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From the grand majesty of the Breakers to the beautiful proportions of Rosecliff, these houses are enduring reminders of the architectural flowering of the Gilded Age.

Where the salty air mingles with the far-off laughter of women in ball gowns, the houses of the Newport Cliff Walk preside in grandeur over the crashing waves below. Walking along the paved trail, it's easy to imagine the faintest hint of a waltz coming from the windows of Beechwood, or to envision the Duchess of Windsor's carriage arriving for a visit at Fairholme. Ed Morris takes you on a tour of twenty-four historic mansions and landmarks, entertaining along the way with tales of splendor and style, social maneuvering and matchmaking.

A history of the Narragansett Tribe of RI from early European encounters to the tribe's return to sovereignty in the 20th Century.

Before Roger Williams set foot in the New World, the Narragansett farmed corn and squash, hunted beaver and deer, and harvested clams and oysters throughout what would become Rhode Island. They also obtained wealth in the form of wampum, a carved shell that was used as currency along the eastern coast. As tensions with the English rose, the Narragansett leaders fought to maintain autonomy. While the elder Sachem Canonicus lived long enough to welcome both Verrazzano and Williams, his nephew Miatonomo was executed for his attempts to preserve their way of life and circumvent English control. Historian Robert A. Geake explores the captivating story of these Native Rhode Islanders.

Take a walk down memory lane and experience the past of Aquidneck Island and her neighbors.

Over two hundred stunning photographs and detailed, informative captions offer a glimpse into the rich past of Newport, Jamestown, Portsmouth, and Middletown, as well as Prudence, Gould, Hog, and Rose Islands. In March of 1638, a group of Bostonians met with Roger Williams and decided to purchase the Island of Aquidneck. In the years that followed, the towns of Newport, Portsmouth, and Middletown were founded and soon became distinct components of a Narragansett Bay community. These islands have flourished into thriving coastal communities renowned for their beauty and character.

Treasured by locals and visitors alike, the charm of Block Island, Rhode Island, first developed as a summer resort in the late 1800s, is shown here throughout its history, from its begininning in 1637, to farming and fishing community, to summer scenes of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Block Island explores the evolution of the small, 7-by-3-mile island that lies between Point Judith, Rhode Island, and Montauk Point, New York. In 1637, Block Island, also known as "New Shoreham," was claimed by Massachusetts soldiers who took the land away from the Manisses Indians. When the island was sold to 16 proprietors in 1660, the history of Block Island as part of Rhode Island began. At any time of the year, Block Island has a special look and charm of its own. In addition to its beautiful sandy beaches and thundering surf, the island is plentiful with rolling hills, fertile valleys, and ponds. Within these pages, meet the early residents of the island and learn how this farming and fishing community first developed as a summer resort destination in the late 1800s. Summer scenes from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including views of the steamers that arrived daily carrying thousands of passengers from New York, Connecticut, and other parts of Rhode Island, are also featured in this collection.

The compact part of Bristol has a rich variety of historic buildings and, at the same time, a remarkable image of unity that is evident because of the regular and continuous alignment of structures set close to the street line. The use of wood as the principal building material, and the repetition of gable and shallow hip roof treatments; all this visual excitement brings joy to the eye of the perceptive viewer.

The citizens of the Town of Bristol, Rhode Island are justifiably proud of the town's architectural heritage. To a great measure, Bristol's pride is in its legacy of hundreds of restored Federal-era homes―classic gems generally preserved as originally built for future generations to admire.

The town of Bristol, Rhode Island, has been celebrating Independence Day in grand fashion since 1785.

Americans from near and far have long regarded the town as a center of patriotism and history. With this pictorial history, Bristol resident and ""Fourth of July Historian"" Richard V. Simpson presents a lively tribute to his town's heritage. Simpson has combined carefully selected images--many rare and previously unpublished--with informative and compelling text to take his readers on a journey through the history of this dynamic and diverse community. Readers are taken inside Hope Street's historic mansions and family-run shops, gaining valuable insight into the lifestyles of Bristolians in the early 1900s. By contrast, the growth and development of the town in the 20th century is revealed in aerial views taken over a period of 50 years.

