It seemed appropriate this year to feature a theme that kept me close to home, so I give you my A to Z within the small acreage that is Rhode Island. I tried to be creative (you’ll see!) but I hope you learn something about Little Rhody, too. Whether you’ve lived here all your life, grew up within the boundaries, or have never set foot on one of our many beaches, come along for a virtual tour.
Tiny little Fiskeville!
Fiskeville is a small – really small – village in the southwest corner of Cranston, bordering on the southeast corner of Scituate, and across the northern side of Coventry. The village’s Main Street, which extends from the town of West Warwick, forms the border between Cranston and Scituate. Fiskeville was one of several mill towns along the Pawtuxet River in the mid-1800s, and many of the villages were named after the mill that dominated that area (Anthony, Crompton, Lippitt, Natick, Harris).
In Fiskeville, there was a textile mill that was founded by Dr. Caleb Fiske, who lived from 1753 to 1834. In 1818, Dr. Fiske became a member of the Rhode Island Medical Society and was for a few years its president. He and his son, Philip Manchester Fiske, established a cotton manufacturing business and carried it on for many years. The textile industry in Rhode Island, and New England, was formed and led to strong economic ties with the Deep South, whose slave labor supplied the cotton. The village of Fiskeville became home to those who worked in the mill, mostly immigrants from Portugal, France, Italy and England.
This reminds me of a lot of the little towns in Maine. Weekends In Maine
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Fiskeville sounds great – I could imagine writing a novel set there!
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I’m enjoying this tour of Rhode Island. We’ve driven through this state when we were on a road trip through the New England states. We had dinner at a former post office turned into a restaurant. I can’t remember the name of the town or know if they are still in business. Sorry. This was over 18 years ago..
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Hari OM
Interesting that the son was called Manchester – a city in England renowned for its cotton spinning!!! Indeed, in Australia, we call our bedding and home-cloths ‘manchester’! YAM xx
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I’m really drawn to small towns. The upside is their peacefulness but the downside–I wonder if everyone knows everyone’s business! I’m enjoying this tour through Rhode Island.
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So many little nuggets of information.
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I’m really enjoying these posts, Martha. It always amuses me when I see names that are used in the UK as well, eg, Coventry and Warwick.
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Hi Wendy – there are so many! Besides Coventry and Warwick (which are both in Kent County), we have East and West Greenwich, Bristol, and Exeter! I guess it really is New England. xx
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Just spotted Portsmouth and Tiverton on the map too. 🙂
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Each day you are broadening my horizons. Thank you, it’s fun.
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I’m so glad, Helen!
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Thank you Martha. I am truly enjoying little RI places that I never heard of. I really miss my home state of RI.
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Lots more to go, my friend! I’m glad you like it.
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I am so impressed that you’ve visited these obscure places — I’ve spent many years visiting RI and haven’t seen this one!
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Beth, I did try to find some of the lesser-known spots. Although I will say that a couple of the older villages (like Burdickville) didn’t pan out.
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