Writings
A Rhode Island Woman Goes from Rags to Riches Eliza Jumel (nee, Elizabeth Bowen) was born in Providence on April 2, 1775 the daughter of Phebe Kelly and John…
America’s Bill of Rights December 15 is the anniversary of our Bill of Rights. On that date in 1791 Virginia's ratification of Articles I…
Rhode Islanders and Christmas By Dr. Patrick T, Conley In the 4th Century, Western Civilization operated under the calendar promulgated by Julius Casesar (the…
The First Secretary of The Navy to Compose an Opera, Eight Symphonies, A Violin Concerto, and Numerous Marches By Ken Dooley J. William Middendorf has worn many hats, including Secretary of the Navy, United States Ambassador to the…
The Establishment of West Warwick By Dr. Patrick T. Conley On March 14, 1913, West Warwick became Rhode Island's thirty-ninth and final town when the…
Dr. Marcus Wheatland: First African American Physician to Practice in Newport By Dr. Patrick T. Conley When Dr. Wheatland died in 1934 at the age of sixty-six, his obituary in the…
George T. Downing and the Battle for An Abolition Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America By Russell J. DeSimone George T. Downing has been overlooked in historical accounts of the mid-and late-nineteenth century. He was…
The first Secretary of the Navy to compose an opera, eight symphonies, a violin concerto, and numerous marches By Ken Dooley J. William Middendorf has worn many hats, including Secretary of the Navy, United States Ambassador to the…
JOSEPH GOMES By Michael Levesque Most Rhode Islanders recognize the strong relationship between their state and professional baseball at major and minor…
“Poosh-a-Madon! Fans screamed as Vincent Madonna won another race at the Providence Cycledrome By Russell Desimone Further back than any reader of today can recollect, Providence was once home to one of the…
“Third Century of Liberty”?:Thomas Wilson Dorr and Debate over the Gag Rule in Rhode Island, 1835-1836 Gag RuleDownload
ETHNIC PROFILING: BRIEF SURVEYS OF RHODE ISLAND’S MAJOR ETHNIC COMMUNITIES Ethnic Profiling Brief Surveys HilliardsDownload
Everett G. (Tall Oak) Weeden Jr. Was an Artist, Activist, Survivalist, and Historian By Michael Levesque Everett Gardiner Weeden Jr., or Tall Oak, was a member of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. The Mashpee…
POLITICS, PREJUDICE, PATRIOTISM, and PERSEVERANCE: RHODE ISLAND’S CATHOLIC IRISH CONFRONT THE CIVIL WAR By PATRICK T. CONLEY The Irish Catholic Influx For those immigrants who arrived in Rhode Island from the 1820s onward--most…
WHEN GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE By Patrick T. Conley This essay is an expanded version of a talk delivered on President's Day, 2005, at Mount…
Verrazzano’s Historic New World Voyage Reaches its 500th Anniversary By Dr. Patrick T. Conley This year marks the 500th Anniversary of Giovanni da Verrazzano's historic New World voyage and…
Why the publisher of the Providence Journal was removed from combat in WW II By Larry Reid The war ended abruptly for John Watkins, a decorated WWII fighter pilot, after three of his five…
How a Brown University football player opened the NFL to Black Players By Ken Dooley The Brown Bombers football team was founded in the summer of 1935 by Herschel "Rip" Day, a…
THE WAR OF 1812 and RHODE ISLAND: A BICENTENNIAL BUST This essay is an expanded version of an address delivered on Veterans’ Day, November 11, 2012, to Infantry Lodge Associates…
LEONARD BACON Leonard Bacon, a poet, translator, critic, and professor, was born on May 26, 1887, in Solvay, New York, the son…
This Essay is For the Birds The recent USA newspaper special “Paradise Lost” (Sunday, September 22) laments the loss or decline of America’s bird population. Rhode…
LaSalle At 150 and Still Going Strong LaSalle began in 1871 as a result of discussions among Bishop Francis McFarland and Rev. Michael Tierney, rector of the…
The First African American to be admitted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame By Larry Reid Musical prodigy, concert pianist, and educator Raymond Thompson Jackson, Jr. became the first African American, first musician,…
