by Rosemary Enright | Jun 23, 2021 | 2021 Articles
In the years following World War II, marching bands were much in demand. Drum and bugle corps competed against each other, and rivalry was keen. Jamestown had had a Men’s Drum & Bugle Corps in the 1930s, and it was revived early in 1947. Later that same year,...
by Rosemary Enright | May 27, 2021 | 2021 Articles
In the 19th century – before the invention of the movie, television, and computer – most people, especially in tiny towns like Jamestown, had to make their own entertainment. Fraternal organizations that provided social activities as well as mutual support and/or...
by Rosemary Enright | Apr 21, 2021 | 2021 Articles
During World War II, Conanicut Island was home to three named forts, all of which are now parks – Fort Burnside at Beavertail, Fort Getty on the West Passage, and Fort Wetherill on the East Passage. Each of the forts was named for a U.S. Army officer who had seen...
by Rosemary Enright | Mar 17, 2021 | 2021 Articles
In the mid-19th century, the population of Jamestown was declining. The 1870 census counted only 378 people living here. Those remaining knew the town would die if nothing were done. In 1873, the town and some of its major landowners formed the Jamestown &...
by JHS | Feb 22, 2021 | 2021 Articles
The African-American and Native American community in Jamestown burgeoned during slavery, but it declined precipitously after the Revolution. Nine tenths left in only 50 years. The turbulence of war, the slow demise of slavery and the exclusion from economic...
by Rosemary Enright | Jan 31, 2021 | 2021 Articles
George Wallin Bowen and his brother James Howard were born on the Point in Newport in 1882 and 1884, respectively. In their 20s, the two brothers went their separate ways – George to Chicago; J. Howard, as he was known, to the U.S. Navy. The First World War...
