providence Marine Corps of Artillery armory built.
  • 1841 – 1842: Dorr Rebellion
  • 1843 – Classical High School established.
  • 1844
  • Butler Hospital for the Insane founded
  • Corliss, Nightingale & Co. in business.
  • 1845
  • The City Council votes to prepare plans for a new City Hall
  • Grace Church built.
  • Laureldale Chemical Works established.
  • 1846
  • Swan Point Cemetery established.
  • Scholfield's Commercial College, a business college located downtown, established.
  • A. T. Cross Company established.
  • 1847
  • Providence and Worcester Railroad begins operating
  • Union Railroad Depot built
  • Providence Tool Company established.
  • 1848
  • Providence Medical Association instituted.
  • B.B. and R. Knight, which later becomes Fruit of the Loom, established
  • 1850 – Providence Reform School opens.
  • 1852
  • Central Congregational Church established.
  • Locust Grove Cemetery incorporated.
  • 1853
  • Providence Young Men's Christian Union established
  • Joseph Brown teams with Lucian Sharpe to form Brown & Sharpe
  • 1854 – Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad begins operating.
  • 1855
  • James Y. Smith becomes mayor.
  • Providence Aid Society organized.
  • U.S. Customshouse built.
  • 1860 - Population: 50,666.
  • 1863
  • Bryant and Stratton National Business College (now Bryant University) opens a campus in Providence
  • 1865 – Population: 54,595.
  • 1866
  • Providence receives state approval to tap the Pawtuxet River as a source of drinking water
  • 1867
  • Prospect Terrace Park created.
  • Young Women's Christian Association organized.
  • Babcock & Wilcox founded.
  • 1868
  • Rhode Island Hospital dedicated.
  • Women's City Missionary Society organized.
  • 1869 – Morning Star newspaper begins publication.
  • "1870's" – A sewer system is constructed which discharges city waste into the harbor.
  • 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
  • Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument dedicated.
  • 1872
  • Roger Williams Park Zoo founded.
  • First Universalist Church built.
  • First Point Street Bridge built.
  • Construction begins on the Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company Complex along the Woonasquatucket River
  • 1874
  • Cornerstone of City Hall is laid on June 24.
  • 1876 – Rhode Island Women's Club established.
  • 1877
  • Rhode Island School of Design and museum established.
  • Providence County Court House dedicated.
  • Grammar school built on Candace Street.
  • 1878
  • Providence Grays baseball team formed; Messer Street Grounds baseball stadium built
  • Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul completed
  • City Hall opens on November 14.
  • Providence Public Library opens.
  • Homeopathic Hospital founded.
  • 1880 – Providence Art Club incorporated.
  • 1883
  • Providence Press Club formed.
  • Providence Literary Association organized.
  • 1884
  • Providence Lying-In Hospital founded.
  • Providence Camera Club organized.
  • 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.
  • 1886
  • June 9: Thomas A. Doyle dies in office, Providence's longest-serving mayor (18 years).
  • June 14: Providence businesses shut down as Mayor Doyle's funeral procession marches through the city.
  • 1888
  • City Hall is powered by electric lighting for the first time
  • 1890
  • Providence's jewelry industry includes more than 200 firms with almost 7,000 workers
  • 1891
  • Providence Athletic Association incorporated.
  • The Outlet Company established.
  • Providence News begins publication.
  • 1892
  • First electric streetcar begins operation on January 20.
  • 1894 – Providence Engineering Society founded.
  • 1896 – Providence Water Color Club organized.
  • 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.
  • 1904 – Rhode Island State House built.
  • 1905 – Handicraft Club organized.
  • 1906 – Evening Tribune newspaper begins publication.
  • 1907 – Annmary Brown Memorial museum dedicated.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 1930
  • 25 September: Current Washington Bridge south span opens
  • 1932
  • Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council headquartered in city.
  • 1935
  • Bryant College of Business Administration, now known as Bryant University, moves from downtown to the East Side
  • 1937
  • March 15: Author H.P. Lovecraft dies, aged 47
  • 1938 – September: Hurricane.
