Rhode Island, Providence County, Providence
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This intersection was the earliest center of colonial Providence. A grist mill stood just north, at the falls of Moshassuck River, and a tannery and taverns were nearby across the street. In 1676 the natives of many tribes united against the New England colonies in King Philip's War. Alone, unarmed, and over 70 years old, Roger Williams walked out on a point of land in the river here, and pleaded unsuccessfully with the warriors to spare his town from burning.
This intersection was the earliest center of colonial Providence. A grist mill stood just north, at the falls of Moshassuck River, and a tannery and taverns were nearby across the street. In 1676 the natives of many tribes united against the New England colonies in King Philip's War. Alone, unarmed, and over 70 years old, Roger Williams walked out on a point of land in the river here, and pleaded unsuccessfully with the warriors to spare his town from burning.Williams was fluent in the Narragansett language and often acted as mediator between colonists and natives. His Key Into the Language of America was a collection of phrases, poems and cultural observations on native life.
(Colonial Era • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
