50 States of Generosity: Rhode Island
We’re continuing a series at Tweetspeak—50 States of Generosity, in which we highlight the 50 states of America and give people beautiful ways to understand and be generous with one another by noticing the unique and poetic things each state brings to the country. A more generous people in the States can become a more generous people in the world. We continue with Rhode Island.
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Nickname: Ocean State State Capital: Providence State Bird: Rhode Island Red State Fish: Striped Bass State Insect: American Burying Beetle State Flower: Violet State Fruit: Greening Apple State Marine Mammal: Harbor Seal State Tree: Red Maple State State Drink: Coffee Milk State Song: Rhode Island Is It For Me
I visited Rhode Island once. Sort of. We drove through it on our way from New Jersey to Massachusetts years ago. I don’t remember it. I might have been reading or cross-stitching or dozing. Or maybe I just blinked. I didn’t even get to see Nibbles Woodaway AKA the The Big Blue Bug that keeps watch over I-95 in Providence. Of course, I might be forgiven since Rhode Island is a “wicked” small state—the smallest in the country. It measures just about 48 miles north to south and 37 miles east to west. A 20-mile ride is a road trip, some Rhode Islanders quip, and requires a packed lunch. Yet “nothing is more than an hour away.” The state is bordered by Massachusetts in the north and east, Connecticut in the west, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south. There’s lots of beach access, and the ocean location has allowed the state to have a thriving maritime trade and ship-building industry.
If you love American History, you’ll love learning about this little but mighty slice of it. The area has carried several names including the native name Aquidneck. The Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called it Roodt Eylandt (red island) in reference to the red clay that lined the shore. A 1685 Dutch map even shows Block Island, nine miles south of the mainland, as “Adriaen Block’s Eylant.” Some believe the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzanno compared it to the Greek Island of Rhodes. In 1637, the state’s founder, Roger Williams, wrote, “Aquethneck shall henceforth be called the Isle of Rodes or Rhode Island.” Most of the little state is on the mainland, but due to the number of islands in Narragansett Bay (30-40 of them!), the state’s shoreline runs for about 400 miles, so it makes sense that its current official nickname is the Ocean State. It’s been called other names, too—Little Rhody, Li’l Rhody, Little Rhode, Rhody, The Plantation State, the Land of Roger Williams, The Southern Gateway of New England, the Biggest Little State in the Union, and the Smallest State with the Biggest Heart.
It once carried a couple names that weren’t quite as much fun or complimentary–such as “Rogue’s Island,” and Cotton Mather called it “the sewer of New England” because of the colony’s willingness to accept people who had been banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony—like Roger Williams. He was a Puritan theologian who believed in the separation of church and state—”that when one mixes religion and politics, one gets politics.” Had he not fled Massachusetts, he might even have been executed. Instead of returning to England like he was supposed to, he bought some land from the Narragansett natives and called it Providence Plantations because he sensed “God’s merciful providence” and “desired it might be a shelter for persons distressed for conscience.” He named three islands in the Bay after Christian virtues—Patience, Prudence, and Hope. (There is also Despair Island. Surely there’s story about that.) Providence today still has streets named Hope, Benevolent, Friendship, and Benefit. Benefit Street is often referred to as the “Mile of History” because of its concentration of historic architecture. King Charles II granted the Royal Charter of 1663 that united Providence and three other settlements into the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Its official name was the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations right up until November 3, 2020 when voters approved an amendment that dropped “Providence Plantations.” Rhode Island has no county governments. It’s divided into 39 municipalities, each with their own form of local government.
