Before it became the South County Bike Path, this quiet trail was the Narragansett Pier Railroad, a vital 19th-century line that fueled Rhode Island’s mills, carried seaside tourists, and left a hidden legacy still visible today.

To learn more about the history of Rhode Island visit www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

Follow the forgotten Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad from Providence to western Coventry, and discover how this 19th-century line shaped Rhode Island’s mill villages, industry, and communities before fading into the Washington Secondary Bike Path.

To learn more about the history of Rhode Island visit www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

In this first episode of the Forgotten Railroads of Rhode Island series, we'll take a look at the Newport and Wickford Railroad, a line that served everyone from America's wealthiest families, local mill workers, and a Rhode Island industrial giant. 

www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

In this conversation with Dr. Patrick Conley we discussed when The Colony of Rhode Island had perhaps the most radical democracy in the world, how that declined in the 19th century, and Thomas Wilson Dorr's impact on Rhode Island's political history.

To learn more about the history of democracy in Rhode Island, I highly recommend checking out Democracy in Decline: Rhode Island’s Constitutional Development 1776–1841 by Dr. Patrick Conley.

www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

When founded in 1636, Providence was little more than a tiny settlement of religious outcasts fighting for survival. But by the late 19th century, it had managed to become one of America’s leading industrial centers.

In this episode of The Story of Rhode Island I'll tell you about how Providence went from being an overlooked settlement to an industrial powerhouse.

www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

In this conversation with Dr. Erik Chaput we discussed the life of Thomas Wilson Dorr and the 1842 political upheaval he eventually led.  

To learn more about Thomas Wilson Dorr, I highly recommend checking out the resources below:

• The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and His 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion by Dr. Erik Chaput
• The Selected Writings of Thomas Wilson Dorr by Erik J. Chaput and Russell J. DeSimone
• The Dorr Rebellion Project

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

This is a discussion with historian John Landry about Rhode Island’s economic history and why the state is so unique.

www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

On the eve of the American Revolution, Rhode Island was the most democratic colony in the entire British Empire, but by the early 19th century, it had become the least democratic state in America.

In this episode of The Story of Rhode Island I'll tell you about how democracy came unraveled in 19th century Rhode Island.

www.storyofrhodeisland.com

*For an ideal viewing experience, I recommend watching this episode on The Story of Rhode Island YouTube channel.

On October 5th, The Story of Rhode Island Podcast will become The Story of Rhode Island YouTube Channel.  With this change, I’ll be able to add visuals like photographs, maps, and animations to the stories I tell, bringing Rhode Island history to life like never before. 

Be sure to subscribe now so that you don’t miss these wonderful stories about Rhode Island’s RIch history. 

https://www.youtube.com/@thestoryofrhodeislandpodcast

1863 - 1865 | Following a heroic performance by Battery B, First Rhode Island Light Artillery Regiment, at the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union goes on to win the American Civil War, allowing Rhode Islanders are able to celebrate the end of hostilities. 

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

History of the Rhode Island combat units in the Civil War (1861-1865) by Harold R. Barker

Brown & Sharpe and the Measure of American Industry: Making the Precision Machine Tools That Enabled Manufacturing by Gerald M. Carbone

The Rhode Island Home Front in the Civil War by Frank J. Williams and Patrick T. Conley

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website