The laboriously inscribed, ink-stained title deeds tell the story the colonists wanted them to tell: the legal acquisition of thousands of acres of land, defensible in British law and their own ideas of legality. Deed expert Dr. Jeremy Bangs, author of numerous works on land sales, offers us his unparalleled knowledge of early New England, […]
To Indigenous people, the November full moon is known as the Beaver Moon. This was the time to set traps before the swamps froze to ensure a good supply of furs for the winter. That same moon this year was a beaver blood moon accompanied by a total lunar eclipse! Traditionally, each full moon name was applied […]
Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed stopped by a sidewalk exhibit about the Sowams Heritage Area Project in downtown Warren during the WalkAbout event on October 23, 2022. Project Coordinator David Weed was on hand to greet the Senator who has been a big supporter of Heritage Areas. In their conversation, Weed thanked the Senator for […]
The Roger Williams University Public Humanities and Arts Collaborative convened “Hidden Truths: Telling New Stories About the Ocean State” on October 7, 2022 at the RWU Providence campus. This convening brought together organizations, scholars, practitioners, artists and advocates who are working to make hidden stories and histories more visible in the New England region for […]
Members of the Pokanoket Tribe participated in a special Rhode Island Slave History Medallion Installation Ceremony on Sunday, October 2 in the Salem Family Auditorium at the Barrington Public Library. At the event, history students and graphic design students from Roger Williams University presented their findings of the town’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and stories of […]
The second annual “Celebrate Seekonk Day,” sponsored by the Seekonk Cultural Council, was held on October 1st from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at the Seekonk Public Library. The goal of the event is to spotlight the often-forgotten history, rich culture, and current activities of the Town of Seekonk through a day filled with walks and talks, music, […]
Life in New England was very different 350 years ago. Many things would seem almost alien to us, yet other things would be quite familiar. And here in Rhode Island . . . things are always a little bit different. Let’s face it, we were founded by an outlaw and have held the same respect […]
In 1675, eastern North America descended into chaos. Virginia exploded into civil war, as rebel colonists decried the corruption of planter oligarchs and massacred allied Indians. Maryland colonists, gripped by fears that Catholics were conspiring with enemy Indians, rose up against their rulers. Separatist movements and ethnic riots swept through New York and New Jersey. […]
Ten people gathered at the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society on August 28, 2022 for a Book Club discussion of The Name of War by Jill Lepore. Led by Sowams Heritage Area Project Coordinator Dr. David Weed (on the far right in the photo from a previous Book Club event), the group shared their reactions to the […]
The goal of the Sowams Heritage Area Project is to ensure that the ancestral seat of the Pokanoket Nation is designated by the U.S. Congress as a National Heritage Area (NHA), “where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape.” Under the auspices of the U.S. Park Service, the National […]