USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > History of Providence County, Rhode Island, Volume I > Part 49
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Before dismissing this general review of the city in the past we wish to present a picture of Providence, in regard to its material and industrial condition especially, as afforded by statements made about the year 1846. A writer at that time said: "The great changes wrought have been effected within the last twenty years. About that time past our population was 15,000; now it is not far from 40,000. Then about $20,000 was raised by taxes; this year the sum will be $125,000; then our bank capital was about one million and a half, now it is nearly eight millions; then $3,000 were expended for the public instruction of 800 children; during the last year, according to the mayor's address, the average number taught in our public schools was 5,227, at an expense to the city of $23,288. Land which was then seldom bought in less quantity than acres now brings handsome prices when divided into small house lots. And if the same progress in population, business and wealth shall be made for the coming twenty years, those who are now purchasing. at evening auctions, building lots in . Potter's Woods,' instead of being laughed
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
at for their folly, will be found to have made investments not less re- munerative than those of the sagacious gentlemen who were inter- ested in the celebrated 'Field Purchase.' "
At that time, 1846, there were established in the city manufactures of cotton and woolen cloths, dyeing and bleaching and print works, wood screws, stoves, steam engines, railroad iron, wire, edge tools, bolts, rubber shoes, lacings, lumber, soap and candles, engraving, butt hinges, brass ware, weavers' reeds, cotton and woolen machin- ery, and jewelry. These various manufactures employed upwards of five thousand hands. Sixty-five steam engines were employed in furnishing power for the work. During that year 518 buildings were erected in the city, 333 of which were dwelling houses. Among the important importations during that year were: 25,996,650 feet of lumber, 725,782 bushels of corn, 92,786 barrels of flour, 61,766 bales of cotton, 70.384 tons of coal, 1,700 tons of bar iron, 14.000 tons of pig iron and blooms, 130 tons of cast and German steel, 95,067 bush- els of oats and 5,379 bushels of rye.
Returning now to a review of the city at the present time, we may say that during the past quarter of a century Providence has under- gone many important changes in its material aspects. And in no other particular is this more emphatically true than with reference to its street arrangements and buildings. Old, low-browed, dingy struc- tures that once lined its principal thoroughfares, have to a large ex- tent disappeared and in their places may be seen substantial build- ings of brick, stone and iron, that bear evidence of the increasing wealth and prosperity of the city, and in most instances to its more cultured and refined architectural tastes. The city has now some 1,300 streets, well paved, and for the most part lighted at night. They are generally narrow, and extremely irregular in course, and short in length. This condition accounts for the great number of them, which will probably exceed that of any other city in the United States. The chief streets in the center of the city radiate from Market square. The principal business streets are Westmins- ter, Weybosset, High, Broad, North Main, South Main and Dorrance. On the east side, Benefit, Hope, Cooke, Waterman, Angell and other streets contain many fine private residences. On the west side Elm- wood, Broadway, and parts of Cranston, High and Washington streets also present many attractive residences. The streets of Providence aggregate in length a distance of some six hundred miles. Several fine bridges span the river, one of which, and the oldest, called Great bridge or Weybosset bridge is handsomely paved and of great width. The first frail bridge on this site was thrown across the river in 1660, repaired by Roger Williams in 1668, and afterward swept away by a freshet about 1719. A second bridge was built, but this was destroyed by a freshet and gale in 1761. A third, which was eighteen feet wide, was erected by a grant of £1,000 from the
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general assembly, and the avails of a lottery for the draw. The fine bridges south of Weybosset-Crawford Street bridge and Point Street bridge-are of late construction. The latter was opened in October, 1872. It is a fine iron structure, with a steam draw, spanning the river about half a mile below Weybosset bridge. It is 548 feet long, and its construction cost $150,000. Washington bridge crosses See- konk river at India point, and is supposed to have derived its name from a wooden statue of Washington that adorned a bridge occu- pying this site, which was built by John Brown in 1793. The bridge and statue were carried away by a freshet in 1807. It was replaced by another having a draw 38 feet wide. The present structure was built mostly in 1886, and was opened for travel February 12th, 1887. Central bridge, more familiarly known as Red bridge, crosses the Seekonk about three-fourths of a mile above the last mentioned. It is an iron bridge, 390 feet in length, and the present structure was erected in 1872, superseding a plain wooden one which was also painted red, and had stood for many years. Besides these there are some thirty-four other public bridges in the city. The first bridge over the Moshassuck was erected in 1662, near the dwelling house of Thomas Olney, Jr., under Stampers' hill. It was near the present Mill Street bridge. The Muddy Brook bridge connected the Wey- bosset peninsula with the main land. It was near the present cros- sing of Weybosset and Dorrance streets. Many of the streets have curious Indian names, and others have names that suggest the kindly and hospitable sentiments of the early inhabitants, being given in respect to many desirable virtues. A noticeable feature of the streets is their cleanliness. Under the direction of an efficient and vigilant official superintendence the principal thoroughfares are swept and washed, and nearly all the streets are kept in good order.
