A Providential Birthday

Jill's Journal: We had a birthday girl in the house today!! Our sweet “baby” Victoria turned three. She went to bed last night asking, “Am I going to be a big girl in the morning?” She was so pleased when the answer was yes. And hard for us to believe she’s already three. Where does time go? We couldn’t imagine life without her.

But, I’m not sure who was more excited about her birthday: her or her sisters. They had her up and dressed in her new birthday dress at 6am and woke me up to do her buttons! We had a fun morning at home with presents and cake before going to the amazing 435-acre Roger Williams Park for the afternoon.

This park is the third-oldest in the U.S. and has been named one of the finest urban parks in the country. Although anyone can enjoy the beauty of the park, it takes a little information about the history to truly appreciate it.

Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, who was basically kicked out of Massachusetts by the Puritans for his wild and crazy religious beliefs. Those risqué beliefs involved religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native Americans. He thought people should be able to worship God however they saw fit, not just as the Puritans did. He was the first official American proponent of religious freedom and separation of church and state.

He was exiled and rescued by Indian friends. He soon founded his own colony on land granted to him by Canonicus, the chief of the Narragansett tribe, naming it Providence because he felt God’s providence had brought him there. He made it a haven for religious minorities, who were not welcome in Massachusetts. The exact land granted to Williams remained in the family long after his death. Nearly 235 years later in 1871, his great-great-great granddaughter and last surviving descendant, Betsy Williams, gave the same land (which had been used as the family farm) to the people of Providence and it was turned into an elaborate park.

The family farmhouse and graveyard are still there, but so is a zoo, a "Carousel Village," pony rides, paddle boats on seven lakes, gardens, and so much more. It is simply beautiful. The Victorian park was officially designed in 1878. It is a wonderful place, an absolute haven from the world.




After our fill of playtime, we loaded the girls up in the car and took a drive through historic Providence. Benefit Street is one of the best-restored ancient streets in America and is called the “Mile of History.” The conglomeration of Colonial and Victorian homes is unmatched and the cobblestone sidewalks make one feel they’ve stepped back in time. It’s not hard to imagine horses and buggies making their way down the narrow street, which was already widened in 1758.

Our one picture on the street is of the Stephen Hopkins House. Hopkins was Governor of Rhode Island ten times and signed the Declaration of Independence.




And while we were in the area, we made a quick stop at Brown University and its lively quadrangle to see the famous bronze “Brown Bear.” The bear supposedly stands on a slate from the rock where Roger Williams first set foot in Providence.