USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. IV > Part 4
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The actual spot where Roger Williams decided to end his wanderings was in the immediate vicinity of a spring long used by the Indians in these parts and which was located just opposite the present site of the Cathedral of St. John on North Main Street in Providence. There can be little doubt about this location because the land that Roger Williams later se- lected for his own extended east and west at that point, and his family burial plot has been positively identified just above the spring on the hillside. Roger Williams could have landed at some other point along the shore, but it seems quite logical that the particular spring, that has long been referred to, was the one that was on or adjacent to his property.
Immediately after the decision had been made to remain in this place which he called Providence, Williams probably set
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24
PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
his companions at work building a wig- wam or some rude, temporary shelter, and it is quite natural to suppose that he lost no time in ascending the high hill to the east in order to secure a wider view of his new home. He may have made this initial survey from what is now Prospect Ter- race, where one can still gain an unbroken view for miles to the north, southwest and west, or he may have gone farther up the slope to some vantage point in the vicinity of what is now the campus of Brown University. If he did that, and tradition indicates that he did, he would have peered through the openings in the dense woods out upon the scene described in the opening chapter of this volume. The hill upon which Roger Williams stood prob- ably did not offer any particularly attrac- tive agricultural opportunities but the fertile valley to the southwest, across the river, very likely suggested easy conver- sion into corn fields and pastures. Fur- thermore, closer inspection of the river and cove shoreline must have revealed ample supplies of clams, oysters, and other forms of native shell-fish. Addi- tional encouraging prospects were offered by the sight of salmon ascending the river, and by glimpses of deer in the woods, and by unmistakable signs of wild life all about. Roger Williams and his companions undoubtedly needed no fur- ther inducements to convince them that they had chanced upon a place that offered unlimited facilities for the per- manent site of their long-hoped-for settlement. It must have occurred to all of them many times during that immortal first day that the name Providence had been a most fortunate and appropriate designation for the place.
So much for the area in its untouched, unchanged physical character. Among the first settlers with William's were William Harris, John Smith, Francis Wickes, Joshua Verin, and Thomas Angell. William Arnold, a tailor, with his son Benedict and son-in-law William Carpenter arrived soon after. Thomas Olney, Sr., Nathaniel Waterman, John Throckmorton, and Stukeley Westcott, among others, left Salem to settle in Providence and be included among the first householders. According to biog-
rapher James Ernst : "The men with their families began to build houses on parcels of land assigned to them by lots" but it is more likely that the first ones lived in wigwams or rough log shelters daubed with clay. Mrs. Williams with her chil- dren soon joined her husband. Little Mary was two years old, and Freeborn but a few months.
It did not take these pioneers long to become completely satisfied that both the natural advantages and resources of Providence were ample, and before a great amount of time had passed they began to make their first aggressions upon the wilderness surrounding the head of the Bay. And, the first step was the estab- lishment of a broad highway along the east side of the Great Salt River, a thor- oughfare that followed the curves of the shore. The settlers selected the east shore because the land there was firm and easy of access, while across the river, it was flat, marshy and scarcely habitable be- cause of the lack of fresh water. Little did our ancestors think that, some day, New England's second largest city would rest upon the same area that appeared so uninviting three centuries ago. This road or highway probably followed the course of the present North and South Main Streets, and extended from the present Fox Point as far north as Constitution Hill. Its name the "Towne Street" was descriptive of its original character and importance in the community, and it held its original designation for nearly a century and a half.
As suggested before, most of the first settlers probably lived in wigwams or thrown together shelters until this "Towne Street" was laid out. Then, with the convenience of a public-highway and the receipt of titles to the soil selected by certain individuals a straggling village of approximately fifty houses was set up on the eastern side of the street along a tract of about two miles. Naturally, the owners were the architects and the build- ers, and there was a goodly amount of cooperative construction and mutual aid while the trees were being felled in the near-by forests for the lumber, and rough, unhewn stones were dragged from the hillside for the foundations, steps and
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"THE OLD STONE BANK"
for the huge chimneys. No one will ever know just how the allotment of these land parcels was conducted but it is doubtless true that Roger Williams had first choice and therefore selected the plot that in- cluded the spring, and that his original associates in his adventure had next choice after him. The committee in charge of this land division consisted of Chad Brown, John Throckmorton and Gregory Dexter. Mr. Brown's plot was in the vicinity of College Hill, John Throckmorton's was adjacent to the Williams' land on the south; and Gregory Dexter was last in line on the north. All of the plots were at least five acres in area.
