The history of Wakefield, which developed from a rural mill town in the nineteenth century to South
County's mercantile center in the twentieth, has never before been published in pictorial format. Using images from the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, the Peace Dale Library, and a number of private sources, local author Betty J. Cotter chronicles Wakefield's growth from the days of the horse and buggy, dairy farms, and fields to those of shopping centers and fast-food restaurants. Readers will marvel at the trees lining Main Street before a devastating hurricane and Dutch Elm disease...

Perhaps no village in Rhode Island can boast the history of Kingston, or "Little Rest" as it was called. Once a seat of government (its library was one of Rhode Island's five state houses), Kingston has been home to some of the state's most illustrious residents as well as the now sprawling University of Rhode Island. A center of intellectual life long before the university began, Kingston was characterized by social, civic, and dramatic clubs, academies for both men and women, taverns for the weary traveler, and an imposing church atop Kingston Hill whose influence was felt broadly in the...

Since Native Americans camped by its ponds and waterfront, Rhode Island's South Shore has been a magnet for recreational activity, drawing summer visitors whose accommodations ranged from tents to opulent hotels and summer homes. From Narragansett Pier to Watch Hill Point, this book tells the story of our fascination with life by the sea. Drawn by its clean air and pastoral shores, visitors for generations have come back to "South County" year after year to fish, swim, sunbathe, and simply rest. Some craved the social whirl of Narragansett, while others opted for the slower lifestyle in rural...

Sprawling mansions and granite buildings from the past are
still at the center of Peace Dale village life, but the towns
history is more than just a tale of a privileged few. The legacy
of the Irish and Italian immigrants who came to work in the
mills and stayed to build a way of life is as important in the
community today as the legacy left by the wealthy Hazard and
Rodman families. Discover these early residents of Peace Dale
in a remarkable collection of images, complemented by the text
of author and local historian Betty J. Cotter. From Peace Dales...