Rhode Island is a state of many firsts and lasts and oldests. It was the first to take military action against Britain when a group of Rhode Island men attacked and burned the HMS Gaspee in Narraganset Bay in 1772. The Gaspee Affair is celebrated as the “spark that ignited the Revolutionary War.” It was the first of the original thirteen colonies to call for a Continental Congress and the first to renounce its allegiance to King George III on May 4, 1776–yet it was the last to ratify the Constitution on May 29, 1790. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams acknowledged Roger Williams as the originator of the concepts in the first amendment—freedom of religion, speech, and public assembly. The state never did ratify the 18th amendment on alcohol prohibition. Pelham Street in Newport was the first street in the country to use gas-illuminated streetlights in 1803. The Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket was the first water-powered textile mill in America and is considered to be the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
Elizabeth (Betty) Alden, daughter of John and Priscilla Alden may or may not have been the first girl born to the new colonists, but there is a monument honoring her in Little Compton. She lived into her early 90s and was one of the few women to be honored with an obituary. The writer wrote that Betty’s granddaughter was a grandmother, and the author Jane G. Austen wrote a novel about her.
Polo was played for the first time in the United States in 1876 near Newport, and Rhode Island hosted the first open golf tournament in 1895. Ann & Hope opened in Cumberland in 1946 and was the first discount department store in the United States. “Retail historians consider it the founding moment of American discount retailing.” The first jail sentence for speeding in the United States was handed down in 1904. The law-breaker got five days for racing through the streets of Newport at 15 MPH.
The Flying Horse Carousel in Watch Hill claims to be the oldest continuously-operating carousel where the horses hang from chains. Pawtuxet Village in Warwick may be New England’s oldest village, settled in 1642. Bristol “is home to the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebration in America” beginning in 1785. The Touro Synagogue, built in 1763, is the oldest in North America and houses the oldest Torah in North America. The White Horse Tavern, built in 1673, is the oldest operating tavern in the United States. St. Mary’s Church in Newport is the oldest Catholic parish in the state and is where Jackie and Jack Kennedy were married in 1953.
If you like a good mystery, check out one of the oldest structures in the state–the Newport Tower AKA the Round Tower AKA the Touro Tower AKA the Viking Tower AKA the Old Stone Mill. It stands on property that once belonged to the first governor, Benedict Arnold (great-grandfather of the traitor), whom some believe built it and willed “my stone built Wind Mill” to his wife. In the Skeleton of Armor, Longfellow suggested that a real skeleton discovered in the Fall River was a Viking who built the tower. That would make it really old.
Built I the loft tower,
Which, to this very hour,
Stands looking seaward.
The Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge in Foster is a 40-foot long replica of an early 19th century wooden bridge built in 1986 by volunteers as part of Rhode Island’s 350th anniversary. Within four months it was completely burned by arsonists but rebuilt and rededicated less than a year later. That has to say something about the spirit of Rhode Islanders.
On a more solemn note, there’s a marker in Cumberland on the grounds of an old monastery. It’s called Nine Men’s Misery and is said to be the oldest veterans’ memorial in the country. It marks the spot where nine soldiers were gruesomely murdered by natives during King Phillip’s war in 1676. It’s a solemn reminder of the cost of war and the suffering involved on both sides in the building of this country. There are beautiful hiking trails in the area that is also said to be haunted.
In 1950 President Truman commissioned the creation of a replica of the Liberty Bell for each state. Rhode Island’s replica—including the crack—sits in the vestibule of the State House in Providence. There’s a gold-covered bronze statue called the Independent Man that sits on top of the State House and was recently restored. It was installed in 1899 as a symbol of hope and freedom and was first called—wait for it—Hope.
Whew! It’s time to catch our breath and find a glass of coffee milk and maybe a plate of johnnycakes.
They say no visit to Rhode Island is complete without a visit to the Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age—also known as summer cottages of the very rich like Vanderbilt, Ford, Carnegie and Rockefeller. Many scenes from the HBO series The Gilded Age were shot here as well as many movies such as The Great Gatsby. The term Gilded Age (1870s-1900) was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Warner in their novel that satirized the idea of a Golden Age. It was a time of great industrial growth and prosperity but also a period of greed and graft and where there seemed to be more focus on the externals rather than the internals.