Difficult as it is, try to visualize the lay- out of early Providence by picturing a familiar area of the present city bounded on the west by North and South Main Streets and on the east by the Seekonk River. Then divide that area in half by an imaginary line running north and south. The original home lots of the first settlers, and the lots were extremely narrow, extended from the western bound- ary, or North and South Main Streets, to this imaginary north and south line. Originally, the north and south "halving line " was a road or trail which was called the "Highway" or "the highway at the head of the lots," indicating a distant and little-frequented region, but today we call it Hope Street. An old plan showing the first division of home lots indicates that
fifty-two individuals held titles to the uniformly-marked off land assignments. The present business section of downtown Providence was then called Weybosset Neck, and there was only one road in the early days on the west side of the Great Salt River. It was called Pawtuxet Road, a highway that extended to the southwest.
The houses along Towne Street were at first only a story and a half high with a huge stone chimney at one end of the structure. Most of them had but two rooms, the large living room, dining room and kitchen combination and the sleeping chamber upstairs, often reached by a ladder as space was too precious for stairs. No doubt, Roger Williams had the largest and the most pretentious homestead of his day, but that is not a known fact. Like the houses, the furniture and the equipment that went into them was largely home made. Although the average first settler was not a mechanic or a car- penter by trade, nevertheless he could fashion planks and timbers from logs, and he could make the rude tables and chests that stood upon the sanded floors. Chairs in those days were luxuries - the families that possessed them had not more than one or two and these were invariably reserved for elders of the house- holds. As a substitute for chairs the old English settle stood at the family table, by the winter fireside, or before the door in pleasant summer weather.
BOUGHT AND PAID FOR
T THE establishment of a Colony was not the only purpose in the mind of Roger Williams when he decided to accept the hospitality of friendly Indians and remain among them in the vicinity of Narragan- sett Bay. The moral and social uplift of the natives was then his concern, for, in his own words, he said, "My soul's desire was to do the natives good, and to that end to learn their language, and therefore desired not to be troubled with English company." And if Williams had been in search of complete divorce from social
contact with the Massachusetts Puritans, he might have followed in the footsteps of his neighbor and contemporary, William Blackstone, and become a recluse shun- ning all persons whether or not they agreed with him on the questions that were giving the Massachusetts and Plym- outh authorities no end of trouble. But, this ardent, exiled missionary was not destined to live a solitary life in the pleasant place he called "Providence." He found greater responsibilities, heavier duties than the mere spreading of Chris-
26
PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
tian doctrine among the Indians whom he had long ago determined to elevate morally and socially.
The companionship of many others was forced upon Roger Williams soon after that eventful day in 1636 when he decided to accept a cordial invitation and remain in peace and concord near the headwaters of Narragansett Bay. His tiny settlement grew rapidly with the influx of others who were also under the displeasure of the neighboring Puritan government. News spread rapidly in the vicinity of Boston about this "shelter for persons distressed of conscience," this community where complete religious toleration might be secured. The liberals, the freethinkers and the idealists all came flocking to the side of Roger Williams in such numbers that he was forced to change his original pur- pose and become the founder of an offi- cially established settlement.
Although political responsibilities pre- vented the founder of Providence from devoting his entire time to social service work among the Indians, his pleasant relations with the natives were of the greatest value to him, when he came to purchase lands and sites for his settlement. His kindness, patience and gentle bearing toward those who little understood the ways and intentions of the white strangers had won the esteem and confidence of the Indians; therefore, it was a simple matter for him to negotiate with them in a busi- nesslike manner when the founder sought title to lands which rightfully belonged to those first residing there. And, it must be remembered, that this friendship thus early acquired and mutually maintained, was an important influence later when the wrath of natives was turned upon the Colonist and it doubtless saved all of the New England settlements from complete extermination.