The city is claimed to be, and doubtless is, one of the very health- iest as well as one of the most beautiful cities in the Union. Instead of lying on a dead level plain, it rises in gentle acclivities in every direction; is pleasingly diversified by hill and valley; is finely divided by the river on which it was originally settled. and has near its center a water area, known as the Cove Basin, into which the tide regularly ebbs and flows, it being the real
head of the western arm of Narragansett bay. The move- ment of the water by tidal action carries away the accumulations which might otherwise become noisome and unhealthy. The eleva- tions of the surface reach the height of 78 feet on the west side and 204 feet on the east side. It is in truth a naturally well drained city, but within recent years a complete system of sewerage has been adopted and constructed at great expense, and an abundant supply of very pure, soft water has been obtained and introduced, at con- siderable cost, from Pawtuxet river.
In 1840, half a century ago, the expenses of the city were annually
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
as follows: For public schools, in addition to the amount received from the state, $13,000; support of poor, in addition to income from Dexter donation fund, $5,500; interest on the city debt, $12,500; fire depart- ment, $4,500; for highways, including surveys and paving, $12,000; for the city watch, $5,500; for lighting streets, $2,500; for salaries, $4,365; for police, public buildings, pumps, etc., $2,000; for contingen- cies and miscellaneous, $4,000; total expenses for the year, $65,865. The city debt then amounted to $232,379.92, which bore interest, part at 5 and part at 6 per cent. The population then was 23,172. The expenses of the city government for similar items for the year ending September, 1888, were: for public schools, $262,895.22; support of the poor, $12,479.49; interest on the city debt, $479,803.82; fire de- partment, $146,917.89; highways, including sidewalks and curbing, $226,689.97; police department, $236,690.79; lamp department, $142,- 177.81; for salaries, $68,485.86; for public buildings, including city hall and asylums, $83,411.13; for contingencies, $53,141.06; total expenses for the year, $2.544,846.75. The city debt, September 30th, 1888, was $10,005,417.40; of which $8,974,688.22 was secured by bonds and the balance was floating.
The Brook Street district is a section of the city bounded by Trav- erse street on the west, Wickenden and Bower streets on the north, Seekonk river on the east, and India street on the south, which was taken by the city, under an act of the general assembly passed at its January session, 1873, for the purposes of grading and draining it and other portions of the city. This section was a rough elevation, occupied by unsightly tenements, and stood in the way of the desired improvement and drainage of surrounding property. At the Janu- ary session of the general assembly in 1882, an act was passed author- izing the city to sell and convey any of the land so taken under the previous act. Since the passage of this act a large portion of the buildings and land has been disposed of, the ground having been handsomely graded and sewered. The amount paid for land and buildings was $969,898.21; of which there has been returned in sales and rents $427,350.72. The cost of grading was about $130,000. The net expense of the district to the city, excepting interest on loans, up to September 30th, 1888, was $857,412.48. The neat public square known as Tockwotten Park is in this district. It commands a fine view down the bay.
The amount required for public charity in this city is very small for the size of the city. During the year 1888 the entire expenditures of the overseer of the poor were $12,526.04. The number of poor persons helped by the department each year since 1882 was: 1882. 1,903; 1883, 2,104; 1884, 2,813; 1885, 2,290; 1886, 2,175; 1887, 2,369; 1888, 2,107. A wood yard, in which men are given temporary labor to enable them to earn the means of helping themselves for the time being, is maintained. Since its establishment in 1878 it has received
1
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
lodgers during each year as follows: 1878, 1,266; 1879, 1,143; 1880, 634; 1881, 603; 1882, 1,135; 1883, 1,205; 1884. 1,498; 1885, 1,352; 1886, 1.886; 1887, 1,464; 1888, 1,710.
