The site of the Roger Williams National Memorial is historically significant not only because of its connection to the founder of Rhode Island, but also in its physical evolution through two waves of demolition. These total re-structurings of the site exist on the memorial’s peripheries, but illuminate larger themes in the city’s history.

This exhibit examines the site through four sections: Roger Williams’ legacy, the Hard Scrabble and Snow Town riots, urban renewal on the East Side, and the memorial today. You can navigate through pages sequentially using the links at the bottom of each page, or can select topics from the homepage.

A short essay on the interplay between demolition and public amnesia concludes the exhibit, and is accessible either at the end of the sequence or via the homepage.

Continue on to: Roger Williams