Bristol: Montaup to Poppasquash takes readers on a unique journey through the community's past, beginning with the voyages of early Norse explorers and detailing major events that shaped the town's history, including the King Philip's War, the Revolutionary War, and a variety of other military conflicts that took local men and women away from their homes. Not only evoking memories of yesteryear, this compelling illustrated history explores the evolving personality of Bristol over the passing decades, from its days as a small fishing village and a haven for privateers to its present status as a premier boat-building center.

Brown University Athletics features some of the greatest teams and athletes in Brown history, as well as several others who have gone on to prominent careers, including Governor Don Carcieri, media mogul Ted Turner, and ESPN sports anchor Chris Berman. From football legends John Heisman, Joe Paterno, and Steve Jordan to baseball star Billy Almon, Brown athletes have enjoyed tremendous success and have won national championships in several sports.

Established in 1924 by freshman Irving Harris, the Brown University Band is one of the school's oldest student-run organizations. Its participation at sporting events, convocation and commencement makes it an integral part of campus life, providing music and spirited fun for the Brown and Providence communities.

A "scramble" band, rather than a traditional marching band, the Band provides cheeky entertainment on and off campus. Legendary antics from the world's only ice-skating band include the infamous bass drum heist by the "Foxboro Four" and notable halftime shows at hundreds of football games. While invariably adapting over the years, the band keeps school songs and spirit alive and maintains its long-standing traditions.

Author and former percussionist Sean Briody pays homage to the band's roots and vibrant history.

Building the Mosquito Fleet: The U.S. Navy's First Torpedo Boats traces the important and often dramatic history of the involvement between the U.S. Navy and the Herreshoff brothers' marine yards over a period of more than thirty years. It is a story of enterprise, naval development, and marine manufacturing during a time of experimentation and evolution. Included are dramatic stories of the men who built and tested these dangerous new vessels. This fascinating volume preserves under one cover a concise history of the torpedo boats built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. It describes design and construction innovations introduced by the Herreshoffs and traces the events that led the major navies of the world to take notice of the Herreshoffs' work.

This book chronicles the history of the HMS Gaspee, a sloop in the British Royal Navy that was sent to patrol the waters of Narragansett Bay in 1772.

The Gaspee cracked down on smugglers and enforced British customs regulation, particularly the Stamp Act. The ship and her captain, William Duddington, were quickly hated by colonists for their campaign of brutality, harassment, and arbitrary enforcement. When the Gaspee ran around in shallow waters, while in pursuit of a colonist merchant ship, they took immediate action. The colonists, led by John Brown and other local notables, burned Gaspee and wounded her captain. This act of revolt preceded the Boston Tea Party by 18 months.

This marvelous selection of photographs, which chronicles the history of Burrillville from the 1890s through the 1940s, is the first photographic history of the town and its people ever published.

Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has come to serve as a powerful and exciting tool in the preservation and documentation of American history. As time passes by, photographs from the past remind us of the way things used to be, calling to mind fond memories and amusing stories. Including images of Burrillville's mills, railroads, lakes, and schools, this fascinating new book brings to life the town's rich heritage. Burrillville, incorporated in 1806, grew and prospered as a result of several prominent mill industries. Saw and grist mills were followed by great producers of cotton and wool--together these industries profoundly affected the community's character for decades to come. Residents of such villages as Bridgeton, Pascoag, Harrisville, Glendale, Oakland, Mapleville, and Nasonville all worked in the mills, achieving renown for their skilled production of fabric for use in the military uniforms of three wars.

This photographic history tells the story of Coventry, a bucolic New England town with a fascinating history.

