Images of America

A fascinating pictorial history of Watch Hill, this collection of images documents this community's evolution through time.

A hundred years ago, Watch Hill was known as the ""Queen of Atlantic Resorts. "" Its once barren knoll was strewn with vast wooden hotels and open-air porticos and porches. Its snug cove, a port of entry for steamboats that ferried summer residents, was also the home port for a fleet of catboats that took passengers on daily excursions. Offering unparalleled bathing at the surf-ridden East Beach and the soft sands of Napatree Beach, Watch Hill was truly ""by the sea. "" Yet, as with many maritime venues, Watch Hill and its sister communities up the Pawcatuck River always served as year-round homes to watermen of all sorts. Whaling captains once lived in Lotteryville, party boat captains sailed down the Pawcatuck to meet passengers at the Watch Hill docks, and fishermen provided fresh fare from the river and sea. Ships were built and lives were lost, and a century of maritime industries have come and gone.

The Providence Police Department has served New England's second-largest city from its beginnings in 1651 with the appointment of a town sergeant to today's force of nearly 500 men and women. Officially established in 1864, policing in Providence has changed considerably from the days of night watchmen armed with handheld rattle alarms and nightsticks. Whether quelling the violent street riots of 1914, enforcing Prohibition, or fighting the New England mob, the PPD has evolved to meet the complex challenges posed by the city. It also boasts a history of leadership among the nation's law enforcement agencies, being among the first to incorporate women into the department's ranks, create innovative campaigns to reduce traffic fatalities, and pioneer the use of trained canines to aid in police work. Today, cutting-edge telecommunications and forensic analysis in crime fighting continue to protect the city of nearly 178,000.

In the late 1880s, pharmacist Elwin "Doc" Young began to photograph the people, places, and events in his bustling crossroads community of North Kingstown. He turned the best of these images into postcards and sold them in his
apothecary shop. Today, readers can admire Young's impressive art in this volume, North Kingstown: 1880-1920. These pages highlight North Kingstown's golden era--a time when elite East Coast families on their way to Newport
would stop in quaint villages and mingle with the residents. These captivating images show the people, technology, and architecture of an important city at the beginning of the
20th century.

The University of Rhode Island is an in-depth pictorial history of URI that covers the period
beginning with its inception as a college in 1892 to the term of its current president. Settled in the rural village of Kingston, where a rolling hillside
has evolved into a vast world-class educational institution, URI began as the Rhode Island Agricultural School in 1889. Photographs seen in this book tell the story of the Kingston residents' struggle to bring the state's agricultural school into being. We see the never-ending crusades for necessary facilities and faculty and the radical adaptations utilized during World War I and World War II. The growth and fame of coaches, athletic teams, and athletes are chronicled, and dignitaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson, composer Aaron Copeland, Igor Sigorsky, and
innumerable others jump from the pages.

The dominance of the New York Yacht Club, in possession of the America's Cup between 1851 and 1983, has given Newport, Rhode Island, the status of yachting capital of the world. Seven of the most respected America's Cup defenders were built in Bristol, Rhode Island. The state's contribution to racing yacht technology began in Bristol, when N.G. Herreshoff designed and built the Vigilant in 1893. The Goetz Custom Sailboat Company continues the Bristol tradition of building superior sailing vessels, many of which have been challengers for the coveted America's Cup, beginning with the America 3 in 1992. In his sixth volume for the Images of America series, author Richard V. Simpson explores the allure of the America's Cup yachts and racing through more than 200 images from his own diverse collection. The photographs focus on the beauty and dignity of the yachts, the genius of engineering minds, and the handiwork of skilled crafters. Within these pages, view a variety of rare images captured by turn-of-the-century biograph and stereoscopic cameras, and experience the majestic dance of the yachts as they jockey for position, from the starting gun to the crossing of the finish line.

Although residents of East Providence are proud of the development their city has seen in the 20th century, there still remains an allegiance to the community's small-town heritage.

The town of East Providence was incorporated in 1862, the same year it was ""traded"" to Rhode Island by Massachusetts. Two bridges across the Seekonk River gave easy access to people to and from East Providence, helping it transform from a sleepy fishing village to a central hub of commerce and entertainment. The East Providence Historical Society pays tribute to their little town in this delightful collection of photographs from the first one hundred years of the town's existence.

In honor of George Washington and the colonists' separation from the king's rule, the territory once known as Kings County was renamed Washington County. Rich in history, this once densely wooded region was transformed, and by the dawn of the 20th century, many villages and hamlets had taken root. In the early 1900s, photographer Walter Rogers captured the evolution of this area, and the images in Washington County are all drawn from his collection of glass-plate negatives. The text originates from historic accounts during this period. Readers will encounter pirate treasure in Richmond, sea serpents, Kickapoo Indian medicine men, village mishaps, and more.

Well-illustrated and with fact-filled text, Slater Mill is a charming look back at a pivotal part of Pawtucket life.

As a working cotton mill, a space for varied types of manufacturing, and eventually as a project of historical preservation, the Slater Mill has played many roles in the history of Pawtucket. Leavitt's work includes such illuminating images as a turn-of-the-century bicycle shop, a crowded mill scene in the early twentieth century, and the transformation of the site into a tourist attraction in the 1920s. This volume also shows how the site was re-configured as a community museum in the 1950s and '60s, as well as how the industrial emphasis of the curators eventually resulted in the addition of a working water wheel to the site. Well-illustrated, with fact-filled text, Slater Mill is a charming look back at a pivotal part of Pawtucket life that will interest young and old alike.

The town of Bristol, Rhode Island, has been celebrating Independence Day in grand fashion since 1785.

Americans from near and far have long regarded the town as a center of patriotism and history. With this pictorial history, Bristol resident and ""Fourth of July Historian"" Richard V. Simpson presents a lively tribute to his town's heritage. Simpson has combined carefully selected images--many rare and previously unpublished--with informative and compelling text to take his readers on a journey through the history of this dynamic and diverse community. Readers are taken inside Hope Street's historic mansions and family-run shops, gaining valuable insight into the lifestyles of Bristolians in the early 1900s. By contrast, the growth and development of the town in the 20th century is revealed in aerial views taken over a period of 50 years.