Local History Articles
R
ead about the history of Smithfield, Rhode Island, in our collection of articles written by Jim Ignasher.
He is the author of “Remembering Smithfield, Sketches of Apple Valley” and co-author of “Images of America – Smithfield.”
Jim is also Historian of the Historical Society of Smithfield.
50 Years Ago
50 Years Ago — August 1965- 50 Years Ago — September 1965
- 50 Years Ago — October 1965
- 50 Years Ago — November 1965
- 50 Years Ago — December 1965
- 50 Years Ago — January 1966
- 50 Years Ago — February, 1966
- 50 Years Ago — March, 1966
- 50 Years Ago — April, 1966
- 50 Years Ago — May, 1966
- 50 Years Ago — June 1966
- 50 Years Ago — July 1966
- 50 Years Ago — August 1966
- 50 Years Ago — September 1966
- 50 Years Ago — October 1966
- 50 Years Ago — November 1966
- 50 Years Ago — December 1966
- 50 years Ago — January 1967
- 50 Years Ago — April 1967
- 50 Years Ago — August 1967
- 50 Years Ago — Ads from the 1960’s
Aviation
A View Heretofore Reserved For Birds And Gods- Arthur Gould’s Vision of the Future
- Forgotten Tales of North Central Airport
Churches/Religion
Crimes and Dastardly Deeds
A Sad Case Of Mistaken Identity: How a chance meeting and a runaway imagination led to tragedy- Blood, Bullets, and Bad Men
- Murdered For Thirteen Dollars
- Police Tales of Yesteryear
- The Great Georgiaville Liquor Raid of 1898
Disasters
The Great Greenville Conflagration of 1924- The Industrial National Bank Disaster
- Long Lost Local Lore about Lightning
- Prelude
- Smithfield Fire Log – 1800’s
- The Stillwater Train Wreck
- The Wreck of the Dawn Patrol
Fire Department
The Mystery of the Water Witch
Labor Unrest
A House Divided
Military Veterans
- A Supreme Act of Kindness – Sgt. Lawrence J. La Croix of Georgiaville
- “Black Thursday” – The Day Nobody Anticipated
- By Daw
n’s Early Light – Howard Thornton of Greenville - Chance Relics Reveal a Forgotten Tale – Robert M. Martin of Spragueville
- The Escolar Mystery
- Freedom Isn’t Free
- A Footnote to History
- One Veteran’s Story – Leo Swider of Georgiaville
- Snatched From Friendly Skies – Lt. Frances Payette
- Lest We Forget The Price For Peace – Pvt. Alexander M. Balfour
- The Forgotten War
- Unsung Heroes – Capt. Peder Johnson
Police
- Protecting Smithfield in a Simpler Time
- Rhode Island’s First State Police
- To Serve And Protect – Rhode Island’s Roll of Honor
Schools
A Place to Call Home- Hidden History in Plain Sight
- If Walls Could Talk
- The “Hot Potato” School
- Protecting Bryant University
Smithfield
Forgotten Tales of the Esmond Mill- From Humble Beginnings
- Nothing Gold Can Stay
- The Battle to Bring Water to Smithfield
- The “Death Moon” of March and Other Historical Curiosities
- The Rift that Nearly Divided The Town – Again
- The Smithfield Meeting House Lottery of 1807
- Tobey’s Store was the “Capitol” of Smithfield
- Where was “Skeeterville”?
- News Items From 1867 & 1868
Strange Happenings
Jumping To a Conclusion- The Ghoulish Resurrection of Stella Newman
- The Jinxed Airplane
- The Jinxed Airplane – Revisited
- The Mysterious Skeleton of Putnam Pike
- The Yellow Day of 1881
- Tall Tales of Treacherous Trees
Transportation
