Smithfield, Rhode Island

Smithfield, Rhode Island
Town
Flag Seal
Location in Providence County and the state of Rhode Island.
Coordinates: 41°55′18″N71°32′58″W / 41.92167°N 71.54944°W / 41.92167; -71.54944
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Providence
Incorporated	1731
Named for	Smithfield, London
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Town Council	T. Michael Lawton (D) Sean M. Kilduff (D) Michael P. Iannotti (R) Rachel S. Toppi (R) John J. Tassoni Jr. (I)
• Town Manager	Randy Rossi
Area
• Total	27.8 sq mi (71.9 km2)
• Land	26.6 sq mi (68.9 km2)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
Elevation [1]	367 ft (112 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,118
• Density	831.5/sq mi (311.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	02828, 02917, 02814
Area code	401
FIPS code	44-66200 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1219817 [1]
Website	smithfieldri.com

Smithfield is a town that is located in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Smithfield is the home of Bryant University, a private four year college.

History

Greenville Bank at the turn of the twentieth century

The area comprising modern-day Smithfield was first settled in 1663 as a farming community by several British colonists, including John Steere. ^[3] The area was originally within the boundaries of Providence until 1731 when Smithfield was incorporated as a separate town. The town was named after John Smith, a first settler of Providence, according to the town's official website Archived September 9, 2022, at the Wayback Machine . ^[4]

Chief Justice Peleg Arnold lived in early Smithfield, and his 1690 home still stands today. There was an active Quaker community in early 18th century Smithfield that extended along the Great Road, from what is today Woonsocket, north into south Uxbridge, Massachusetts. This Quaker community, and its members, became influential in the abolition movement, with members such as Effingham Capron and Abby Kelley Foster, and also gave rise to other Quaker settlements including one at Adams, Massachusetts, where Susan B. Anthony was born as an early member. Elizabeth Buffum Chace is a well-known person from Smithfield who was influential in both the abolition of slavery, and the women's rights movement.

Captain James Buxton, a Revolutionary War figure, served with a Massachusetts regiment at Valley Forge, was promoted to the rank of Captain, and later granted Massachusetts land for his war service by Governor John Hancock. ^[5]

During the Industrial Revolution, Smithfield transformed from an agrarian community to a manufacturing center, with several textiles mills being founded along the Woonasquatucket River by the mid-1800s.

In 1871, the towns of North Smithfield and Lincoln became separate municipalities. Lincoln experienced its own growth spurt, so in 1895 Lincoln split into two towns, giving rise to the city of Central Falls. The colonial ghost town of Hanton City is located within the boundaries of present-day Smithfield, but was a thriving community in the eighteenth century.

In 1943, a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed RB-34 crashed on Wolf Hill, killing all three servicemen aboard.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.9 km² (27.8 sq mi), of which 68.9 km² (26.6 sq mi) of is land and 3.1 km² (1.2 sq mi) of is water. The total area is 4.25% water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	3,171		—
1800	3,120		−1.6%
1810	3,828		22.7%
1820	4,678		22.2%
1830	6,857		46.6%
1840	9,534		39.0%
1850	11,500		20.6%
1860	13,283		15.5%
1870	2,605		−80.4%
1880	3,085		18.4%
1890	2,500		−19.0%
1900	2,107		−15.7%
1910	2,739		30.0%
1920	3,199		16.8%
1930	3,967		24.0%
1940	4,611		16.2%
1950	6,690		45.1%
1960	9,442		41.1%
1970	13,468		42.6%
1980	16,886		25.4%
1990	19,163		13.5%
2000	20,613		7.6%
2010	21,430		4.0%
2020	22,118		3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

As of the 2020 United States Census, Smithfield has 22,118 residents with a median age of 43.7 years and 15.4% of the population under the age of 18. The racial makeup as of 2020 was 84.7% White, 1.2% African Americans, 0.2% Native American, 7.5% Asian, 1.8% from other races and 4.3% of two or more races. Hispanic and Latino of any race made up 3.7% of the population. ^[7] The median household income is $85,337 and 3.4% of the population live below the poverty line. ^[8]

Education

Smithfield contains three public elementary schools (Pleasant View, Raymond LaPerche, and Old County Road School), a middle school (Vincent J. Gallagher Middle School) and a public high school, Smithfield High School which was ranked 17th out of 52 high schools in Rhode Island in 2006. ^[9] St. Phillip's School, a private Roman Catholic academy offering education in grades K–8, is situated in Greenville. ^[10] Mater Ecclesiae College, a Catholic college, was also located in the town in a facility that was formerly the St. Aloysius Orphanage until the college closed in 2015. ^{[11] [12]} Partnered with Saint Raphael Academy ^[13] in Pawtucket, the private Catholic boarding school Overbrook Academy ^[14] currently resides those same facilities for middle school, high school, and summer camp programs.

Bryant University

Bryant University's campus

Bryant University, a private university with programs in business and the arts and sciences, is located in Smithfield.

