fautrever.com

Little Rhody is, like many things with size issues, spunky and fiercely independent. The state is small (only 48 miles long and 37 miles wide), you can drive all the way through the state in 45 minutes (if traffic isn’t bad). Oddly enough our country’s smallest state has the longest official name, “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” Oh, and the state isn’t an island (it is mostly on the mainland) but it does have 30 islands and over 400 miles of coastline. As you might have guessed Rhode Island is fairly flat, its highest point is Jerimoth Hill which towers above the landscape at 812 feet.

The area that is now Rhode Island was first explored in 1524 by Giovanni di Verrazzano, an Italian working for the French. He didn’t stick around for long and the native peoples were left alone. The Narragansett and Wampanoag Indians were the area’s main inhabitants until 1636 when Roger Williams arrived.

Roger Williams was an interesting man, one of those who pursued through hardship that which he believed was right. He was born in England in 1603 where he was educated and trained as a minister. An independent thinker, he chafed at the Crown’s control of the Church, so he and his wife traveled to America in 1631 seeking religious freedom. Ironically, since that was one of the principles this country was later founded upon, Williams found no tolerance in the new land. Its not as if he didn’t try, he lived in Boston, Salem and Plymouth before striking off south into the wilderness. He left the Massachusetts Bay Colony because in 1635 he had been censured for his “diverse, new and dangerous opinions” and the colony planned to deport him.

In 1636 Williams bought land from the Narragansett Indians and established Providence. The small community followed Williams’s radical and subversive ideals that called for the separation of church and state (sound familiar?) and allowed for the “freedom of men’s souls.” In 1638 Williams established the First Baptist Church in America in Providence. He left the church soon after since he couldn’t abide by man-made rules about religion. When Rhode Island was granted a royal charter in 1663 it was the first colony to protect religious freedom. In 1684, Williams died and was buried in the town he created, Providence.

Here are two interesting items for you. First, there was an apple tree planted by Williams’s grave. When he was dug up to be moved, a root from the apple tree was found to have grown around his skull and the outline of his skeleton. The “Williams Root” is on display at the John Brown House in Providence (creepy, huh?). Second, Lance’s Aunt Lois has traced their genealogy all the way back to England and Roger Williams was one of his ancestors (cool, huh?).

Apparently Williams imbued his small state with some of his radical thinking and independent nature, as Rhode Island’s history can attest. Rhode Islanders committed the first act of armed rebellion against the Crown when, angry about excessive taxation, they burned the HMS Gaspee in 1772. In May of 1776 the colony was the first of the thirteen to declare independence from England. Yet Rhode Island was the last to ratify the Constitution, which they finally signed in 1790.

It was also the first colony to prohibit the importation of slaves. Yet Rhode Islanders were heavily involved in the “triangle trade” (sugar, rum, slaves), and profited immensely off the slave trade with their many distilleries. Finally, the spunky state never ratified the 18th amendment regarding Prohibition. You might say Rhode Islanders do not like to be told what to do.

Our visit to Rhode Island came a bit earlier than expected since Lance’s Grandfather passed away. He was a wonderful man who had lived a full life. He came from good, old Swamp Yankee stock. A swamp yankee is a long-time New England resident, descended from English ancestry who originally lived the rural life.

We drove straight up from Washington, D.C. at the end of May to be with family and attend the memorial service. Thankfully, we have a somewhat flexible lifestyle and we were able to rearrange our schedule to spend time with loved ones. Unfortunately, the circumstances did not leave much time for “touristing” as we were working, visiting with family, and helping Grandma.

Working with Grandma not only allowed us to get to know her better, but it was fun. Spring reached Rhode Island just a few short weeks before we did so Grandma’s focus was on her much neglected garden: weeding and planting. After eleven months on the road it was nice to get my hands dirty in the moist soil. I know it sounds funny but that is one of the things I miss about having a regular house—yardwork.

We did manage to find the time to dine on some of Rhode Island’s best seafood. And we did have time to see Lance’s talented cousin Laura in the lead role of Bus Stop at the 2nd Story Theater. Neither of us have seen the movie but we know that Bus Stop hit it big on the silver screen starring Marilyn Monroe.

If you visit Rhode Island, you’ll need to learn to speak Rhode Islandese. Such as: a cabinet is a milkshake, a carriage is a shopping cart, a ticket is a coupon, a poor boy is a sandwich, a dough boy is a fried pastry sprinkled with sugar, a clam cake is a fried dough ball with clam pieces inside. “All set” is used in any number of ways, mostly to make sure you are OK, have what you need, or are finished.

And in Providence you don’t go downtown, you go “downcity”. So if you want to visit the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence remember to head “downcity.” Also you’ll have to work on your pronunciation. Many Rhode Islanders, like Lance’s late Grandpa, speak with a mix of Boston/New York accent. They drop the ‘r’ at the end of some words (so water becomes watah) and add ‘r’ to other words (so soda becomes soder). Got it?

Oh, and if you visit here you had better be able to talk baseball. It is the easiest way to start a conversation with a stranger, even in church. But not just any baseball, especially not Yankees baseball, but Boston Red Sox baseball. Many Rhode Islanders are certain they could do a better job managing the team and they will gladly tell you all about it!

Another thing we have learned is that the state founded on religious freedom is one of the most religiously homogeneous, with over 64% of the population belonging to the same religion (Catholic). The only other state in the nation with that kind of homogeneity is Utah. Strange, isn’t it?

We will have more information about Rhode Island later. But up next is our short trip to north-central Massachusetts.

Photos: View our photographs from Rhode Island.

Notes: We stayed in Rhode Island from 05/29/07 to 06/16/2007 and also from 06/22/07 to 06/27/07.

[UPDATE:] Recipe: Make some Mini Clam Cakes Rhode Island style!