Providence History is rich in rebellions, scandals and the insistence on independence and freedom. Let’s start with Roger Williams.

Roger Williams grew up in England during the time when burning people at the stakes for being Puritans or heretics was common…this no doubt influenced his strong conviction in religious freedom and tolerance.

He was awarded a scholarship at Pembroke College in Cambridge, MA and graduated in 1627 and returned to England and married.

He was stirring up trouble with his beliefs in religious freedom so he and his wife sailed to Massachusetts, arriving on Feb 5, 1631…about 10 years after the first pilgrims arrived.

He preached in Salem and Plymouth but got in trouble in both places with his revolutionary views. Just as he was about to be deported, he fled to RI where he befriended the Indians…part of what got him into trouble in Massachusetts was that he believed that we should purchase land from the Indians and not just claim it as our own.

Providence history began when Roger purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and named his settlement Providence in thanks to God. The original deed remains in the Archives of the City of Providence -you can visit the 5th floor of Providence City Hall to see it.

Here’s he is in Prospect Terrace, overlooking the City and the State House…unfortunately on my last trip to Providence, I found that the fingertips on his left hand had broken off. To mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of Providence in 1936, his remains were interred under this statue dedicated in 1939, at Prospect Terrace.

And here’s the view that he, and you, see from his vantage point in the park. The first is a view of the State House and the 2nd another view of the city.

Eventually, nearby colonies tried to take over Providence, so Roger Williams returned to England to negotiate a charter. He returned with a Charter for “the Providence Plantations in Narragansett Bay” which incorporated Providence, Newport and Portsmouth.

Roger Williams served as Governor of the Colony from 1654 through 1658. During his lifetime, he witnessed a terrible time in Providence history when nearly all of Providence burned during King Philip’s War in 1675-1676; however, he also lived to see Providence rebuilt.

A noteworthy stop on your travels is the First Baptist Church in America. at 75 North Main Street, which was founded by Roger Williams and is a key piece of Providence history(401-454-3418.)

Regardless of your religious beliefs, this historical building is worth seeing…while in college, as part of a school project, I arranged for my fellow classmates to take a guided tour -it was very informative and enjoyable.

There are many institutions named for this famous guy. One is Roger William College…while the college is located in Bristol, RI their law school has responded to a huge array of unmet legal needs within Rhode Island’s immigrant communities…to address this need they have opened am Immigration Law Clinic in Providence. It’s a state-of-the-art legal clinic pairing law students, under the guidance of a full-time professor, with needy clients from around the state. I think Roger Williams is smiling down on them!