Various efforts have been made, beginning with the very early years of the settlement, to preserve a complete and accurate record of vital statistics. The year following the settlement by Roger Wil- liams, that is in 1637, the town records were commenced. The first and second volumes of these records contain the records of town meetings, deeds of land, marriages, births and deaths, and other transactions and events, extending from the date mentioned to the year 1731, the arrangement, however, being much confused as to chronological order. From these volumes we learn that the first birth thus officially recorded was that of Stephen, the son of Gregory Dexter and Abigail, his wife, the said Stephen having been born the " first day of the 9th M., 1647." On the next page follow the names of the children of Roger Williams and Mary, his wife, as follows: Mary, born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first week in August, 1633; second, Freeborn, born in Salem, " The latter end of October, 1635:" third. Providence, the first white child ever born in the town which has ever since borne the name, was born in " the latter end of the month September, 1638;" fourth, Mercy, born in Providence, "about the 15th of July, 1640;" the fifth, Daniel, was born "about the 15th of February, 1641-2;" and sixth, Joseph, was born "about the beginning of the 10th month, December, 1643."
The first record of a death to be found in these old volumes is as follows: " Nicholas Power, inhabitant of this town, deceased this life the 25th of August, 1657." "The custom of recording "Intentions of Marriage " is by no means a recent invention. Records of this kind begin as early as October 27th, 1660. The social guardians at that early period wisely determined that marriage obligations should not be hastily assumed. To make the matter more sure these "In- tentions" were required to be twice recorded. The first record of this kind, the date of which has already been given, is as follows: 4. John Steere hath this day declared his intention of Marriage with Hannah Wickenden." A few years later came the custom of not only recording but publishing marriage intentions, by posting the an- nouncement in a public place in the town. The publication require- ment was continued until a comparatively recent date. The first record of a marriage thus officially preserved is as follows: "Stephen Seebere & Deborah Angell were according to the laudable custom & law of the Colony married by me this fourteenth of November, Anno, 1668. John Greene, Assistant in Providence." Up to the year 1731 there are recorded 395 births, 90 marriages and 31 deaths. But these numbers are doubtless far below the actual facts. Efforts were fre- quently made to secure more perfect compliance with the laws in
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regard to returns of vital statistics, but for many years those efforts were a partial failure.
The first volume exclusively devoted to births, marriages and deaths, was begun in 1713 and it lasted until 1765, with meanwhile a considerable degree of irregularity. It contains, however, the records of 794 births, 705 marriages and 35 deaths. The second volume ex- tends from 1765 to 1825, and contains the records of 1,466 births, 318 marriages and 283 deaths. The third volume reached from 1825 to 1843, and contains the record of 321 births, 779 marriages and 43 deaths. Volume four, extending from 1843 to 1849, contains 80 births, 1,432 marriages, and only four deaths. Volume five, extend- ing from March, 1849, to June, 1850, ended that series of records, and after that a new system was inaugurated, in which the various records were kept in different books.
After the creation of the office of city registrar, which began July 1st, 1855, it was found that various churches in the city had records of marriages and a few births and deaths, which had never been placed upon the city records. These various records were obtained by Doctor Snow, then city registrar, and were copied in the fifth volunie. The records thus gathered contained the names of 1,196 children born, 8,159 persons married, and 1,255 deaths. The act establishing the office of city registrar was passed at the May ses- sion of the assembly, 1855. It went into operation on the first day of July, of that year. The first incumbent of the office was Edwin M. Snow, M.D., whose efficient conduct of the office secured his con- tinuance in it for a long term of years. The books beginning soon after the opening of the office up to the present time show about eighty thousand births, sixty-seven thousand persons married, and seventy-three thousand deaths.
During the year 1888 there were 3,131 births in the city, which was an increase of 168 over the number for the previous year. The population of Providence at this time was estimated in official reports at 123,000. The number of births was about equally divided between the sexes. Statistics during thirty-three years show that of the total number of children born, 37,271 were males and 35,23] were females. The number of colored children born here in 18SS was 124. The colored population of the city is about 4.000. Of the births in 1888, 1,243 were of American parentage and 1,273 were of foreign parentage, of which the predominating nationality was Irish, there being 547 of Irish parentage, 288 of English, Scotch and Welsh, 121 of British American, and the balance distributed among the Italian, German, Swedish, Portugese and other nation- alities. The average number of children to each mother during thirty-four years has been about three and two-thirds. During that period-1856 to 1888-there were 860 cases of plurality births in the city, of which 850 were of twins, nine were of triplets, and one
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was a case of quadruplets-four boys. In the latter case, a very unusual one, the father was an American and the mother British American.
