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PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS RHODE ISLAND PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS A Photographic Portrait PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF KarenTWINLIGHTS T. Bartlett PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS Copyright © 2009 by Twin Lights Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the photographer. All images in this book PROPERTYhave been reproduced with the OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS knowledge and consent of the photographer and no responsibility is accepted by produc- er, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the con- tents of this book. First published in the United States of America by: Twin Lights Publishers, Inc. 8 Hale Street Rockport, Massachusetts 01966 Telephone: (978) 546-7398 http://www.twinlightspub.comPROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS ISBN: 978-1-934907-02-3 ISBN: 1-934907-02-2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (opposite) Jamestown Harbor (frontispiece) Napatree Point, Westerly (jacket front) Southeast Light,PROPERTY Block Island OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS (jacket back) Beavertail Lighthouse, Jamestown Note of Appreciation Special thanks to the innkeepers and hosts at NYLO Hotel (Warwick), The Renaissance Providence Hotel, LaFarge Perry House (New- port), The King’s Rose (South Kingstown), The Lighthouse Inn of Galilee (Narragansett), Hampton Inn (Smithfield), Hotel Manisses and The National Hotel (Block Island). Also to the Narragansett Indian Tribe, Meredith Harrop and Kevin Hegarty of 12 Meter Charters (Newport), Blackstone Valley Outfitters (Cumberland),PROPERTY and Bird’s Eye View OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS Helicopters (www.newportrihelicopter.com). Photography and editorial by Karen T. Bartlett Book design by SYP Design &PROPERTY Production, Inc. OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS www.sypdesign.com Printed in China Rhode Island: The Ocean State PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS Contrasts and Harmony From ancient weathered barns and simple fishing villages to the most lavish mansions of America’s Gilded Age; from sugary, rose-covered sand dunes to sheer clay cliffs; from the raging Atlantic surf with its vast graveyard of shipwrecks to tranquil bays and peaceful backwaters, Victorian-era gingerbread inns and 17th century working farms, Rhode Island is a state of unlikely contrasts and harmony. Her proper name is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, establishedPROPERTY in 1663 by royal charter of King OF Charles TWINLIGHTS II. PUBLISHERS America’s smallest state with the longest name is just 37 miles across and 48 miles from north to south, yet if you count the hundreds of coves, bays and islands, she has an astounding 400 miles of coastline. Enjoy, when you must, the convenience of the Interstate high- ways that can get you from top to bottom in a little more than an hour, but the best way to experience Rhode Island’s magic and mysteries is by meandering the country roads and seaside highways, soaking in the ambience of rambling stone walls and rock-strewn beaches, and exploring the historic Revolutionary and Colonial era homes, churches, and taverns. Beyond the gleaming airport and the polished capital city of Providence,PROPERTY with its Ivy League universities, OF arts and TWINLIGHTS theatre, PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS luxury hotels and vibrant nightlife, one can travel more than 350 years back in time. Though this tiny state has just 39 cities and towns, much of its charm is tucked away in hundreds of vil- lages and settlements. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS 4 5 A Rhode Island Welcome Rhode Island sends out her beacon of welcome from some of North America’s most picturesque 18th and 19th-century light- houses, andPROPERTY she lures sailors from around OFthe world TWINLIGHTS to visit the PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS holy grail of Newport Harbor, home of the America’s Cup sail- boat races. While Newport’s dark days of the slave-financed rum trade are past, seaport livelihoods still revolve around fish- ing, lobstering, and the maritime life. Just as they welcomed the first explorers to the shores of their lands, the Narragansett Indians still welcome guests to their fes- tivals and celebrations. Their annual Green Corn Thanksgiving festival has been held each August for more than 330 years. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS Rhode Island debunks the myth that New England is all about work and seriousness. Otherwise, how does one explain Bristol, America’sPROPERTY most Patriotic Town, which paints OF its street TWINLIGHTS lines red, PUBLISHERS white and blue? Or Chepachet’s annual Parade of Ancients and Horribles? Or the carousels? Rhode Island boasts at least seven Victorian-age carousels. America’s only remaining “flying horse” carousel, circa 1876, still operates in Westerly. Its 20 hand-carved horses have real tails and manes, leather saddles and agate eyes. The cobalt blue beauty on this page is one of 60 animals in Roger Williams Park’s Carousel Village. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS 6 Sultry Summertime Summer in Rhode Island is about shimmering white sands, surfboards, sailboats, kayaks and sherbet-hued beach umbrellas. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERSAny summer day is an excuse for an art or music or food festival. Swing dancers flock to Misquamicut’s Blues on the Beach con- certs on Wednesday evenings in July and August. Labor Day weekend brings renowned Cajun and Zydeco musicians for the three-day Rhythm & Roots festival in Charlestown. The Rhode Island International Film Festival is one of the top twelve festi- vals in the country, and nothing can prepare the senses for the 100 bonfires illuminating the rivers of downtown Providence during summer’s sultry Saturday night WaterFire festivals. In Pawtuxet Village, artsy, historic Gaspee Days commemorate PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS the 1772 burning of the HMS Gaspée. No offense to Boston and her Tea Party, but the burning of the Gaspée was the colonies’ first aggressive act against the British Crown that led to the Revolutionary War. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS 9 A Feast for Foodies In summer you fill your farm basket with plump, juicy raspber- ries and blueberries, and cool down with a big yellow cup of Del’s legendaryPROPERTY frozen lemonade. In autumn, OF there TWINLIGHTS are crisp PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS apples from the orchards… fresh-baked pumpkin pies, and per- haps the most flavorful authentic Italian cuisine this side of the Mediterranean on Federal Hill, the third largest Little Italy in America. Foodies will definitely want to check out the pizza in Cranston, and graze on “stuffies,” johnnycakes, and the revered state drink, coffee milk. As for pastries, well, if you travel more than a mile in any direction and do not encounter a Dunkin’ Donuts or a doughboy stand, you have either left the state or fallen into the water. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS As for water, let me just say: tender steamed clams drenched in lemon and butter…succulent striped bass, two-pound lobsters right off the boat…wine-infused mussels… plump, locally har- vested oysters…PROPERTY seaside shacks dispensing OF overstuffed TWINLIGHTS lobster PUBLISHERS rolls, clam cakes, and, of course, “chowda.” Locals may hotly debate their clam chowder preferences (white, red or clear), but one thing is certain: seafood doesn’t get any better than here in the Ocean State. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS 10 I’m grateful to Twin Lights Publishers for sending me on this delicious mission; and to Myrna George (South County), Brian Hodge (Providence and Warwick), MaryEllen Fitzpatrick (Newport), Robert Billington and Lorraine Provencher PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS(Blackstone Valley) and Jessica Willi (Block Island) for open- ing doors and making me fall in love with the richness and beauty of their special corners of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. My special thanks to fellow photographers Ron Wofford, John Castillo and Bruce Hutchison, who carried gear, shared my vision and helped me navigate the back roads. And to Jeff Codman, owner of Bird’s Eye View Helicopters, who flew me high above Newport in his wonderful red helicopter to capture the images on pages 34, 35, and 36. PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS PROPERTY OF TWINLIGHTS PUBLISHERS I dedicate these pages to Margie and John Olsen, who flung the doors wide to their home and their hearts for weeks at a time, making this book possible.