PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 19, 2009) -- Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis invites the public to learn more about the Rhode Island of yesteryear by visiting a free exhibit of turn-of-the-century photographs at the State Archives in downtown Providence.
“Rhode Island Revisited: The Collections of Howard W. Preston, 1859 - 1936” includes an array of early photographs, postcard views and historical publications depicting Rhode Island during early part of the 20th-century.
“As a historian, bookseller and the first director of the State Bureau of Public Information, Preston had an appetite for preserving images of places of historical significance throughout the state,” said Mollis. “The display depicts an era of Rhode Island that has long disappeared, including views of many old homes and town landmarks.”
Among the items on display are a circa 1880 view of Newport’s Thames Street retail district, photos of Artic Center in West Warwick and street scenes of Wickford Village in North Kingstown from the 1920s.
“I hope exposure to history like this will inspire Rhode Islanders and remind them of the unique treasures the State Archives has to offer,” said Mollis.
Other items include a 1910 photo of the view of Stone Bridge from Fort Barton in Tiverton, the Bristol Ferry leaving Portsmouth in 1925 and a couple in a horse and buggy at the Rhode Island Red Memorial in Little Compton in 1925.
The exhibit is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through June 30 at the State Archives located at 337 Westminster St., in downtown Providence. Free parking is available at the In-Town Parking lot adjacent to the facility.
In addition to hosting special exhibits, the State Archives is also home to thousands of historic documents such as the handwritten, 225-year-old law freeing children of Rhode Island slaves born after March 1, 1784; the 1920 “Act Extending the Right to Vote to Women Citizens” and Roger Williams’ handwritten copy of the original 1638 deed recording the purchase of Providence.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information on the "Rhode Island Revisited" exhibit at the State Archives, call (401) 222–2353 or visit www.sec.state.ri.us.
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