Next maybe you’ll want to pop over to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence. (Remember that in Rhode Island you can “pop over” to almost anywhere.) There you can find nearly “100,000 works of fine and decorative art ranging from ancient times to the present.” It’s the “only comprehensive art museum in southeastern New England.” Seth MacFarlane who created the animated sitcom Family Guy graduated from RI School of Design. The show is set in the imaginary town of Quahog (modeled after Cranston) and portrays several landmarks similar to real locations.
Rhode Island has birthed and hosted several creatives. George M Cohan was born in Providence and is considered “the father of musical comedy.” He published more than 300 songs, including I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy, Give My Regards to Broadway, Over There, and You’re a Grand Old Flag. “The poet Julia Ward Howe was a descendent of Roger Williams. She co-founded the American Woman Suffrage Association and also wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908 and was known as the “Dearest Old Lady in America.” Howard Phillips Lovecraft, “the father of cosmic horror” and a “problematic fav” of many had a “dark side.” He was born in Providence, and his tombstone in Swan Point Cemetery is inscribed with the words, “I am Providence.” The poet Sarah Helen Whitman, also known as “Poe’s Helen,” was born in Providence and briefly engaged to Edgar Allan Poe (who was also good friends with Lovecraft.) I found a book of her essays and poems that includes a little about Providence’s history. She wrote a poem to Poe in 1848 with a riff on his own words.
And the dismal shriek of steam,
While each popinjay and parrot,
Makes the golden age his theme,
Oft, methinks, I hear thee croaking,
“All is but an idle dream.”
While these warbling “guests of summer”
Prate of “Progress” evermore,
And, by dint of iron foundries,
Would this golden age restore,
Still, methinks, I hear thee croaking,
Hoarsely croaking, “Nevermore.”
Pulitzer Prize winning poet Forrest Gander is not from Rhode Island, but he taught at Providence College and Brown University. Glynn Young wrote a review about his latest poetry book here.
Rhode Island has had a poet laureate named to a five-year term since 1987. The seventh and current one is Colin Channer who says “poetry is a way to slow down the mind.” Heaven only knows we need to slow down a bit these days. He says the ocean, the colors, and the quality of light in Rhode Island all stimulate poetry and also says poetry is “just a bunch of fun.”
You have to dig around to find a copy of Lisa Starr’s (poet laureate 2007-2012) Mad With Yellow poetry collection, but I stumbled upon her reciting a small bouquet of September poems from it. Her words remind me of one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver. So I wasn’t really surprised to discover they were friends.
Tina Crane was poet laureate from 2016-2024. She was born in Hell’s Kitchen and eventually moved to Hope Street in Providence. She is the founder of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI, and edited an anthology of poems she collected during the pandemic called Poetry is Bread. “Each poem,” writes Kristina Marie Darling in the introduction, “tells the story of a world confronted with unspeakable adversity, and an artistic community that prevails, with incredible grace and poise.” I love that Crane settled down on Hope Street.
Hope is an important word in Rhode Island. Their state seal and flag carry the word above an anchor, perhaps referring to a passage of Hebrews 6:18-19 —“hope we have as an anchor of the soul.” My soul’s kind of anchored in the hope that I’ll get to visit Rhode Island one day soon. And when I do, I’ll be sure to keep my eyes open.
Poetry Prompt: Rhode Island Generosities
See if you can create a poem from something your learned. Can you write a couple verses to a favorite poet by a riff on their own words like Sarah Whitman did for Poe?
More About Rhode Island – History, Landmarks, Creatives
More On State Symbols (there are a lot of them)
57 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Rhode Island
23 Words that are Interpreted Entirely Different in Rhode Island
28 Things People From Rhode Island Have to Explain to Out-Of-Towners
Rhode Island’s History – a video
Rhode Island – the US Explained – a video (super interesting)
Rhode Island – fun facts
The Gilded Age in American History – Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Library
Rhode Island Activity Book – (you might want to try to solve the crossword puzzle and matching game on pages 21 and 22)
Travel Rhode Island
Explore Rhode Island – 10 Best Places to Visit
10 Best Places to Visit in Rhode Island
The Newport Mansions and the Gilded Age
Mansions were used as backdrops for the HBO series The Gilded Age
The Islands of Narragansett Bay
Music
Rhode Island’s It For Me – State Song
The Biggest Little State in the Union (A Song)
Sail Away on the Block Island Ferry jingle (now I’m singing it)
Creatives
The Voice of Rhode Island – Colin Channer – Rhode Island’s Current Poet Laureate
The Drunken Clam and Family Guy
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (Wikipedia article)
Photo by Michael Denning, Creative Commons, via Unsplash. Post by Sandra Heska King.
