Episode 3 | Providence

After being banned from Massachusetts, Roger Williams founds the town of Providence, the freest society in 17th century western civilization.

18 minutes | 1632 - 1636

Hear About:

📜How the Pokanoket people saved Roger Williams when he was banned from Massachusetts

📜The founding of Providence

📜How Roger Williams helped to save Providence from the Pequot War

s1e3 website
Episode Errors

To ensure the Story of Rhode Island Podcast provides an accureate representation of Rhode Island's history I will be sharing any errors on the website until the episode is rerecorded.  Below are two errors I made in Episode 3. 

1. Margaret's rock

  • What I state in the podcast: "Over the next couple of weeks Williams remains at the rock and is slowly nursed back to health by the medicine woman.  The English will later refer to her as Margaret and the place where she nursed Williams back to health will become known as “Margaret’s rock”.  The rock still stands there today and is located in Swansea Massachusetts, just over the Warren, Rhode Island border."
  • Why it's incorrect: Any evidence we have of Ousamequin sheltering Roger Williams in January, 1636, is largely apocryphal so unfortunately we cannot consider this event a historical fact. 

2. Location of Pokanoket winter encampment

  • What I state in the podcast: "After healing, Williams is brought to the pokanokets winter encampment on Mount Hope in present day Bristol, Rhode Island. " 
  • Why it's incorrect: From archaeological evidence, we know that there was a Pokanoket settlement about a mile north of Mount Hope (Potumtuk) at the Narrows, where the Kickemuit River empties into Mt. Hope Bay.  There is no archaeological evidence of a Pokanoket settlement on Mount Hope. 
Key Historical Figures Introduced
Territories_and_Boundaries_of_Pokanoket_Tribe

Margaret

A medicine woman of the Pokanoket Nation who was known to the English as Margaret.  She nursed Roger Williams back to health at a rock just over the Warren, Rhode Island border.  That rock is known as Margaret's rock today.

Picture source: Petition #145 for Federal Recognition of the Council of Seven/Royal House of Pokanoket/Pokanoket Tribe/Wampanoag Nation

canonicus

Canonicus

Head Sachem of the Narragansett Nation, the most powerful tribe in southern New England during the 17th century.  Canonicus deeply respected Roger Williams. 

Picture source: Boston, New York, The United States history co., The Library of Congress, Sloan Foundation

William Blackstone

William Blackstone

Like Roger Williams, Blackstone also resented the orthodox Puritans of Massachusetts.  Therefore, he moved to present day Rhode Island a year before Williams moved to the area.  He was good friends with Williams and rode to Providence often on his bull.

Picture Source: 18 September 2021, Zigamorph

Visit Locations From the Show
Margarets rock
Margaret's Rock | Swansea, MA

After Roger Williams was banned from Massachusetts, he traveled through the New England wilderness for 8 weeks.  Eventually, just as it seemed as though he'd succumb to the conditions, he took shelter at a rock in present day Swansea, Massachusetts.  Legend states that it was at this rock where he was nursed back to health by a Pokanoket medicine woman, known to the English as Margaret.

Spring by Omega Pond | East Providence, RI

This is where Roger Williams and his followers built their first settlement after Williams' was banned from Massachusetts.  Unfortunately, shortly after their settlement planted their first set of crops, they were forced to leave because Plymouth Colony told them that they were still on English land.

Roger Williams' Square | Providence, RI

After being forced to leave their first settlement near Omega Pond, Roger Williams met up with Miantonomi at the intersection of Williams' and Gano Street which is now a park known as Roger Williams' Square.  Miantonomi greeted Williams by saying "what cheer, netop" and told him about a piece of land that he could use for his settlement. 

Roger Williams' National Memorial| Providence, RI

After traveling down the Seekonk River, up the Providence River, and then up Moshassuck, Roger Williams and his followers founded the town of Providence at the base of College Hill.  Today that location is known as Roger Williams' National Memorial, the only National Memorial in Rhode Island.  Roger Williams house was at the intersection of Howland and N. Main Street.

Maps, Graphs, and Images
little ice age-1

Little Ice Age

When Roger Williams was banned from Massachusetts, New England was in the middle of a little ice age.  It was even reported that the Narragansett Bay froze over.

Picture source: RCraig09, 8 March 2020

Narragansett Nation lands 1636

Narragansett Territory

When Roger Williams finished his journey down the Seekonk, Providence, and Moshassuck Rivers he founded the town of Providence on a piece of land that was on the eastern bounds of Narragansett Territory.  While that land is part of Rhode Island today, it was once ruled by the most powerful tribe in southern New England, the Narragansett Nation.  They were led by their Sachems Canonicus, and his nephew, Miantonomi.  Luckily for Williams' both of these men respected him deeply so they welcomed him onto their land. 

What This Episode Doesn't Tell You

Roger Williams founded America's first Baptists church in 1638

Roger Williams' religious views changed numerous times over the years.  He went from Puritan, to Separatist, to Baptist, and eventually renounced himself from all churches when he decided that there were no longer any true Christian Churches in the world.  However, while he was a Baptists he founded America's first Baptists congregation.  The meeting house in the picture was erected in the late 18th century and can still be seen in Providence today. 
Trial

Roger Williams participated in America's first murder trial.

In September of 1638, two Narragansett men arrived at Roger Williams' doorstep exhausted from a 12 mile run.  They had just come from a place known as Misquamsqueece (located in present day Seekonk, Massachusetts) where they found an injured member of the Nipmuc tribe.  The man went by Penowanyanquis and he claimed that he had just been attacked by a group of men from Plymouth.  Roger Williams made it to the Nipmuc man right before he died and was able to get his description of the two men that stabbed him.  Williams' testimony was eventually used to capture the two men that killed Penowanyanquis. 
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