Rhode Island’s Greatest Female Film Star By Ken Dooley Ruth C. Hussey was a film, stage, and television actress who primarily played witty, sophisticated professional women…
Dean of Rhode Island Entertainment and known as “Fay, the Dance King” By Russell DeSimone Edward M. Fay spent his life in the entertainment industry as a violinist, conductor, vaudeville impresario, poet,…
Newport Navy Diver Awarded the Medal of Honor for Daring Underwater Rescue By Michael Levesque Thomas Eadie enlisted in the Navy in July 1905, shortly after he'd turned 18. Trained as a…
WHEN RHODE ISLAND CAST THE DECISIVE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT By Patrick T. Conley Now that the dust (and the dirt) of the latest presidential race has settled, it may…
How R.I. Helped Shape Our Christmas Holiday By Patrick T. Conley Two centuries before English novelist Charles Dickens created Ebenezer Scrooge, who dismissed Christmas with a disgruntled…
THE BRISTOL STATEHOUSE: From Capitol, to Court, to Constitutional Commemorative Hub, to Community Center In 1980 the courts of Bristol and Providence counties were merged, and since then all cases from Barrington, Warren, and…
Bicentennial Commencement Address Delivers A Powerful Message 48 Years Later Patrick T. Conley delivered this speech to Bristol High School graduates in 1976. Every high school graduate of any year,…
The Founding Dean of Brown University’s Alpert School of Medicine A world-renowned doctor, medical researcher, and leader in medical education, Dr. Stanley M. Aronson was a co-founder of Home &…
Anti-Catholic Bigotry in the Dorr Rebellion By Patrick T. Conley The 1841-42 fight over democracy in Rhode Island, often called “the Dorr Rebellion,” had an ugly…
AL KLYBERG: PRINCIPAL PROMOTER OF RHODE ISLAND HISTORY By Patrick T. Conley Al Klyberg’s sudden death in January 2017 brought to an end a friendship and historical collaboration…
George T. Downing and the “Fraternal Unity of Man”: The Battle for an Abolition Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America Erik J. Chaput Russell J. DeSimone
John Edward Fogarty: Rhode Island’s Greatest Congressman By Patrick T. Conley My long-time friend, attorney Tom McAndrew of the large and influential McAndrew clan of Westerly, is…
The First African American, Musician and Youngest Person to be inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame By Ken Dooley Musical prodigy, concert pianist, and educator Raymond Thompson Jackson, Jr. became the first African American, first musician,…
An Olympic Swimmer Without an Olympics By Ken Dooley It would be challenging to list the highlights of Doris Brennan Weir's athletic career without omitting some…
Born on the third of July By Dr. Scott Molloy If George M. Cohan had been more truthful in Yankee Doodle Dandy, he would have reported…
Navy Diver and Newport Resident earns the Medal of Honor for Rescuing a Fellow Diver By Larry Reid Navy Lt. Thomas Eadie spent a combined 30 years of service in the Navy from the early…
Charles “Gabby” Harnett, Baseball Hall of Famer, was a Rhode Island Native By Michael Levesque During an exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox on September 9, 1931, “Gabby” Hartnett was photographed…
The Wallet By Ken Dooley When I met John Dinneen in 1944, I was 13, and he was 12. A year difference…
The Theaters of Providence Pleasure the means, the end virtue. 1 By Russell J. DeSimone Once upon a time, and in living memory, at…
WEAN became the first radio station in Rhode Island on June 5, 1922 By Larry Reid WEAN was founded by John Shepherd, grandson of the founder of Shepherd’s Department Stores. Shepherd was a…
When 11 “Iron” Men From Brown University Beat Yale, Dartmouth, and Harvard By Michael Levesque DeOrmond “Tuss” McLaughry is best known for his triple-wing formations and the Brown University “Iron Men” -…
How a RI sports promoter helped build a Celtics Dynasty By Ken Dooley On April 20, 2024, the Boston Celtics will go after their eighteenth NBA championship. The Celtics are…
Without a Rhode Island Horror Writer, There Might Not Have Been a Stephen King By Russell DeSimone The tradition of Halloween on October 31 comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the Celtic…
