Roger Williams Park is an elaborately landscaped city park in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
and a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. It is named after
Roger Williams
Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
, the founder of the city of Providence and the primary founder of the state of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
.
History
The land for the park was a gift to the people of Providence in 1872, in accordance with the will of Betsey Williams, the last descendant of
Roger Williams
Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
to inherit his land. It had been the family farm and was the last of the original land granted to Roger Williams in 1638 by
Canonicus
Canonicus (c. 1565 – June 4, 1647) was a chief of the Narragansett Indigenous Peoples. He was wary of the colonial settlers, but he ultimately befriended Roger Williams and other settlers.
Biography
Canonicus was born around 1565,Benjami ...
, chief of the
Narragansett tribe. The family farmhouse was built in 1773 and is now known as the Betsey Williams Cottage; the cottage and the Williams family burial ground (including Betsey's grave) are still maintained within the park.
The original bequest consisted of about 100 acres.
Additional land to the south was purchased in 1891 at a cost of $359,000,
consisting mostly of unimproved land that was covered with woods and ponds; it brought the total area of the park to about 400 acres.
The natural history museum opened in 1895.
2016 renovations
The Rhode Island Foundation began a renovation effort in the park in 2016 as a celebration of their centennial,
beginning with the park's historic bandstand in December 2016. The renovations will expand to other park buildings and entrances.
In June 2017, a dedicated bike and pedestrian lane was added to Frederick Green Memorial Boulevard as part of these renovations, although this change was opposed by some Cranston residents, including Cranston mayor
Allan Fung
Allan Wai-Ket Fung (born February 25, 1970) is an American attorney and politician who served as Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island from 2009 to 2021. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Rhode Island in the 2014 and 2018 elections as we ...
.
Gateway visitor center
In Fall 2022, a Gateway and Visitor Center for the park opened on Broad Street.
Designed by INFORM studio, the center is intended to increase community access to the park.
The center provides information about public events, amenities, and services in Roger Williams Park and in the surrounding neighborhood.
Layout
The park contains seven lakes which comprise approximately , and it is located in the southernmost part of the city of Providence bordering the city of
Cranston. It was designed by
Horace Cleveland
Horace William Shaler Cleveland (December 16, 1814 – December 5, 1900) was an American landscape architect. His approach to natural landscape design can be seen in projects such as the Grand Rounds in Minneapolis; Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Con ...
in 1878 and was constructed in the 1880s. Many of the roads, bridges, and sidewalks were built by the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
from 1935 to 1940. The
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
called Roger Williams Park one of the finest urban parks in the US in their 2000 annual report.
National Trust for Historic Preservation 2000 Annual Report.
/ref>
It contains:
* The Gateway Visitor Center on Broad Street
* The Roger Williams Park Zoo
The Roger Williams Park Zoo of Providence, Rhode Island, contains more than 150 animals from around the world in natural settings. In 1986, it became the first zoo in New England to earn accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. ...
* The Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
* The Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
The Roger Williams Park Botanical Center is located in Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island. It opened in March 2007. It includes two connected greenhouses filled with plants, fountains, a fish pond and a small waterfall. It is the larg ...
* Japanese Gardens
* Victorian Rose Gardens
* The Providence Police Department's Mounted Command center
* The Dalrymple Boathouse and boat rentals
* historical tours
* a Carousel Village
* The "Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...
Boundless Playground" which is accessible for handicapped children
* The Temple to Music
* The Roger Williams Park Casino
* many miles of walking paths
Images
File:Casino at Roger Williams Park.jpg, The casino
File:Betsey Williams Cottage, Roger Williams Park.jpg, Betsey Williams Cottage (1773)
File:Carousel Village, Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island.jpg, The carousel
File:Dalrymple Boat House Prov.jpg, Clark Dalrymple Boathouse (1896)
File:Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park.jpg, Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
File:Inside the botanical center that opened in 2007 in the 435-acre Roger Williams Park in Providence, the capital of, and largest city in, Rhode Island.jpg, Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
The Roger Williams Park Botanical Center is located in Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island. It opened in March 2007. It includes two connected greenhouses filled with plants, fountains, a fish pond and a small waterfall. It is the larg ...
File:Rally 4 Recovery event at Roger Williams Park.jpg, The Temple to Music is the site of community events
See also
* Roger Williams Park Zoo
The Roger Williams Park Zoo of Providence, Rhode Island, contains more than 150 animals from around the world in natural settings. In 1986, it became the first zoo in New England to earn accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. ...
, third oldest in the U.S., and one of the top 20 zoos in the country
* Roger Williams National Memorial, a distinct park in downtown Providence
* Prospect Terrace Park
Prospect Terrace Park is a park located on Congdon Street in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The park was founded in 1869, on land that was given to the city by residents of the neighborhood. The park is known as "The Je ...
, park located in Providence's College Hill neighborhood
*
Notes
: Her headstone name is spelled as "Betsey Williams," but she has been mistakenly called "Betsy" through the centuries, as it appears on numerous articles, postcards, and books.
References
External links
*
Roger Williams Park Map
{{Authority control
Parks in Rhode Island
Geography of Providence, Rhode Island
Works Progress Administration in Rhode Island
Protected areas of Providence County, Rhode Island
Tourist attractions in Providence, Rhode Island
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
1872 establishments in Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island