From the Narragansett sachems, Ca- nonicus and Miantonomi, Roger Williams obtained his first deed of the lands in the vicinity of Providence. Evidently the lands were conveyed to the new owner first by verbal agreement, as the original document appears to be in the form of a "memorandum " that confirms a previous transaction. The exact wording of this precious record dated March 24, 1637,
and titled "Deed from Cannannicus (Canonicus) and Miantonomi to Roger Williams," may be transcribed as follows: "At. Nanhiggansick, the 24th of the first month, commonly called March, in ye second year of our plantation or planting at Mooshausick, or Providence-Memo- randum, that we Cannannicus and Miantonomi, the two chief sachems of Nanhiggansick, having two years since sold unto Roger Williams, ye lands and meadows upon the two fresh rivers called Mooshausick and Wanasquetucket, doe now by these presents, establish and con- firme ye bounds of those lands, from ye river and fields at Pawtuckqut, ye great hill at Notquonckanet, on ye northwest, ' and the town of Maushapogue on ye west. As also, in consideration of the many kindnesses and services which he hath continually done for us, both with our friends at Massachusetts, as also at Quinickicutt and Apaum, or Plymouth, we doe freely give unto him all that land from those rivers reaching to Pawtuxet River; as also the grass and meadows upon ye said Pawtuxet River. In wit- ness whereof we have hereunto set our hands."
This deed was signed first by the sachem Canonicus who penned his mark that resembles a crude sketch of an Indian canoe, and beneath that appears a rough design of an arrow, the mark of Mian- tonomi. The former's signature was witnessed by Setash, an Indian whose mark appears to be a circle, and Mian- tonomi's signature was affixed in the presence of Assotemewit, whose official signature resembles an automobile crank more than anything else. At the bottom of the document appears a second memo- randum that may be read as follows: "3. month, 9. day. This was all again confirmed by Miantonomi, he acknowl- edged this, his act and hand up the streams of Pawtucket and Pawtuxet without limits we might have for our use of cattle, Witness, whereof ... Roger Williams - benedict Arnold." Since the execution of this remarkable document many questions have arisen in regard to the correct interpretation of the wording used; at one time it was claimed that a part of the instrument was forged by one
afy fest month
it Moochan sich or Providence
aunounical es Miantuna.
inte Schim of Man Siegan fick 2
2 yearEs firee foto into pilar williams to down upon the 2 trist noen Moothause en Wanesquatickeut vor
How by the projects Establish as confirme. & Sounds of Those l'anis from vivir és" fists
of Pantu kaut
griat hill of Data
YLOREF. - hanet
4 Honest, at the to lome 1. 4. (west 2
let our - sands
2 presence of
Y
() Totoush
Niar tur no inc.
sof Axotamsoit
fr arknow how
Courtesy, Recorder of Deeds, Providence City Hall
ORIGINAL DEED OF PROVIDENCE LANDS TO ROGER WILLIAMS, SIGNED WITH THE MARKS OF CANONICUS AND MIANTONOMI. THIS HISTORIC DOCUMENT MAY BE VIEWED BY THE PUBLIC IN THE OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF DEEDS, PROVIDENCE CITY HALL.
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PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
of Williams' associates who sought per- sonal gain; and historians have often attempted to alter dates and to decipher meanings from the wording other than those which have become well-established in the records of early Rhode Island his- tory. The spelling of the several proper names that appear in the deed have changed noticeably with the passing of the years, but there should be no doubt in anyone's mind regarding the original purpose of the worn and mutilated docu- ment that is now safely preserved in the Providence City Hall.
There is no record of the amount that Williams paid the Indians for these lands, but it is generally understood that he gave his native friends many presents, and that he was forced to mortgage his property in Salem in order that he might procure more presents and thus retain their confidence and friendship. And, right here it may be observed that Williams was not actuated in this and other transactions by any selfish motives. The Providence lands were legally sold and transferred to him and they were his to make use of or dispose of in any manner that he might choose. He might have secured a grant or patent of all the lands in the Colony, controlled the government,
sold real estate to the settlers and thereby amassed a fortune for himself and family. This he did not do. Having had his own disastrous experience with an aristocratic government, and having endured the persecutions of civil and ecclesiastical dic- tation, he resolved to establish a Colony where liberty of conscience would be freely offered to all men. Inspired with a lofty conception of this principle of soul liberty, and true to his convictions of truth and duty, Roger Williams was determined to found a settlement where the civil power should have no authority in spiritual matters, and every man could be free to think for himself.
