Riverside is a neighborhood in the city of East Providence in the U.S. state of Rhode Island.[1] Despite not being an incorporated city, Riverside has its own zip code, 02915, and is an acceptable mailing address according to the United States Postal Service. Riverside has a population of approximately 20,000 people.[2]
Riverside, known as Cedar Grove until 1878, was originally a farming and fishing area. The streets south of the Maze are named for trees.
Crescent Park Carousel
Riverside most notably became a tourist attraction in the late 19th and early 20th century due to the presence of Crescent Park Amusement Park, known as the “Coney Island of the East”. The 50 acre park operated from 1886 until 1979, and was famous for its Rhode Island Shore Dinners as well as the Alhambra Ballroom, where famous Big Bands played, and the bustling midway which included roller coasters, kiddie land, rides and games. Although the park in now gone, the famous 1895 Crescent Park Looff Carousel has been preserved and continues in operation every summer. The Carousel is nationally recognized as a true masterpiece of wood sculpture. Originally built as a showcase for prospective buyers, it is the largest and most elaborate of Looff's works.[4]
Two other amusement parks sprang up in the early 1900s in Riverside. Boyden Heights and Vanity Fair each had a short run before closing down due to low attendance.
Many hotels, guest houses and shore dinner halls operated in Riverside in the late 19th century to accommodate the influx of summer visitors escaping the big city. Also available were several tent sites like Camp White and Camp Fuller. The Vue de l'Eau Hotel was built around 1860. The four-story Riverside Hotel boasted its own wharf and a huge ballroom overlooking the bay. After a few years, it was dismantled and shipped by barge to Nantucket. Pomham House opened in 1867 with its own wharf. The popular Silver Spring Hotel was opened two years later by developer, Hiram Maxfield. In addition to the hotel, it included a shore dinner hall and summer cottages.
Girl Scout House
The Lyric Theater opened on Maple Avenue around 1920 and featured silent movies until 1928 when the theater became the second in the state to have talking pictures. Later named the Gilbert Stuart, it eventually closed as a theater. The Riverside Girl Scout House on Willett Avenue, built around 1870, is the oldest school still standing in East Providence. It was known as District 6 Schoolhouse.
Hockey star and NHL / U.S. Olympic hockey coach Ron Wilson lived in Riverside, at 47 Lottie Drive, from the ages of 12 until he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Today, it is a close-knit and diverse community with several distinct neighborhoods.
Tourism
The historic Little Neck Cemetery contains the grave of Thomas Willett, the first mayor of New York City and Elizabeth Tilley Howland (d.1687) who was a passenger as a child on the Mayflower.
The Squantum Club was founded in 1872 and many historic buildings are on the grounds. Its architectural uniqueness is noted on the National Register of Historic Places. The Colonial Revival Club House was built in 1900 and the one-story brick Bake House goes back to 1889. The association, with a diverse membership of area business leaders, hosts member and non-member events, is a famous wedding venue and still operates today.
Riversidians were known for harvesting clams, quahogs and oysters from the beaches and surrounding waters. They became known as "Clam-diggers".
Narragansett Terrace, in the extreme south of town, was the site of many summer cottages for wealthy residents including Governor Case. This peninsula afforded a grand view of Narragansett Bay. Bullock's Cove, nestled between the Terrace and Bay Spring, offered mooring sites for small boats. From this point one can see Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Warwick, Cranston, and Providence from the shore.
In the past decade, East Providence has considered many redevelopment projects. The largest landowner in Riverside is ExxonMobil. There are also banking call centers for Bank of America and Citizens Bank. It is also home to Bradley Hospital and the Silver Spring Golf Course.
East Bay Bike Path
The major roads through Riverside are the Wampanoag Trail connecting East Providence to Bristol County, RI and Willett Ave, named after Captain Thomas Willett, the first English mayor of New York City (1665). Willett is buried in Riverside at the Little Neck Cemetery.
The East Bay Bike Path runs through the town, connecting Riverside with the rest of the Providence with bike access
East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,139 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest city in the state.
Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US, as well as the historic county seat. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England.
Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, located approximately 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Providence. It was founded by Congregationalist separatists from Swansea, Massachusetts, and incorporated in 1717.
Narragansett Bay divides the state of Rhode Island into two parts. The term East Bay refers to communities on the east side of the bay, including Bristol, Warren, Barrington, Tiverton, Little Compton, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth and Jamestown. The term West Bay refers to communities on the west side of the bay, such as Warwick, Cranston and East Greenwich. Jamestown and the towns on Aquidneck Island are sometimes known as "The Islands" along with Block Island.
The Flying Horse Carousel is a historic carousel in Watch Hill, the principal summer resort area of the town of Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. It is one of two in the state designated as National Historic Landmarks, along with the Crescent Park Looff Carousel in East Providence. It is the oldest operating carousel in the United States in which the horses are suspended from chains.
