Riverside, Rhode Island
Riverside is the southern section of the city of East Providence in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Riverside's zip code is 02915 and has a population of approximately 20,000.[1]
Riverside is a village of East Providence.[2] Adjoining Riverside are the town of Barrington in Bristol County to the south, Narragansett Bay to the west, the rest of East Providence to the north, and the Runnins River and Seekonk, Massachusetts to the east.
In reality, there is no such place as Riverside, RI. Riverside is a neighborhood in the city of East Providence, RI, that was given its own zip code by the US Post Office, for some reason, allowing residents and businesses located there to list Riverside as their city on their mail, and any form on which they filled in their address, as well as put it on their driver’s license, despite the fact that there is no Riverside police department, fire department, school system, city/town hall or council, mayor, or tax collector.
The residents of the Riverside section of East Providence are serviced by the first responders of East Providence, RI, send their kids to East Providence public schools, are governed by the East Providence city council on which they are represented by a council person that they elect like any other East Providence ward, and pay their property taxes to the City of East Providence.
Riverside is NOT a city/town of its own. It is merely treated like one by the US Post Office.
Rumford Historic District | |
 | |
   | |
| Standort | Pleasant St. and Greenwood and Pawtucket Aves, East Providence, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°50′43″N 71°21′07″W / 41.84528°N 71.35194°W |
| Area | 150 acres (61 ha) |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Shingle Style, Other |
| MPS | East Providence MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000008[3] (original) 100002778 (increase) 100002777 (decrease) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 28, 1980 |
| Boundary increase | August 6, 2018 |
| Boundary decrease | August 6, 2018 |
Rumford, Rhode Island is the northern section of the city of East Providence, Rhode Island. It borders Seekonk, Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and the Ten Mile River (Seekonk River). Rumford has been part of three towns and two states: Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Seekonk, Massachusetts, and East Providence, Rhode Island. It became part of Rhode Island in 1862. Rumford Baking Powder was made in the town at the Rumford Chemical Works and was named after Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.
Wannamoisett Country Club was established in Rumford in 1898 on land rented from Rumford Chemical Works, and it hosts the Northeast Amateur Invitational Golf Tournament each year.[4] The 1931 PGA Championship was played here.[5][6][7]
About 150 acres (61 ha) of the Rumford area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, encompassing the historic heart of old Seekonk and the 19th-century center of East Providence.[8]
History
Riverside, known as Cedar Grove until 1878, was originally a farming and fishing area. The streets south of the Maze are named for trees.
Riverside most notably became a tourist attraction in the late 19th and early 20th century due to the presence of Crescent Park Amusement Park, known as the “Coney Island of the East”. The 50 acre park operated from 1886 until 1979, and was famous for its Rhode Island Shore Dinners as well as the Alhambra Ballroom, where famous Big Bands played, and the bustling midway which included roller coasters, kiddie land, rides and games. Although the park in now gone, the famous 1895 Crescent Park Looff Carousel has been preserved and continues in operation every summer. The Carousel is nationally recognized as a true masterpiece of wood sculpture. Originally built as a showcase for prospective buyers, it is the largest and most elaborate of Looff's works.[9]
Two other amusement parks sprung up in the early 1900s in Riverside. Boyden Heights and Vanity Fair each had a short run before closing down due to low attendance.
Many hotels, guest houses and shore dinner halls operated in Riverside in the late 19th century to accommodate the influx of summer visitors escaping the big city. Also available were several tent sites like Camp White and Camp Fuller. The Vue de l'Eau Hotel was built around 1860. The four-story Riverside Hotel boasted its own wharf and a huge ballroom overlooking the bay. After a few years, it was dismantled and shipped by barge to Nantucket. Pomham House opened in 1867 with its own wharf. The popular Silver Spring Hotel was opened two years later by developer, Hiram Maxfield. In addition to the hotel, it included a shore dinner hall and summer cottages.
The Lyric Theater opened on Maple Avenue around 1920 and featured silent movies until 1928 when the theater became the second in the state to have talking pictures. Later named the Gilbert Stuart, it eventually closed as a theater. The Riverside Girl Scout House on Willett Avenue, built around 1870, is the oldest school still standing in East Providence. It was known as District 6 Schoolhouse.
Hockey star and NHL / U.S. Olympic hockey coach Ron Wilson lived in Riverside, at 47 Lottie Drive, from the ages of 12 until he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Today, it is a close-knit and diverse community with several distinct neighborhoods.
Tourism
The historic Little Neck Cemetery contains the grave of Thomas Willett, the first mayor of New York City and Elizabeth Tilley Howland (d.1687) who was a passenger as a child on the Mayflower.
The exclusive Squantum Club and clam bake building was built overlooking the bay in 1872. The all-male club still operates today.
Riversidians were known for harvesting clams, quahogs and oysters from the beaches and surrounding waters. They became known as "Clam-diggers".
Narragansett Terrace, in the extreme south of town, was the site of many summer cottages for wealthy residents including Governor Case. This peninsula afforded a grand view of Narragansett Bay. Bullock's Cove, nestled between the Terrace and Bay Spring, offered mooring sites for small boats.
It the past decade, East Providence has considered many redevelopment projects. The largest landowner in Riverside is ExxonMobil. There are also banking call centers for Bank of America and Citizens Bank. It is also home to Bradley Hospital and the Silver Spring Golf Course.
The major roads through Riverside are the Wampanoag Trail connecting East Providence to Bristol County, RI and Willett Ave, named after Captain Thomas Willett, the first English mayor of New York City (1665). Willett is buried in Riverside at the Little Neck Cemetery.
The East Bay Bike Path runs through the town, connecting Riverside with the rest of the Providence with bike access
Notable schools
- Alice Mary Waddington Elementary School
- Meadowcrest Elementary School
- Oldham Elementary School
- Riverside Middle School
- St. Mary Academy – Bay View
- St. Brendan School
National Register of Historic Places listings in Riverside
- Crescent Park Looff Carousel, (National Historic Landmark)
- Elm Tree Plat Historic District
- James Dennis House
- District 6 Schoolhouse
- Little Neck Cemetery
- Pomham Rocks Light Station
- Rose Land Park Plat Historic District
- Squantum Association
41°46′02″N 71°21′53″W / 41.76722°N 71.36472°W{{#coordinates:}}: cannot have more than one primary tag per page
References
- ^ "Riverside, Rhode Island Zip Code". Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ "City of East Providence General Information". Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ [1] Northeast Amateur Invitational Golf Tournament
- ^ "Creavy whips Shute, 2 and 1, for pro golf title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. September 20, 1931. p. 1, sec. 2.
- ^ "Creavy brings new style to paid brigade". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. United News. September 22, 1931. p. 12.
- ^ King, Bill (September 20, 1931). "Tom Creavy, 20-year-old Albany pro, downs Denny Shute for P.G.A. title". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. C-2.
- ^ "Historic Resources of East Providence, Rhode Island (PDF pages 7-19)" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved 2014-09-07.
- ^ "The Crescent Park Looff Carousel". The Crescent Park Looff Carousel. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
"Images of America - East Providence" - published by East Providence Historical Society, 1997. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-0271-4 "Our Heritage - A History of East Providence" 1976 Monarch Publishing, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 75-27782