On Thursday, August 21, the Roger Williams National Memorial turned sixty and celebrated with a commemoration honoring the founder of Providence, Roger Williams, and his belief in the freedom of religion and individual conscience. Located at the foot of College Hill in downtown Providence, the Memorial remains one of the city’s most quietly historic — yet immensely important — landmarks. National memorials are created because they hold special importance to the country’s cultural heritage.
In typical RI fashion, our national memorial is small but mighty. The anniversary celebration brought the community together, with everyone from the event’s partnership organization, The Rhode Island Jewish Historical Society, to neighborhood locals who walk their dogs in the park, to what Park Ranger Kevin Klyberg and his fellow rangers call “park groupies.”
“It was a really great way to celebrate the park and bring in this fresh research because these stories never end,” Ranger Klyberg said of the anniversary event, “and there’s always more things to find out and more to share.”
He continues, “This park serves a lot of purposes. It’s a national park, but it’s also a local oasis for the people that live in the neighborhood.”
For more information about the small but mighty memorial park, read on:
4.5 acres → The size of the Roger Williams National Memorial, deeming it the second smallest national memorial in the nation.
1965 → The year it was established as a national memorial by Congress
~20 → The number of years it took to create the memorial from its establishment to its opening to the public.
1636 → The year when Roger Williams founded Providence
1 → The number of freshwater springs at the Memorial
6 → The number of significant places in and around the memorial park, which include:
Antram-Gray House – located at the northeast corner of the park at the corner of North Main and Smith Streets.
Roger Williams’ House Lot – located on North Main Street.
Hahn Memorial – “a small, (1/10 acre) courtyard that opens off North Main Street” (NPS)
Prospect Terrace – 60 Congdon St, Providence, RI 02906, a short walk or drive from the visitor center.
Park Gardens – located adjacent to the park’s visitor center.
Bernon Grove – “the grassy area south of the Antram-Gray House” (NPS)
1980s → The year it opened to the public.
50,000 – 60,000 → The number of annual visitors
17th century → The age of the artifacts found at the memorial
Dawn to dusk → The memorial park’s operating hours (daily)
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM → The visitor center’s operating hours (Thursday – Sunday)
$0 → The fee to visit the memorial park
Roger Williams Memorial Park is located at 282 North Main Street. Find more information at their website. Check out a digital archive of historic images of the park here.
Editor’s Note: There is a common misconception that the Roger Williams National Memorial is the smallest national memorial in the nation. That honor goes to the 870 square foot Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Philadelphia.
Emily Bruck is a writer and storyteller currently based in Charlestown, RI, and originally from Massachusetts. A recent Syracuse University graduate, she enjoys covering internet culture, lifestyle topics, the arts, and human interest stories. She currently freelances and shares more of her work at emilybruck.com.
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