Like Another Rhode Island Giant of the Theater, George M. Cohan, Eddie Dowling Gave His Regards to Broadway By Larry Reid A statue of George M. Cohan, the only person to be so honored, stands at the entrance…
The Fleeting Scepter Pat Conley Each nation's meteoric rise Implies the certain dread demise Of the very one that fickle Fate Had chosen…
President of Brown University Helped Shape Foreign Service In 1954, John Foster Dulles, President Eisenhower's first secretary of state, named Dr. Henry Wriston as chairman of a public…
How A Rhode Island Runner Added “Heartbreak” to a Boston Hill By Mike Levesque Ellison (Tarzan) Myers Brown got off to a fast start in the 1936 Boston Marathon until John…
Rhode Island Joseph Samuels, the first merchant to promote Mother’s Day nationally By Larry Reid The origins of Mother's Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century.…
Born on the third of July Dr. D. Scott Molloy If George M. Cohan had been more truthful in Yankee Doodle Dandy, he would have reported…
One of the Most Renowned of all 20th Century Jockeys made Rhode Island His Home By Russell DeSimone Though it is the most famous race in the United States, not all great horses run in…
Isabelle Ahearn O’Neill, first woman elected to the Rhode Island Legislature By Ken Dooley Her Irish friends would agree that Isabelle Ahearn O'Neill, a stage and screen actor of the silent…
John “Jack” McGee lost his life doing what he loved – skimming across Narragansett Bay until his plane caught a wave and crashed John F. "Jack" McGee, an aviation pioneer and one of Pawtucket's most famous sons, was born in 1885 in Central Falls…
An Olympic Swimmer Without an Olympics By Russell DeSimone It would not be easy to list the highlights of Doris Brennan Weir's athletic career without omitting…
Bishop James De Wolf Perry Bishop James De Wolf Perry, a leader of the Episcopal Church in America, is one of several family members bearing…
The Most Renowned of all 20th Century Jockeys made Rhode Island His Home By Larry Reid Though it is the most famous race in the United States, not all great horses run in…
Sophia R. Little (1799 – 1893) Sophia Little was born in Newport in 1799, the daughter of Asher Robbins. Her father was a prominent Rhode Island politician…
Sara M. Algeo (1876 – 1953) Sara Louise Algeo was born on June 13, 1876 in Cohasset MA, the fifth child to John and Sarah (Clemens)…
Roberta J. Dunbar (1868 – 1956) Roberta Dunbar was born in Narragansett, Rhode Island on July 10, 1868 to John and Louisa Cartwright Dunbar. By 1870…
Mary Francis “Fanny” Purdy Palmer (1839 – 1923) Fanny was an author, poet, and social activist. She was born in New York City on July 11, 1839 to…
Maria Kindberg (1860 – 1921) and Ingeborg Kindstedt (1865 – 1950) The names of Maria Kindberg and Ingeborg Kindstedt are irrevocably intertwined in the woman’s suffrage movement not only in Rhode…
Florence P. Simister (1913 – 1981) Florence Parker Simister was an author, historian, and radio personality. Born on December 13, 1913 in Providence to George L.…
Florence Markoff (1917 – 2017) Florence Markoff was born on August 24, 1917 in Attleboro, MA to David and Molly Shapiro. She lived her entire…
Elizabeth “Lillie” Buffum Chace Wyman Born: December 10, 1847 Died: January 10, 1929 Suffragist, social activist and author. Lillie Wyman was the eight child born…
Bertha G. Higgins (1872 – 1944) Bertha was born in Danville, VA on November 18, 1872 to Horace and Barbara Dillard. She was married twice, first…
Anna W. Spencer (1799 – 1884) Anna’s life is somewhat of a mystery, but her accomplishments are significant in the history of social reform, especially that…
Anita Tyng (1838 – 1913) Anita E. Tyng, the daughter of Charles A. and Anna A. (McAlpine) Tyng, was a medical doctor and surgeon. She…
Alva Vanderbilt Belmont Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, a Newport socialite, was born on January 17, 1853 in Mobile, Alabama, one of six children to…
Ada Sawyer (1892 – 1985) Ada Sawyer was Rhode Island’s first female lawyer. She went to Providence English High School, where she graduated with honors…