Charles I. D. Looff was a Danish master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides, who immigrated to the United States of America in 1870. Looff built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. During his lifetime, he built over 40 carousels, several amusements parks, numerous roller coasters and Ferris wheels, and built California's famous Santa Monica Pier. He became famous for creating the unique Coney Island style of carousel carving.
The East Bay Bike Path is a 14.5-mile (23.3 km) paved rail trail in Rhode Island. The path begins in Providence and India Point Park, crosses the Seekonk River via the George Redman Linear Park and Washington Bridge and continues southeast to Bristol along the shoreline of Narragansett Bay. The path passes through the city of East Providence, the hamlet of Riverside, and the towns of Barrington and Warren. It is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile system of trails connecting the Canada–US border in Maine to Key West. and provides access to Haines State Park, Brickyard Pond (Barrington), and Colt State Park. It is used annually by 1.1 million people.
Crescent Park Looff Carousel, also known as Crescent Park Carousel or more officially as Crescent Park Looff Carousel and Shelter Building, is a National Historic Landmark in East Providence, Rhode Island.
Pomham Rocks Light is a historic lighthouse in the Providence River about 200 yards (180 m) off the shoreline of the Riverside neighborhood of the city of East Providence, Rhode Island. It is the northernmost lighthouse in Narragansett Bay.
The Squantum Association is a private club in East Providence, Rhode Island on 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway. Its main Club House overlooks the Providence River on a rocky promontory. This Colonial Revival building was constructed in 1900 by Martin & Hall and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The brick bakehouse was built in 1899 and has weathered numerous hurricanes from its lofty perch right on the rocky coast. The "Cottage" is the oldest building on the property and was originally built as a billiard hall. Also surviving from the 19th century is the club office, formerly the manager's residence.
Slater Park is the oldest and largest public park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The park is named after Samuel Slater, a famous American industrialist who constructed America's first water-powered textile mill in Pawtucket. The park lies on the banks of the beautiful Ten Mile River and features the 1685 Daggett House, the oldest house in Pawtucket. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It also features an original Looff Carousel.
The Narragansett Pier Railroad was a railroad in southern Rhode Island, running 8 miles (13 km) from West Kingston to Narragansett Pier. It was built by the Hazard Family of Rhode Island to connect their textile mills in Peace Dale and Wakefield to the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad at Kingston Station as well as to ocean-going steamboats at Narragansett Pier. Passenger service ran on the line from 1876 to 1952; the line continued freight operation as a Class III railroad until 1981. Most of the right-of-way has been converted to the William C. O'Neill Bike Path.
The Looff Carousel in Pawtucket, Rhode Island is a historic carousel which was built in 1895 by Charles I. D. Looff. The carousel was originally located in a carnival called Lee Funland in upstate, New York. The carousel was relocated to its present location at Slater Park in 1910 where it continues to operate.
Crescent Park was an amusement park in Riverside, East Providence, Rhode Island which ran from 1886 to 1979. During the park's 93-year run, it entertained millions of New Englanders as well as people from all over the world. The park was known for its Rhode Island Shore Dinners, the Alhambra Ballroom and its midway.
The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad was a railroad in the state of Rhode Island that connected the city of Providence with Bristol, Rhode Island. The company was formed in 1854 by merging the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad Companies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The 14.1-mile line itself was completed on July 12, 1855.
Looff Carousels are carousels built by Charles I. D. Looff a master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides in America. Looff, whose factory was based in Riverside, Rhode Island, is credited with making about forty carousels between 1876 and 1916, only about ten of which survive.
Martin & Hall was the architectural partnership of Frank W. Martin and George F. Hall (1866–1928). It was based in Providence, Rhode Island.
Haines Memorial State Park is public recreation area in the town of Barrington on the northeastern side of Narragansett Bay, six miles (9.7 km) south of East Providence, Rhode Island. The state park offers picnicking, play fields, fishing and boating facilities, and is a stop on the East Bay Bike Path.
The Edgewood Historic District–Shaw Plat is a residential historic district in the Edgewood neighborhood of northeastern Cranston, Rhode Island. It is bounded by Broad Street on the west, Marion Avenue on the south, and Narragansett Bay on the east; it consists of the properties that line the parallel streets, Shaw and Marion Avenues, and the short section of Narragansett Boulevard that runs between Shaw and Marion Avenues. On the north, it abuts the separately-listed Edgewood Historic District–Arnold Farm Plat. The area was platted out between 1867 and 1895, with the construction of most of its housing taking place between 1867 and the start of World War II, with the most construction going on between 1895 and 1930. The district also includes the previously listed Edgewood Yacht Club. In 1853, the 25 acres of land that became the Shaw Plat was sold to Allen Shaw of Providence for $3,660.
Lake Compounce Carousel is a historic carousel at Lake Compounce amusement park in Southington, Connecticut. It was designed by Charles I. D. Looff and built in 1890. A rare surviving operational Looff carousel, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
"Images of America - East Providence" - published by East Providence Historical Society, 1997. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN0-7524-0271-4 "Our Heritage - A History of East Providence" 1976 Monarch Publishing, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 75-27782
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