Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island
Good old things.
Between 1927 and about 1953, Rhode Islanders listened to their own Rhode Island Historian, John Williams Haley, on WJAR radio. The show was sponsored by the Providence Institution for Savings (popularly known as The Old Stone Bank), which also footed the bill for a series of educational advertising pamphlets based on the radio show. A selection of these pamphlets was later published in four volumes (in 1929, 1931, 1939, and 1944) called The Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island. These books can still be found in local used book stores (most notably Cellar Stories in Providence), antique shops, or on eBay.
We will present here a selection of articles from those books, as well as some that appeared in pamphlet form only.
The Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island, Volume I
The Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island, Volume II
The Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island, Volume III
- Abraham Lincoln in Providence
- America Welcomes the French
- Anne Hutchinson
- The Battle of Rhode Island
- Christmas in 1780
- The Gaspee Affair
- General Nathanael Greene
- General Sullivan and War Propaganda
- Ida Lewis
- Mary Dyer
- The Navy's First Commander
- Stephen Olney
The Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island, Volume IV
Pamphlets
- Aaron Lopez
- Admiral de Ternay
- Auton House
- Before Gilbert Stuart
- The Middle Campus
- Washington's First Visit to Rhode Island
- Washington's Second Visit to Rhode Island
- Washington's Third Visit to Rhode Island
- Washington's Fourth Visit to Rhode Island
You can also check out the bank message that ran in each pamphlet, Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island Boilerplate Pamphlet Text.