In 1971, the university moved to its current campus in Smithfield when the founder of Tupperware, Earl Silas Tupper, a Bryant alumnus, donated the current 428 acres (1.73 km²) of land to be the new campus. The famous Bryant Archway was also relocated. The old Emin Homestead and Captain Joseph Mowry homestead occupied much of the land that makes up the present day Smithfield campus. The land was purchased and farmed for three generations between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century. Today, many descendants of the original Emin settlers still live near the Bryant campus. The school also claims a handful of family members as alumni and offers a scholarship for accounting students as a tribute to the Emin family. Historical pictures of the Emin Homestead can still be found in the Alumni house. ^[15]

Economy

Principal employers

According to Smithfield's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, ^[16] the principal employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Fidelity Investments	3,900
2	Bryant University	850
3	Town of Smithfield	500
4	Citizens Bank	400
5	Honeywell	300
6	Village at Waterman Lake	300
7	Stop & Shop	300
8	FGX International	250
9	Target Corporation	200
10	Rubius Therapeutics	100

Notable people

• Cyrus Aldrich (1808–1871), born in Smithfield, United States Congressman from Minnesota ^[17]
• Peleg Arnold (1751–1820), delegate to the Continental Congress ^[18]
• Sullivan Ballou (1829–1861), Civil War Officer and author of the Sullivan Ballou Letter ^[19]
• Emeline S. Burlingame (1836–1923), editor and evangelist
• Adin B. Capron (1841–1911), United States Congressman ^[20]
• Elizabeth Buffum Chace (1806–1899), activist in the Anti-Slavery, Women's Rights, and Prison Reform Movements of the mid to late 19th century ^[21]
• Edward Harris, (1801–1872), manufacturer, philanthropist, and abolitionist
• Ronald K. Machtley (born 1948), United States Congressman, ^[22] President of Bryant University (1996–2020) ^[23]
• Daniel Mowry Jr. (1729–1806), delegate to the Continental Congress ^[24]
• James W. Nuttall (born 1953), United States Army Major General, deputy director of the Army National Guard and Deputy Commander of the First Army ^[25]
• Gina Raimondo (born 1971), United States Secretary of Commerce (2021–), ^[26] 75th Governor of Rhode Island ^[27] (2015–2021)
• Danny Smith (writer) (born 1959), producer, writer, and voice actor
• William Stillman Stanley Jr., politician ^[28]
• Arthur Steere (1865–1943), politician, businessman ^[29]
• Alexander Warner (1827–1914), businessman and politician
• David Wilkinson (1771–1852), co-builder of Slater Mill ^[30]
• William Winsor, education philanthropist, namesake of the William Winsor School

Friendship cities

• Stepanakert, Artsakh (2023) ^[31]

See also

• Rhode Islandportal

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Smithfield, Rhode Island
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "Smithfield Facts — Town of Smithfield, RI". www.smithfieldri.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
4. "The Town of Smithfield, Rhode Island". www.smithfieldri.com. Retrieved September 9, 2022.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
5. "Captain James Buxton".
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
8. "Census Community Facts" . Retrieved September 30, 2016.
9. "Ranking of High Schools in Rhode Island". www.psk12.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
10. "Saint Philip School". www.stphilipschool.com.
11. "Me College – College vs. Job Experience options". www.mecollege.org. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
12. Thibeault, Melanie (November 19, 2014). "Mater Ecclesiae College will close". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
13. "ACADEMICS – Overbrook Academy". overbrookacademy.org. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
14. "Overbrook Academy". overbrookacademy.org. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
15. "providencejournal.com: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Providence, RI". providencejournal.com. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
16. "Town of Smithfield, Rhode Island - Annual comprehensive financial report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2021" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2022.
17. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
18. "ARNOLD, Peleg, (1751 – 1820)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
19. "Sullivan Ballou Letter". PBS. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
20. "CAPRON, Adin Ballou, (1841 – 1911)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
21. "Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lillie Chace Wyman". Quahog.org. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
22. "MACHTLEY, Ronald K., (1948 – )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
23. "Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley steps down after 24 years, leaving a transformed institution as his legacy". Bryant News. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
24. "MOWRY, Daniel, Jr., (1729 – 1806)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
25. Bender, Bryan (March 20, 2006). "At Pentagon, Iraq a round-the-clock effort". archive.boston.com. The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
26. Martin, Jonathan; Swanson, Ana (January 7, 2021). "Biden Picks Rhode Island Governor for Commerce Secretary". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 8, 2021.
27. "State of Rhode Island, Office of the Governor" . Retrieved February 12, 2016.
28. "Biographical Sketches". Wisconsin Blue Book. 1885. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
29. Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island: Genealogical Records and Historical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Old Families. J.H. Beers & Company. 1908. p. 1643.
30. "David Wilkinson". ASME. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
31. "ANC of Rhode Island secures third Friendship City between Smithfield, RI and Stepanakert, Artsakh". August 14, 2023.

External links

• Smithfield official website
• City-Data.com

41°54′N71°32′W / 41.900°N 71.533°W / 41.900; -71.533