For this privilege the world had been waiting for centuries. Regardless of claims by other Colonial founders and by champions of other great leaders in thought and action, Roger Williams was the first one in the history of the world to embody the full privileges of personal liberty in the government of his Colony, the colony that later became the State of Rhode Island. Shortly after receiving the deed from the Narragansett sachems, Williams reconveyed these lands to the several persons who united their fortunes with him in laying the foundations of the new Colony.
" THESE PLANTATIONS "
S IUBJECT matter in this volume is not limited to the lives of certain out- standing individuals and to points closely related to political development. After all, history should be written as a narra- tive of human experience and the intimate details of social development are as important as the chronological arrange- ment of events and discussions of their relation to each other. Because most history teaching requires study of lengthy spans of time to be completed within a comparatively brief period, students gen- erally fail to absorb the vital details of man's history and, as a result, acquire nothing more than a sketchy review of high spots, punctuated with a few dates
and a hazy assortment of biographical facts.
Therefore, as this narrative develops it will contain from time to time word pictures of life and times in "These Plantations" in the hope that many will thereby gain a clearer knowledge of so- cial conditions while they are organizing in their minds the proper sequence of political episodes. And to that end, let us once again look in upon Roger Williams and his few associates who settled three hundred years ago on the shores near the Great Salt River as they called the head of Narragansett Bay in the imme- diate vicinity of what is now the cen- ter of Providence. The houses and the
"THE OLD STONE BANK"
29
Burial Ground 1700
HIGHWAY TO
A Map
ROAD
SWAN POINT
& Mashassuck
COMMON ROAD TO PAWTUCKET
Roger Mowry"
showing the Early Settlement.of PROVIDENCE 1636~1700
River
in the locality then known as THE NECK
Fort
. Turpin Tavern
Thes. Olneydr.
LANE
. Olney Tavern Town Stocks
OLNEY'S
CAT SWAMP
lannery
Gregory Dexter
The Falls & John Smith's Grist Mill
. Whipple Tavern
THE SPRING WHERE THE SETTLERS LANDED 1636
Roger Williams
Wm. Harris
HIGHWAY AT THE
THE TOWNE
Thomas Olney Sr.
THE
Thomas Angell
HOME LOTS
Nat'l Waterman
A
· Town House 1647-50
. Chad Brown
First Bridge 16605
· Field Garrison house
. Thomas Harris
Slate Rock
· Wm. Wickenden
.
Nicholas Power
e
· Joshua Winsor · Pardon Tillinghast
· Arthur Fenner
REHOBOTH
. Chris. Unthank
COWPEN PT.
FOXES HILL
WATCHEMOKET
POINT
0 500 1000
2000
Fox
Scale of feet
J.H.C 1941
HEAD OF THE LOTS
WEYBOSSET PT
STREET
PEQUOT PATH
Great
First Wharf 1679
Salt Rivelli
LE
layout of the original community were described in detail in a previous episode, but there are other facts about these pioneers and the home of their adoption that should interest us. For example, the first drinking water came from the spring located near the landing place of Williams, and perhaps from other springs in the vicinity. Following this primitive com- munity practice of fetching water for household use from natural springs, a few wells were dug, not within the enclosures of private property, but on the Towne
Street, and the water supply from these wells was free to all. At first, one of these public wells supplied several houses in a neighborhood group, later, there was a long row of wells, one in front of every second or third house. Street traffic was no problem in those days, so these ob- stacles were the cause of no complaint. One hundred years passed before it was necessary to secure permission to dig a well, or to set up a pump to replace the original well curb. At this point it might be well to refer to a few of the families
THE FERRY
HIGHWAY T
Core
WENSCOT
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PROVIDENCE INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS
that knew these conditions concerning which we are interested in making obser- vations. And these references will indicate street name origins, and at the same time localize certain points of historic interest.