- 50 States of Generosity: Rhode Island - June 2, 2025
- 50 States of Generosity: Iowa - April 7, 2025
- 50 States of Generosity: Montana - January 27, 2025
Bethany R. says
Thank you for this generous offering of Rhode Island’s bounty. I immediately looked up the coffee milk, of course. Will have to try.
I am so glad you discovered and linked to Lisa Starr reciting her “small bouquet of September poems” from her collection. Oh my goodness, wow. I love that she recites them from memory (I think) and does it outdoors. It feel like such a from-the-gut type of recitation. Real, natural, and immediate.
Bethany R. says
Also, just found these important words from Colin Channer, the current R.I. poet laureate that you linked to above (so glad you did!). He says on that Brown University page,
“Reading and writing poetry is an opportunity to go inward into the self in a way that builds empathy for others. If I can imagine myself in your shoes, through poetry, that allows me to fully consider your humanity.” <3
Sandra Heska King says
Thanks, Bethany. It took me forever to write that. I kept going down all kinds of rabbit trails. LOL.
I had no idea about all the past and present bounty that RI holds. And yes… I was so disappointed not yet to be able to find even an old book of Lisa’s. I love what I did find. And thanks for that quote from Channer. Heaven knows we could all use a little more empathy!
Maureen says
The poem is on TSP’s Substack.
Maureen says
My offering, written yesterday, which I thought I uploaded to Tweetspeak on Substack. I took a little liberty with the facts.
The lines are in couplets, the title in bold and the first line of the poem.
Rhode Island’s History
books are full of claims of being
the first and last or maybe oldest.
As you’ll surely hear as you tour
the smallest state in the union,
King George the 3rd got his surprise
when armed merchants burned
the HMS Gaspee, that act later
to spark the American Revolution.
No swearing allegiance to that
British crown anymore!
Or walk well-regarded Pelham Street
in Newport, “capital of old money”
and still, to this day, the first street
anywhere in the country to use gas-
illuminated lights to show off
those gilded mansions by the sea.
It was G-d’s “merciful providence,”
as Puritan Roger Williams would
have said, that those lawn-tennis folk
never had to give up their silver spoons
or tea caddies, or make their rooms
available to guests when they could
send them up Historic Hill to camp
out at nearby Atlantic House Hotel.
Then there’s Watch Hill, for the select
summering and even richer types, not
to be caught dead on the oldest, always
continuously operating, disaster-surviving
carousel on which flying steeds hang
from chains. Some, undoubtedly, are
inclined more toward the colonial charm
of The White Horse Tavern, dating
to 1673 but updated and still serving clams
and lobsters from Narragansett Bay.
Having spent a Sunday morning praying
at St. Mary’s, the oldest Catholic parish,
or an afternoon in some deep woods
in Cumberland, looking for a marker
on the spot of Nine Men’s Misery, site
of the slaying of soldiers by Wampanoag
in 1676, you’ll want to take hope – a word
enshrined in the state seal – and try
a tall glass of coffee milk, the official drink,
a bit of milk flavored with coffee syrup,
and a serving of johnnycake with a side
of hash, if you missed breakfast.
But do what all Rhode Islanders do:
call ahead so you won’t be disappointed.
L.L. Barkat says
Maureen, I love this! 🙂
Sandra Heska King says
Oh my goodness! is so cool, Maureen! You pretty much covered it all in couplets! Love!