On August 21, 1741, the area west of what is now the town of West Warwick was incorporated into the Township of Coventry. The railroad would traverse Coventry in the mid-1800s, providing the gristmills, sawmills, and farmers with a quicker way to send their goods to market and to receive supplies in return. Along with the railroad came the industry of harvesting wood to supply the locomotives with fuel. In the mid-1900s, the railroads disappeared and the mills began moving south where cotton was grown. The majority of Coventry has evolved into a service town with banks, retail stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, and the like. To travel to the western portion of Coventry today is like stepping back in time, where life moves at a slower pace and the post office is still in the local general store. The eastern portion of Washington, Quidnick, and Anthony has remained a busy area where businesses have replaced the mills.

Never before seen photographs of the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center at Davisville document the accomplishments of those once stationed here.

The U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center at Davisville, Rhode Island, is first remembered as the original ""Home of the Atlantic Seabees."" During World War II, 100 battalions as well as dozens of other U.S. Navy ""Builder-Fighter"" units were formed, outfitted, trained, and prepared for overseas deployment. Here, in the first photographic history of the base, is the story of the men and women who came to Davisville and their legacy of superb accomplishments in the service of their country. Established on February 27, 1942, the base was designated to manufacture and ship overseas materials and equipment and to outfit and embark construction battalions and other naval units. Between 1942 and 1994, when the base was closed, the Seabees participated in every war involving the United States. The Quonset Hut and the Davisville Pontoons were both developed at the Davisville Seabee Center. The base has schooled and trained thousands of officers and tens of thousands of Seabees.

Death in early New England came early and often during those harsh first decades of settlement.

Epidemics, hunger, accidents and childbirth contributed to a heavy toll in New England. Disease in some cases erased entire families, and almost always affected the majority of individuals in the communities. For most families, death was still a private affair. Traditions brought over with European customs and others that were strictly American were eventually interwoven, and these ceremonies, tokens and portraits of remembrance became part of these rites and rituals of mourning. Other forms of remembrance were carved into stone with heart-wrung epitaphs, the cause of death and brief biographies. Burial sites themselves evolved from family plots and church graveyards to public, garden-like cemeteries.

Historian Robert A. Geake explores the development of rites and rituals of death in this New World.

Downtown Providence, Rhode Island, became an important business center in New England beginning in 1866 due to an increase in immigration, urbanization, municipal planning, public and private investments, and new technologies. The business buildings of the past, some of them gone, still coexist with the modern structures of today in the 21st century.

Louis Azar II chronicles the history of the commercial downtown with historic postcards and present-day photographs from his collection along with images from the Providence Public Library and research from the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Dutch Island and Fort Greble, a fascinating visual journey through the past, will delight and educate both the avid historian and the casual observer.

Dutch Island is an 81-acre island situated at the southern end of the West Passage to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. It served an important role in our country's military history, from its acquisition by the United States Army in 1864 until its closing by the military in 1947.

This volume is the first pictorial history illustrating the military development and facilities of Fort Greble on Dutch Island, spanning the period from the Civil War to World War II. Readers will step back in time and wander through the early earthworks and different incarnations of Fort Greble, stroll along the pristine parade ground before it was covered in briar and bramble, gaze upon the huge coastal artillery guns pointing toward the sea, and watch uniformed soldiers performing their duties on this fortified island.

Author Walter K. Schroder, author of Defenses of Narragansett Bay, has compiled an amazing collection of photographs, many from the official federal archives, that detail and examine a memorable chapter in our country's military past.

Although residents of East Providence are proud of the development their city has seen in the 20th century, there still remains an allegiance to the community's small-town heritage.

The town of East Providence was incorporated in 1862, the same year it was ""traded"" to Rhode Island by Massachusetts. Two bridges across the Seekonk River gave easy access to people to and from East Providence, helping it transform from a sleepy fishing village to a central hub of commerce and entertainment. The East Providence Historical Society pays tribute to their little town in this delightful collection of photographs from the first one hundred years of the town's existence.