Smithfield, Rhode Island

Last updated

Smithfield, Rhode Island
Town
Smithfield, RI Flag.png
Flag
Smithfield, RI Seal.gif
Seal
Providence County Rhode Island incorporated and unincorporated areas Smithfield highlighted.svg
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
Incorporated1731
Named for Smithfield, London
Government
 • Type Council-manager
 • Town CouncilT. Michael Lawton (D)
Sean M. Kilduff (D)
Michael P. Iannotti (R)
Rachel S. Toppi (R)
John J. Tassoni Jr. (I)
 • Town ManagerRandy Rossi
Area
 • Total27.8 sq mi (71.9 km2)
 • Land26.6 sq mi (68.9 km2)
 • Water1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
Elevation
[1]
367 ft (112 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total22,118
 • Density831.5/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 ID1219817 [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.

Contents

History

Greenville Bank at the turn of the twentieth century GreenvilleBank.JPG
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. [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, Lincoln, and Central Falls became separate municipalities. The colonial ghost town of Hanton City is located within the boundaries of present-day Smithfield, but was a completely separate 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 mi2), of which 68.9 km2 (26.6 mi2) of is land and 3.1 km2 (1.2 mi2) of is water. The total area is 4.25% water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1790 3,171—
1800 3,120−1.6%
1810 3,82822.7%
1820 4,67822.2%
1830 6,85746.6%
1840 9,53439.0%
1850 11,50020.6%
1860 13,28315.5%
1870 2,605−80.4%
1880 3,08518.4%
1890 2,500−19.0%
1900 2,107−15.7%
1910 2,73930.0%
1920 3,19916.8%
1930 3,96724.0%
1940 4,61116.2%
1950 6,69045.1%
1960 9,44241.1%
1970 13,46842.6%
1980 16,88625.4%
1990 19,16313.5%
2000 20,6137.6%
2010 21,4304.0%
2020 22,1183.2%
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 Center.jpg
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
3Town of Smithfield500
4 Citizens Bank 400
5 Honeywell 300
6Village at Waterman Lake300
7 Stop & Shop 300
8 FGX International 250
9 Target Corporation 200
10Rubius Therapeutics100

Notable people

Friendship cities


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the others being Providence, Newport, and Warwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenville, Rhode Island</span> Census-designated place in Rhode Island, United States

Greenville is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Smithfield in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 8,658 at the 2010 census. The CDP is centered on the village of Greenville but also encompasses the nearby villages of West Greenville and Spragueville, as well as the Mountaindale Reservoir and beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Smithfield, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterford, Branch Village, Union Village, Park Square, and Slatersville. The population was 12,588 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peleg Arnold</span> American judge

Peleg Arnold (1751–1820) was a lawyer, tavern-keeper, jurist, and statesman from Smithfield, Rhode Island. He represented Rhode Island as a delegate to the Continental Congress in the 1787–1788 session. He later served as the chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from June 1795 to June 1809, and from May 1810 to May 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanton City, Rhode Island</span>

Hanton City is a colonial-era ghost town in Smithfield, Rhode Island near Hanton City Trail. The remains of Hanton City consist of several stone foundations, a burial site, a defunct dam apparently used for irrigation, and a dilapidated scattering of stone walls, typifying it as a standard small New England farming community. The entire site is completely overgrown, making it nearly impossible to locate when any vegetation is present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryant University</span> Private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S.

Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It has two colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Daniel Mowry Jr. was an American cooper and farmer from Smithfield, Rhode Island. He served as a delegate for Rhode Island in the Continental Congress from 1780 to 1782.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Machtley</span> American politician

Ronald Keith Machtley is an American politician and former president of Bryant University. Machtley served three terms as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island from 1989 to 1995. From 1996 to 2020, Machtley served as president of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and was awarded faculty membership in Omicron Delta Kappa there in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swan Point Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery in Providence County, Rhode Island, US

Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Chace</span> American politician

Jonathan Chace was a United States representative and Senator from Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adin B. Capron</span> American politician

Adin Ballou Capron was an American miller and politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. He served in the American Civil War and was a member of the United States House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles F. Sprague</span> American politician

Charles Franklin Sprague was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, grandson of Peleg Sprague (1793–1880).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel B. Borden</span> American businessman and politician

Nathaniel Briggs Borden was a businessman and politician from Fall River, Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts's 10th congressional district from 1835 to 1839 and again from 1841 to 1843. He later served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court, first as a state Senator, and later a state representative. He also served as the third mayor of Fall River. His business career included interests textile mills, banking and railroads. He was the younger brother of noted land surveyor Simeon Borden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Village, Rhode Island</span> United States historic place

Union Village or "Bank Village" is a village and historic district located in North Smithfield and Woonsocket, Rhode Island on Rhode Island Route 146A. Union Village developed because it was at the cross roads of old Great Road and Pound Hill Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Buffum Chace</span> American activist

Elizabeth Buffum Chace was an American activist in the anti-slavery, women's rights, and prison reform movements of the mid-to-late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chace Athletic Center</span>

Elizabeth and Malcolm Chace Wellness and Athletic Center is a multi-purpose arena in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It is home to the Bryant University Bulldogs men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peleg Arnold Tavern</span> Historic tavern in Rhode Island, United States

The Peleg Arnold Tavern off Great Road in Union Village in North Smithfield, Rhode Island was built around 1690 and is one of the oldest homes in North Smithfield. The oldest part of house was built in the late 17th century by Richard Arnold, one of the earliest settlers in the area. His descendant, Peleg Arnold, greatly expanded the building a century later. Peleg Arnold was a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and representative to the Continental Congress. Arnold's popular tavern served as center of American military operations in the town during the American Revolution. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Greene Chace</span> American financier and textile industrialist

Malcolm Greene Chace was an American financier and textile industrialist who was instrumental in bringing electric power to New England. He was a pioneer of the sport of ice hockey in the United States, and was Yale University's first hockey captain. He was also an amateur tennis player whose highest ranking was U.S. No. 3 in 1895.

References

  1. 1 2 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.
  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. ↑ https://smithfieldri.com/pdf/finance/FY2021_Smithfield_CAFR.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  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.

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

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.