Roger Williams Park

Roger Williams Park Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Dalrymple Boathouse
Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°47′02″N 71°24′39″W / 41.78399°N 71.410889°WCoordinates: 41°47′02″N 71°24′39″W / 41.78399°N 71.410889°W
Built	Feb. 12, 1872
Architect	Cleveland, Horace William Shaler; Multiple
Architectural style	Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Other
NRHP Reference #	66000002 [1]
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966

Roger Williams Park is an elaborately landscaped 427-acre (173 ha) city park in Providence, Rhode Island and is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is named after the founder of the city of Providence and one of the founders of the state of Rhode Island, Roger Williams.

History

The land for the park was a gift to the people of Providence in 1871, in accordance with the will of Betsy^[Note1] Williams, the great-great-great-granddaughter, and last surviving descendant of the founder to own the land. It had been the family farm and represented the last of the original land grant to Roger Williams in 1638 from Canonicus, chief of the Narragansett tribe. The family farmhouse (built in 1773), known as the Betsy Williams Cottage, and the Williams family burial ground (including Betsy's grave) are still maintained within the park.^[2]

Layout

Swan Boat Pond in Autumn

The park contains seven lakes which comprise approximately 98 acres (40 ha). It is located in the southernmost part of the city of Providence bordering the city of Cranston. The park was designed by Horace Cleveland in 1878, and was constructed in the 1880s. Many of the roads, bridges and sidewalks were built by the Works Progress Administration from 1935 to 1940. Currently it contains the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, the Japanese Gardens, the Victorian Rose Gardens, the Providence Police Department's Mounted Command center, the Dalrymple Boathouse and boat rentals, historical tours, a Carousel Village for children that includes the "Hasbro Boundless Playground" which is accessible for handicapped children, the Temple to Music, the Roger Williams Park Casino, large greenspaces, and many miles of walking paths.

In their 2000 annual report, the National Trust for Historic Preservation called Roger Williams Park one of the finest urban parks in the U.S.^[3]

Images

• 

  The Bandstand

• 

  Joseph Williams House (son of Roger Williams) ca. 1690, originally across from Roger Williams Park waiting area until it was demolished in 1886

• 

  Roger Williams Statue and Betsey Williams cottage at Roger Williams Park

• 

  Stereoview of the Betsey Williams Cottage, built in 1782, contains an early American flag supposedly stitched by Betsey Williams

See also

• Roger Williams Park Zoo, third oldest in the U.S., and one of the top 20 zoos in the country
• Roger Williams National Memorial, a distinct park in downtown Providence
• Prospect Terrace Park, park located in Providence's College Hill neighborhood
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island

Notes

^Note1 While her headstone name spells as "Betsey Williams," through the centuries since she has been called "Betsy" as it appears on numerous articles, postcards, and books.

References

1. Staff (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Rootsweb, photos of Williams Family Cemetery, (accessed July 17, 2008)
3. National Trust for Historic Preservation 2000 Annual Report.

External links

• "Roger Williams Park". Rhode Island Foundation. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
• Roger Williams Park Map

Media related to Roger Williams Park at Wikimedia Commons

Parks in Providence, Rhode Island
Burnside Park · India Point Park · Prospect Terrace Park · Roger Williams National Memorial · Roger Williams Park · Waterplace Park