The Towne Street followed the course of present North and South Main Streets from Fox Point to Constitution Hill, and at the Fox Point end were the dwellings of the Tillinghast, Wickenden and Power families. The name Power was given to one of the very first streets, and at the beginning of the last century the name Wickenden was commemorated in a like manner by the successors to the original Wickenden estate. A Tillinghast memo- rial monument stands on the Barker Playhouse land, at lower Benefit Street, on the original site of the Tillinghast family burial ground. To the south of the main office of the Providence Institution for Savings were the home-lots of the Fields, prosperous farmers and for a long period among the chief landholders of the town. The northernmost Field estate on the Towne Street was the site of the Garrison House or block house during the Indian wars. This was one of the largest structures of the first century of Provi- dence history and served as a strong fortification for the townsmen - they fortified themselves in this wooden strong- hold located on or very near the present site of the "Old Stone Bank" and success- fully prevented the Indians from burning the town forty years after the founding of Providence. College Hill marks the site of the Chad Brown homestead; Thomas Street, just to the north of the First Baptist Meeting House, was the original home site of the Angell family. Just north of the Angell house was the dwelling place of Thomas Olney, successor to Roger Williams. John Throckmorton and Joshua Verin were next-door neighbors to Williams, whose home-lot extended east and west parallel with all the other lots, and, of course, most everyone knows that the Williams lot was in the immediate vicinity of St. John's Cathedral on North Main Street. A few paces to the north of the ancient St. John's churchyard lived Richard Scot, one of the first Quaker converts and a bitter enemy of Roger Williams, in spite of the fact that the two
were neighbors. On the same Scot estate lived William and Mary Dyer, the latter journeying from there back to Boston where she was hanged for Quakerism. Near present Olney Street lived Gregory Dexter who contributed his full share to the controversies of the day. A little farther on was Shadrach Manton, the town clerk, who recorded for preserva- tion much of the town's early historical documents.
Each home-lot had its dwelling place with a narrow lawn before the house, fronting on Towne Street. As soon as the settlers began to accumulate herds of cattle, barns were set up a little to the east of the row of houses. The eastern slope of the hill, approaching the High- way, which was nothing more than an eastern boundary line of the home-lots that extended as far as the present line of Hope Street, furnished the pasture lands, with brooks, meadows and well-watered fields. That particular area can be local- ized by such present street names as Prospect, Brown, Thayer, and Brook. Most of the original home-lots had orchards half-way up the western slope of the hill, and closer to the dwelling places were the family burial plots. In the very near neighborhood of present Benefit Street the resting places of the founders and their children were ranged in long suc- cession. There, from one end of the com- munity to the other lay the earlier gen- erations of Dexters, Williamses, Olneys, Watermans, Angells, Browns, Crawfords, Powers, Tillinghasts and other illustrious patriarchs of three centuries back. The remains of the founder and Mrs. Williams were interred in the family plot just east of Benefit Street near Bowen Street at the rear of the beautiful Dorr mansion. In 1860, the remains of Roger Williams were taken up and placed in the Stephen Randall tomb in the North Burial Ground for safekeeping and they remained there until a few years ago when they were transferred to the receiving vault of the same historic cemetery. These remains are now safely deposited in a bronze box which has been removed to the special crypt provided for the purpose in the Roger Williams Memorial on Prospect Terrace in Providence.
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"THE OLD STONE BANK"
Now for a moment let us consider the breadwinning activities of these and other families who were the first to come and remain. At first the settlers were well- armed, but as their fowling pieces (bell- muzzled guns) wore out, they could not be repaired as there was a scarcity of mechanical skill, and new fire-arms could not be purchased because there was a scarcity of capital. Therefore, it became necessary to hunt with bows and arrows and the children were taught the use of these primitive weapons. Fishing was carried on in a simple way by individuals for home use, and there was no real development of that activity as an in- dustry, whereas fishing laid the founda- tions of the wealth of Boston. The principal activity was agriculture, which seems to have been the first step wherever men have gone into the wilderness, there to create for themselves homes, sus- tenance and civilized order. The first settlers of Providence were practically all engaged in farming and in the raising of cattle and their efforts were crowned with early success in spite of their lack of tools, implements and capital.
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