Officially established by 1772 for “the benefit of all,” Benefit Street is arguably the most historic thoroughfare in Rhode Island. Some of Providence’s most prominent families, including the Browns (the namesake of Brown University), built stately homes on Benefit Street’s hillside, many of which still stand today. Threatened by years of neglect, the Providence Preservation Society intervened in the 1950s to save the buildings that line the street. Benefit Street has survived the dangers of demolition and now bears witness to disparate time periods and communities. It is the site of important educational and community institutions, including the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, the First Baptist Church, and the Providence Athenaeum, the fourth oldest library in the United States. Providence’s Benefit Street showcases the rich history of Rhode Island’s capital, a tangible history that can be experienced firsthand by walking one mile through the heart of the city.

Providence's Benefit Street (Images of America)

Arts & Photography

Tardif, Elyssa

Chang, Peggy

Rhode Island Historical Society

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

This new book, which is based on a typescript of a handwritten card index created from registers of Seaman's Protection Certificates for the port of Providence, Rhode Island, lists nearly 10,000 seamen. The arrangement of the data is alphabetical by the seaman's surname and indicates his date of certification, age, complexion, city and state of birth, and the source of the entry. Since seamen were unlikely to own land and often were missed at census time, genealogists will appreciate that the SPC application may be the only surviving record for many 19th-century persons who served in the merchant marine.

Register of Seamen's Protection Certificates from the Providence, Rhode Island, Customs District, 1796-1870, from the Custom House Papers in the Rhode Island Historical Society : With an Introduction by Maureen A. Taylor

History

Americas

Clearfield

<p>These volumes, published in conjunction with the Rhode Island Historical Society, represent the result of an exhaustive search for documents relating to the life and career of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. The papers--letters and documents received by Greene as well as those sent by him--are carefully edited and fully annotated. The editors reproduce many items in full but abstract papers that are of lesser significance. Greene, who served as quartermaster general of the army and later as commander of the forces fighting in the southern theater, is generally considered the ablest of Washington's generals. His papers are a vital source of information on the war itself as well as on the man.<br /> <br /></p>

Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Vol. 2: 1 January 1777-16 October 1778

Biographies & Memoirs

Conrad, Dennis Michael

Greene, Nathanael

Showman, Richard K.

Historical

Univ of North Carolina Pr

These volumes, published in conjunction with the Rhode Island Historical Society, represent the result of an exhaustive search for documents relating to the life and career of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. The papers--letters and documents received by Greene as well as those sent by him--are carefully edited and fully annotated. The editors reproduce many items in full but abstract papers that are of lesser significance. Greene, who served as quartermaster general of the army and later as commander of the forces fighting in the southern theater, is generally considered the ablest of Washington's generals. His papers are a vital source of information on the war itself as well as on the man.

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Vol. 4: 11 May 1779-31 October 1779

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Vol. 6: 1 June 1780-25 December 1780

The University of North Carolina Press

The seventh volume of the Papers of Nathanael Greene documents a crucial period of the American Revolution in the South. In the first months of 1781, Nathanael Greene, who had taken command of the Southern Army only weeks before, initiated the campaign that would ultimately free the South from British occupation. These months saw the pivotal engagement at Cowpens, the 'Race to the Dan'--in which Greene's army marched the breadth of North Carolina with the British in close pursuit--and the climactic battle of Guilford Court House. In March 1781, Greene decided to break off his pursuit of Lord Cornwallis's force in North Carolina and instead march into South Carolina to challenge British control there. This decision, among others made during this critical period, established Greene's reputation as a brilliant military strategist. The documents in this volume provide new insight into how and why Greene chose as he did.

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Vol. 7: 26 December 1780-29 March 1781

This volume continues the story of the American Revolution in the South. Many of the more than 800 documents vividly confirm Nathanael Greene's characterization of the ferocity of the war and the miseries it produced, and they highlight his efforts to end lawlessness and restore the authority of civil government. As the volume opens, Greene has broken off pursuit of a retreating Lord Cornwallis in North Carolina and enters South Carolina. Despite setbacks at Hobkirk's Hill and Ninety Six, Greene's troops regained control of most of South Carolina and Georgia within three months. Letters from Greene's subordinates trace the course of the war farther north in North Carolina and Virginia during the days leading to the climactic siege at Yorktown.

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Vol. 8: 30 March-10 July 1781

This volume continues the best and most detailed study of the Revolutionary War in the South. More than 780 documents illuminate a vital but largely overlooked phase of the war--the lengthy and turbulent period from allied victory at Yorktown until the final achievement of peace and American independence. By December of 1781, General Nathanael Greene's army had forced the British into retreating to Charleston, South Carolina. But in the lower South, in particular, the war was far from over. Greene's position as commander of the Southern Department involved him in nearly every aspect of the military, political, and economic life of the region during the last years of the war. Thus, his papers provide an overview not only of the war, but also of politics, the economy, and life in the South. In addition, the documents in this volume show Greene in a different light: the master strategist of earlier volumes has now given way to Greene as innovative military leader and politically astute general.

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Vol. 10: 3 December 1781-6 April 1782

This volume continues the best and most detailed study of the Revolutionary War in the South. The period covered here, 1 October 1782 through 21 May 1783, was a time of both triumph and travail for General Nathanael Greene. His greatest moment of triumph took place on 14 December, when the British evacuated Charleston, South Carolina. This event represented the culmination of Greene's campaign in the South, and he was hailed as a conquering hero. But the departure of the British also brought about a marked deterioration in relations between Greene and the government of South Carolina. Through a series of disputes with the state government, many of which are detailed in the 780 documents gathered here, Greene became increasingly convinced that Congress would be unable to maintain its authority in the South. While this concern proved to be unfounded, Greene did sense the states' rights impulse that would later come to define the region politically.

The Papers of General Nathanael Greene: Vol. XII: 1 October 1782 - 21 May 1783

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society V1: Containing Roger Williams' Key to the Indian Language (1827)

Kessinger Publishing

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Books by Rhode Island Historical Society