The Plaza at Park Square in North Smithfield Rhode Island with old Pharmacy sign

Lady Queen of Martyrs field in Park Square on Park Avenue in Woonsocket Rhode Island

Park Square is an area on

Rhode Island Route 146A Route 146 is a limited-access road in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, maintained by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, it links the cities of Providence, Woonsoc ...

North Smithfield North Smithfield is a town in Providence County Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence Count ...

and

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsock ...

near the intersection of Park Avenue and Route 146A. It is 12 miles from Providence and near Union Village.

History

In the early twentieth century, Park Square was the site of Oak Knoll Farm, a large ice cream business which had been expanded by Charles Metcalf Smith. At that time, the Park Square area contained a

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

, a

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

, an amusement park in North Smithfield, and in Woonsocket, a trolley barn and fairground, where an annual fair started being held in the 1860s by the Woonsocket Agricultural and Horticultural Society. A carnival is still held yearly in the area at a field owned by the Church of Lady Queen of Martyrs, and the Woonsocket High School football team plays on nearby Barry Field. The historic Frank Wilbur House is located near Park Square.

Businesses

Park Square is currently home to many businesses, including Citizen's Bank (previously an Oldstone Bank), Park Square Urgent Care (previously a pharmacy and lunch counter), Park Square Florist, Park Square Wine & Spirits, Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's (previously the site of Square One and

Howard Johnson's Howard Johnson's, or Howard Johnson by Wyndham, is an American hotel chain and former restaurant chain. Founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925 as a restaurant, it was the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. throughout the 1960s and 1970s, ...

), Pearl's Candy & Nuts, Ocean State Job Lot (previously Almac's until 1995), Super Stop & Shop (previously the site of a

Mammoth Mart Mammoth Mart was a discount department store chain, located in the northeastern United States, primarily in the New England area. The chain was founded by Max Coffman and Henry Gornstein in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1956, and was something of ...

(later Mars until 1990), Star Market, and Kentucky Beef (later Burger Chef).

Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island The Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island (also known as Fogarty Hospital) is a private rehabilitation hospital at 116 Eddie Dowling Highway (Route 146A) in the Park Square area of North Smithfield, Rhode Island and with another unit, Landmark ...

(built in 1965 as Fogarty Hospital and named after Congressman John E. Fogarty) is also located in the Square.Walter Nebiker, ''The History of North Smithfield'' (Somersworth, NH: New England History Press, 1976). The McDonald's in Park Square sits on the site of the former Square One Restaurant and a prior restaurant. Image:North Smithfield milestone.JPG, 1774 Caleb Aldrich

milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

on Rt. 146A near Landmark Hospital File:Great Road 12 miles from Providence.jpg, 2002 photo of the 1774 milestone

External links and references

Villages in Providence County, Rhode Island Villages in Rhode Island {{RhodeIsland-geo-stub