The number of marriages in Providence during the year 1888 was 1,349, being an increase of 13 over the number for the previous year. Of these 640 were cases in which both parties were natives of the United States, and the remainder of mixed or foreign nativity. These marriages were conducted in ceremony by clergymen or officials as follows: Roman Catholic, 539; Baptist, 179; Free Baptist, 48; Metho- dist, 153; Episcopalian, 165; Congregational, 103; Unitarian, 26; Uni- versalist, 31; Presbyterian, 15; United Presbyterian, 14; Evangelical Advent, 7; Advent Christian, 2; Christian, 34; Hebrew, 11; Latter Day Saints, 2; New Jerusalem. 2; Free Religions, 1; Disciples of Christ, 2; Church of Jesus Christ, 2; denominations not specified, 9; judge of the supreme court, 4. Of the persons married 1,563 were natives of the United States and 1,135 were born in foreign countries. During the year 1888 there were 2,608 deaths in the city of Provi- dence, being four less than in the previous year. During the thirty- three years then completed the average annual rate of mortality was one death to 50.86 of the population, or 19.66 deaths in each 1,000. Of all the causes of these deaths consumption was the most frequent, nearly fourteen per cent. of the deaths in 1888 being from that cause alone. The number of deaths from some of the most frequent causes during the year was as follows: Cholera infantum, 127; consumption, 359; diphtheria, 98; typhoid fever, 103; diseases of the heart, 203; pneumonia, 208.
During the year 1888 there were erected in the city 372 dwelling houses, at an aggregate cost of $1,214,100; 17 manufactories and workshops, at a cost of $357,825; 18 office and business buildings, costing $286,800; 3 public municipal buildings, costing $40,000; 4 public assembly buildings, at a cost of $12,100; two school houses, costing $52,000; 8 stores, at a cost of $1,975; 13 store-houses, at a cost of $16,275, and 13 other buildings, at a cost of $44,705, making a grand total of 450 new buildings, valued at $2,025,780; to which may be added additions and alterations of other buildings, the total number of which was 167, and the cost $130,770, making a total value of $2,156,550 as the year's work in building up the city.
The lighting of the public streets of the city is accomplished by 2,590 gas lamps, 1,010 naptha lamps, 608 gasoline lamps and 236 elec- tric lamps. In charge of these lights the city employs 67 men; pays for gas $60,549.30; for electric lights, $40,746.84, and for all expenses of lights a total annual sum of $144,016.98.
CHAPTER XIV.
PROVIDENCE CITY-PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WATER WORKS.
The Old State House .- Providence County Court House .- The City Hall .- The Old Market House .- The Custom House .- The Old State Prison .- The Old Arsenal .- Public Water Works .- Sockanosset Reservoir .- Pettaconset Pumping Station .- Hope Reservoir and Pumping Station .- The High Service .- Fruit Hill Reservoir .- The Sewerage System.
I N its public buildings Providence can boast of the finest in the state, as well as some of honorable antiquity. One of the most interesting buildings in the city, from a historical point of view, is the old state house, which was also for many years used as a court house. It occupies the former site of the old colony house, which was burned in 1758, the site being a very pleasant one, on a slope upward to the east from North Main street, and extending to Benefit street. The erection of this building was begun in 1759 and completed in 1762. It is a plain, two-story building of painted brick walls, and its sober architecture tells us of the sober and practical times in which it was built. Its walls look substantial, and are trimmed with stone facings. Its size on the ground is about 40 by 70 feet. The old colony house, which preceded it on the site, was built in 1731. The present building was more generally known as the court house, origi- nally from the fact that the colony legislature was called the general court, and latterly from the fact that it was used as a place for hold- ing courts of law. This use of it continued until the year 1877, when the new court house was ready for occupancy. The erection of the old state house cost £51,556, Os., 11d., " old tenor." Notable scenes have occurred within its walls. The house is indeed redolent with revolutionary memories, and these are suggested by the cannon, one on either side of the walk as you approach the main entrance. From its balcony the declaration of independence was read, and seven years later the proclamation of peace, while to both these documents the shouts of an enthusiastic populace assembled in front answered loud and long. In this house President Washington was officially received in August, 1790, and it was on the steps of the front en- trance that Lafayette, amid the throngs of spectators who cheered him as he passed up the walk between two lines of white-robed, flower-wreathed young ladies, met his old comrade in arms, Colonel Stephen Olney, and embraced him in such sympathetic greeting as
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to move the hearts of all spectators of the scene. While the short May session of the assembly is held at Newport, the long session of January is held here. In 1881 the interior was remodelled and hand- somely fitted up. The first floor contains the hall of representatives, the second the senate chamber, office of the secretary of state, the state library and governor's room. Among the interesting relics of the past that may be seen here are a collection of battle-flags, 24 State flags, 35 guidons and two revolutionary standards, represent- ing all the military organizations of the state exceptirg the 9th and 10th Infantry Regiments. Portraits in oil adorn the walls of the rooms, among which are those of ex-governors and other notables, and in the secretary of state's room may be seen a celebrated full- length portrait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Here are also pre- served the "Gaspee " commission, the state charter of 1663, under which the commonwealth was governed until 1842, and the deed of the state house lot.
