Jamestown RI History - Sources and References
This narrative history of Jamestown and its
environs was compiled by David A. Butler with the help of
numerous published and unpublished sources. The
following resources have been particularly helpful in this
effort. They make good
starting points for those interested in more
in-depth coverage of these topics.
History
- General:
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Historic
and Architectural Resources of Jamestown,
Rhode Island. This
extremely valuable book on Jamestown and
its environs was published in 1995 by the
Rhode Island Historical Preservation and
Heritage Commission in cooperation with
the Jamestown Historical Society. Much of the book - about 30% -
is now available on the web. The full book costs $15
(softcover) and can be purchased in
several local stores.
Jamestown
Affairs: A Miscellany of Historical
Flashbacks. Written by Sue
Maden and Patrick Hodgkin and published
by the West Ferry Press, Jamestown. The
book is available in local stores for a
cost of $18. It is a collection of
articles published in the Jamestown Press
between 1992 and 1996 which focused on
particular aspects of Jamestown's long
history.
Many of
the links in this history of the
Jamestown and Newport area take you to
chapters from Stuart Hale's 1979
book, Narragansett
Bay: A Friend's Perspective
which was reprinted in 1999.
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The Naval History of Rhode Island website focuses on the
centuries-long association between the
Navy and the Narragansett Bay region; which is
considered to be the
birthplace of the U.S. Navy.
The
extensive (and still growing) collection of
historic
Jamestown postcards and Newport
postcards, with commentary, assembled by
Susan White Pieroth contains many additional historic photographs of
homes, hotels, other buildings, bridges and ferries.
History - Native Americans:
Narragansett
History, by Lee Sultzman,
traces local Native American history
from the early 1600s - when there were as many as
10,000 members of the Narragansett tribe.
By 1676, after King Philip's War (1675-1676),
only about 500 Narragansett remained to sign a
treaty with the English. In 1880, the State of
Rhode Island unilaterally terminated the tribal
status of the Narragansetts and their ownership
of almost all of their reservation near
Charlestown. In 1978 a lawsuit restored the
tribe's status and land. The Narragansett tribe
now numbers about 2500. Here is the link to their
tribal history narrative.
History of Jamestown Military Installations:
Defenses of Narragansett Bay in
World War II (Rhode Island Bicentennial Foundation,
1980, ninth printing 2002), Walter K. Schroder
Images of America: Dutch Island and
Fort Greble (Arcadia Publishing, 1998), Walter K.
Schroder
(See also the above-mentioned Naval History of Rhode Island website.)
Rhode
Island Forts - Short descriptions of military
forts past and present including information on
Jamestown's Prospect Hill Fort, Beaver Tail Fort,
Beaver Head/ Conanicut Battery, Fort Conanicut, Fort Weatherill, Fort Burnside, Fort Getty, Fort
Greble and Fort Kearny. Many of these were known
by additional names at various times. (Two distinct web pages,
each with its own index at the top, focusing on older and
more modern fortifications)
Beavertail in military
readiness. A photo from Rhode
Island light stations, a US Coast
Guard website listing current and former RI light stations.
Each brief history and technical data summary is accompanied by
an historic photo (or two) that are often one-of-a-kind photos
taken during periods of military activity at the site (WW-I and
WW-II).
Rhode
Island History - Other Resources:
For a comprehensive listing of
repositories of historical information see the Rhode
Island Historical Advisory Board website. It
provides a summary description of holdings by
State and Local Government Agencies, Academic
Libraries and Archives, Historical and
Preservation Societies, Public and Private
Libraries and Museums and information on
contacting each holding organization.
Glaciation
and Climate Change - Causes and Effects:
If you have not already
done so, please visit the detailed account of
local
(Rhode Island and New England) geological history.
This group of references focus on
the
earth's history, with emphasis on continental
movement over time and the tools
and techniques used to establish timelines for
the various parts of the world.
These references
focus on local
geological processes and topics.
These references
deal with glaciation.
Dr.
Micheal J. Pidwerny, Department of
Geology, Okanagan University College, British
Columbia, Canada has developed a course entitled "Fundamentals
of Physical
Geography". His extensive, highly
readable online textbook includes the following topics.
If you are
interested in learning more about glaciation, a Hypertext
Reference for Major Topics in Glaciology and
Glacial Geology may be right for
you. Developed by Dr.
William W. Locke, Geology Department of
Earth Sciences, Montana State University,
Bozeman, MT; this site employs a menu that
leads to discussions of a dozen major topics -
each presented at both an introductory and
advanced level. This arrangement allows easy
movement between topics and facilitates exploring
at the level that best meets your needs. To
sample the type of information in the database,
here is the Overview
page.
This reference is something of a
bridge to the last group of references. It
focuses on climate
changes in the past and some of
the implications for understanding the present
and future.
Dr. R. Timothy Patterson,
Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton
University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada offers a
web-based course on Climate Change
from a Geological Perspective.
Material developed for an earlier course is
posted online and offers extensive
coverage of the history of glaciation as part of
a rich, systems-oriented look at the history
of world climate change. Arranged in
slide-show format, it will take an hour or more
to view all of the slides; but you will find much
information not covered in the other references.
If you would like to register for Dr.
Patterson's current online course click on
this link.
These references look at factors
affecting climate change, and the implications
for the future. Worried about
global warming? Do you suspect the issues are far
more complex than the evening news admits? Do you
wonder about the possibility of global cooling?
Get perspective and facts here.
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Index of History Pages:
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