Last Man Executed Last-Man-ExecutedDownload
Gertrude Johnson and Mary Wales: Two Trailblazers in Rhode Island Education Frank L. Grzyb and Russell J. DeSimone The story of Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales and the founding…
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: The Politics of Race in Antebellum Rhode Island 12.19.09 “Making the right of citizenship identical with color, brings a stain upon the State, unmans the heart of an…
Rhode Island: A State For Sale by Lincoln Steffens The most infamous article ever written about Rhode Island is almost certainly the article by the legendary…
The Political Transformation of Rhode Island, 1920–1940 By Dr. Patrick T. Conley In 1972, Providence College archivist and historian Matthew J. Smith conducted a dozen lengthy interviews…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – THREE STRIKES FOR STATE HISTORY AND HERITAGE The following essay, published in the Providence Journal in 2017, was yet another futile attempt to gain state support for…
CHAPTER FIFTEEN – TAKING DOWN THE INDEPENDENT MAN In 2016 and 2017, a temporary craze swept the nation that advocated the destruction of statutes, monuments, and memorials that…
CHAPTER FOURTEEN – SQUANDERING RHODE ISLAND’S MARITIME HERITAGE Like the preceding essay, this January, 2018 Providence Journal commentary has a similar theme. It is a lament for the…
SAVE OUR MILLS It is more than tragic that less than four years after I published the following essay as a Providence Journal…
Rhode Island’s Lost Ships This essay appeared as a Providence Journal commentary on August 9, 2008, in the midst of another summer season during…
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – THE RHODE ISLAND HERITAGE HALL OF FAME: ITS ORIGINS, COMPOSITION, AND PURPOSE I composed this essay on the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2018 to include in its annual programs…
RHODE ISLAND’S IRISH FAMINE MEMORIAL: A TRIBUTE TO THE SURVIVORS In the autumn of 1995 Anne Burns arranged for a memorial Mass to be celebrated at the Cathedral of SS.…
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN – GEORGE WASHINGTON, AMERICAN CATHOLICS AND RHODE ISLAND JEWS This essay appeared in both the Providence Journal and The Newport Daily News in March, 2017 after it was ignored…
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – HERITAGE HARBOR: PAST and FUTURE PLANS My long-time friend and historical colleague Albert T. Klyberg and I collaborated in writing the following synopsis of our 40-year…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – LABORATORY FOR THE LIVELY EXPERIMENT The year 2013 marked the 350th anniversary of Rhode Island’s Royal Charter of 1663. Governor Lincoln Chafee took the initiative…
CHAPTER TWELVE – CONSTITUTION DAY 2013: THE CULMINATION OF THE RATIFICATION PROCESS These introductory remarks were made before the Rhode Island Supreme Court for the 2013 observance of Constitution Day. Locally, I…
CHAPTER THREE – JULY 19, THE REAL RHODE ISLAND INDEPENDENCE DAY From 1974 to mid-1977 when I served as volunteer chairman of the Rhode Island commission to celebrate American independence (ri76),…
CHAPTER EIGHT – BRISTOL, BROWNELL, AND THE GASPEE In June 2019 I made a presidential discretionary grant of $2,000 from the Heritage Harbor Foundation to the Bristol Fourth…
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE – AL KLYBERG: PRINCIPAL PROMOTER OF RHODE ISLAND HISTORY Al Klyberg’s sudden death in January, 2017 brought to an end a friendship and historical collaboration I had shared with…
STATEHOOD: BRISTOL LED THE WAY! The highest civic honor that can be conferred upon a resident of Bristol is the position of chief marshal…
POKANOKET Dear Editor: In 2007 my husband and I bought the so-called King Philip House on Bristol’s Mount Hope, the…
RI Women’s Long Role in the Suffrage Fight Click here to download: RI Women's long role in the suffrage fight
THE IRISH IN RHODE ISLAND: THE PROTESTANT PIONEERS The Irish presence in Rhode Island dates from the late 1630s. Most early Irish Rhode Islanders were Protestants-mainly…
