Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

New England Road Trip➤

Patty and I hit the road again in April 2023. We planned to visit a friend in Rhode Island and attend a meetup of the National Park Travelers Club in Massachusetts. Along the way we hit several other National Park Units and historic sites. After visiting with our Rhode Island friend, we headed up to the Roger Williams Memorial.

Roger Williams➤

Roger Williams National Memorial commemorates the life of the 17th century founder of Rhode Island. Williams championed the ideal of religious freedom. Massachusetts banished him for his beliefs, so he founded Providence in 1636.

The park sits on the location of the original settlement of Providence. The plantations here gave rise to the colony of Rhode Island. It served as a refuge where all could come to worship as their conscience dictated without interference from the government.

We stopped in to the visitors center to view the 5-minute film. The 1730s Antram-Gray House, which houses the visitor center, served many functions over its three centuries. The NPS moved it to its current location when the park was established.

Afterwards, we walked around the park which features the natural spring which first attracted Roger Williams to the site for his settlement. I asked the ranger why there is no statue of Williams in the park. He said it’s because there are no paintings or drawings of him, so they don’t know what he looked like.

New England Posts➤

• Mark Twain
• Roger Williams
• Slater Mill
• New Bedford Whaling
• Cape Cod: Nauset Marsh Trail
• Cape Cod: Three Sisters Lights
• Cape Cod: Nauset Light
• Pilgrim Memorial State Park
• Minute Man: Hartwell
• Minute Man: Battle Road
• Springfield Armory

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Location: 282 N Main St, Providence, RI
Designation: National Memorial
Date designated/established: October 22, 1965
Date of my visit: April 13, 2023