The Providence County court house, one of the most elegant buildings, in architectural proportions, design and finish, to be found in New England, is located at the corner of College and Benefit streets. It occupies what was formerly known as the old town house lot, a site which has been used in part for public purposes for nearly a century. The land was condemned and taken for public use as a site for a court house by act of the general assembly passed March 9th, 1875. On the following day Messrs. Amasa S. Westcott, Edwin Darling and Thomas P. Shepard were elected commissioners to build a new court house on the site, and instructed to report plans and estimates at the same session. This being done they were, on the 30th of the same month, authorized to proceed and empowered to build the court house substantially according to the plans submitted.
Ground for the building was broken July 30th, 1875. The corner stone was laid amid imposing ceremonies, conducted by the Grand Lodge of Masons, May 15th, 1876, an oration on the occasion being delivered by Hon. John H. Stiness. The building having been com- pleted, was appropriately dedicated December 18th, 1877. At the dedicatory exercises a large audience was present, embracing the members of the general assembly, the bar, and other gentlemen prominent in public and private business life. At the close of an ad- dress by Hon. Amasa S. Westcott, chairman of the building commis- sion, he delivered the keys to Governor Van Zandt, who, after re- sponsive remarks, handed them to Christopher Holden, Esq., sheriff of the county, who received them with appropriate remarks; a dedi- catory prayer was offered by Right Reverend Thomas M. Clark, bishop of the diocese of Rhode Island; and Hon. Thomas Durfee, chief justice of the supreme court, pronounced an oration. This was followed by an address from Hon. Abraham Payne, a collation and post-prandial remarks by Governor Van Zandt, Hon. George A.
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Brayton, ex-chief justice, Hon. Zachariah Allen, Bishop Clark, Sena- tors Henry B. Anthony and A. E. Burnside, James C. Collins, Esq., Nicholas Van Slyck, Esq., and General George Lewis Cooke.
The edifice is large and lofty, of a somewhat irregular but unique and impressive style of architecture, of the modern Gothic order. Several kinds of stone and brick, such as Quincy granite, Connecti- cut brown stone, Danvers face brick, dressed brown stone, polished granite, etc., have been used with very fine effect in its exterior walls and trimmings, and from the front, on Benefit street, rises a majestic tower, from the upper windows of which an extensive view is ob- tained of the city and its surroundings, and of the harbor and bay. The edifice is exceedingly well constructed for all the purposes for which it was designed, and great attention has been paid to warming, light and ventilation. A first-class clock, said to be one of the finest in the country, has been placed in the tower, at a cost of $1,800, and electric time dials are found in all the important rooms of the build- ing. The clock tower is 200 feet high. About the building much carving is noticeable, particularly upon the corbel of the oriel win- dow on College street, facing Market Square, and around the capitals of the polished granite columns at the porches. The interior of the building is handsomely fitted up, and comprises rooms for the com- mon pleas and supreme courts, offices of the judges, clerks of the courts and other county officers, waiting rooms and other apartments. On the second floor is a law library, ceiled throughout, and capable of accommodating 50,000 volumes. The cost of the building, includ- ing furniture, was $253,253.70. To this add the cost of the land, and the entire expense is swelled to about $400,000.
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