Rhode Island County Histories
Rhode Island is in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area. Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west and Massachusetts to the north and east, and it shares a water boundary with New York’s Long Island to the southwest.
Rhode Island was established in the 17th century, and was the first of the thirteen original American colonies to declare independence from British rule in 1776, signaling the start of the American Revolution. It has the second lowest number of counties — five — of any state (only Delaware, with three, has fewer), all of which were established before the Declaration of Independence. Three counties were named for English cities, Providence County was derived from Divine Providence and Washington County was named for George Washington.
Rhode Island’s nickname, The Ocean State, is a reference to the state’s geography. Rhode Island has several large bays and inlets that account for about 14% of its total area. Its land area is 1,045 square miles, but its total area is significantly larger.
Collection Details
- Bayles, Richard M., History of Providence County, Rhode Island. W.W. Preston & Co., 1891. 821 pp.
- Bayles, Richard M., History of Providence County, Rhode Island. W.W. Preston & Co., 1891. 639 pp.
- Cole, J.R., History of Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island, including their early settlement and progress to the present time… W.W. Preston & Co., 1889. 1,344 pp.
- Munro, W.H., The History of Bristol: The Story of the Mount Hope Lands. . . 1880. 396 pp.
- Mason, George C., Reminiscences of Newport. A Charming History of Newport as a “watering-place,” . . . 1884. 407 pp.