  • 1945 – The Providence Journal wins its first Pulitzer Prize
  • 1949 – WJAR-TV begins broadcasting.
  • 1950 – Veterans Memorial Auditorium opens.
  • 1953 – The Providence Journal wins its second Pulitzer Prize
  • 1954 – Hurricane Carol strikes the area.
  • 1955 – WPRO-TV begins broadcasting.
  • 1956 – Providence Preservation Society organized.
  • 1957 – Dexter Asylum demolished.
  • 1961 — July: Construction on Fox Point Hurricane Barrier begun
  • 1962 – Brown Broadcasting Service established.
  • 1964 — Once-grand Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company abandons its sprawling location along the Woonasquatucket River for a modern plant in North Kingstown.
  • 1966 – January: Fox Point Hurricane Barrier completed
  • 1968 – Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns headquartered in Providence.
  • 1969 – Current Henderson Bridge opens
  • 1971
  • Bryant College vacates Providence for Smithfield
  • 1972 – Providence Zen Center founded.
  • 1975 – Buddy Cianci becomes mayor.
  • 1976
  • November: Masjid Al-Karim, Islamic Center of Rhode Island, established.
  • 1978
  • February: The Great Blizzard paralyzes Providence with 56 inches of snow. Governor J. Joseph Garrahy comforts the city and state by wearing a flannel shirt.
  • City Archives established.
  • The city's jewelry industry peaks, with 32,500 workers, then begins a decline.
  • 1980
  • Voters approve an $87 million bond issue to improve municipal sewage treatment plant
  • The Narragansett Bay Commission is formed
  • 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).
  • 1991
  • Buddy Cianci returns to the mayor's office
  • 1994
  • Waterplace Park constructed.
  • WaterFire begins.
  • Gun court established in the Providence Superior Court.
  • 1996
  • The Providence Journal goes public and subsequently is purchased by the Dallas-based A.H. Belo Company
  • 1997
  • City website online (approximate date).
  • 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.
  • 2005 – January: The North American blizzard of 2005 drops 17 inches of snow on downtown Providence
  • 2006 – Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology opens at Brown University.
  • 2007
  • April 18: Soviet submarine K-77 sinks after a storm.
  • May: Former mayor Cianci released from prison
  • November: New Iway bridge opens for eastbound traffic
  • 2008
  • Historic Westminster Arcade closes for renovations
  • 2009
  • October: Final section of Iway bridge opens for westbound traffic.
  • 2010
  • Population: 178,042.
  • March: A series of rainstorms causes severe flood damage. President Obama declares a state of emergency for the region.
  • 2011
  • January: Angel Taveras becomes mayor.
  • August 28: Hurricane Irene downs 300-400 trees and leaves 12,700 without power.
  • October: Occupy protest begins.
  • November: Open Providence Commission for Transparency and Accountability established.
  • 2012
  • October 29: Hurricane Sandy hits Providence. The Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is credited with saving the city from major damage.
  • 2013
  • February: Winter Storm Nemo drops 27 inches of snow; Hurricane-force winds topple trees, and many people lose power
  • Historic Westminster Arcade re-opens after renovation
  • Historic Mayoral portraits in City Hall cleaned and restored
  • April: The landmark Industrial Trust Building, aka "Superman Building," loses its sole tenant, and goes dark.
  • 2014
  • October 17: The Phoenix publishes its last print issue
  • 2015
  • January 5: Jorge Elorza sworn in as mayor
  • January: Kennedy Plaza re-opens after major renovation
  • September 20: George Redman Linear Park, a bicycle and pedestrian path on the Washington Bridge, is dedicated.
  • 2016
  • January 28: Former mayor Buddy Cianci dies
  • February 6–7: Former mayor Cianci lies in state at City Hall
  • 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.
  • September 11: Mayor Elorza and the president of the firefighter's union come to an agreement after a 13-month contract dispute.

    • References

    Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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