We were walking through a park, part of the Roger Williams National Memorial, and we came to an old well. There was a sign nearby that declared this well, a spring of fresh water, as the very spot that Rhode Island was founded. It was beside this water source that Roger Williams began his new settlement in the year 1636.
After checking out the well and reading all of the signs, we walked over towards the Visitor Center. There were police officers on horseback riding by, the kids were pretty impressed by this ;)...
Ok, the Visitor Center. This was absolutely the teeniest NPS VC that we have ever been in. There was only one {small} room...for everything! In one corner was the Ranger's desk, one corner was the gift shop area, one corner led to the restroom, and the last corner had a tv set up for watching a movie about Rhode Island (that poor Ranger HAD to get sick of listening to that same movie over, and over, and over...). There were a few things to read/look at, but mostly it was just the movie that provided info.
**Did you know the state's official name is "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations"? I had never heard that before, but it's true. The smallest state and the biggest name.
We (of course) got Jr. Ranger books and the kids were done with them in a matter of minutes. They were short and sweet, just like the VC ;). After we watched the movie, the kids stayed sitting on the benches and finished up the books. We turned them in to the Ranger, the kids were awarded badges, we bought our usual magnet from the GS, and we were back out the door.
The real beauty was outside, anyway. We enjoyed a leisurely walk back through the park...
We really didn't have time to stop anywhere else (we wanted to get back to PA that evening), so we took a slow drive down Benefit Street before leaving town...
Many of the houses along this street were built in the 1700's. They have plaques on each of them telling the exact date...
We drove past the Providence Anthenaeum. Some time I would love to spend a day in this library, it is like a step back in time. There are ladders to reach the books on high shelves (how cool is that!) and lots of very old books available to browse (or even borrow if you are a member).
 |
| "Come hither every one that thirsteth" |
Hi Melonie, thank you for you great post. I was wondering when you visited the spring. Were you able to drink the water? Or was water coming out of the spring and how was the water if you did drink it. Thank
ReplyDelete