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86-505: The library was established in 1836 as a merger between two earlier subscription libraries: The Providence Library Company, founded in 1753, and the Providence Athenaeum, founded in 1831. It became "The Providence Athenaeum" by amendment to its charter in 1850. In 1753, a group of private citizens started The Providence Library Company to gain access to a collection of books that they could not afford individually. Members paid

172-417: A Burthen to her"; the man was named Saint Jago and was to go to his oldest son Rufus and be treated "so that his Life may be rendered easy and comfortable." The will was never proved because Hopkins lived another 25 years, and circumstances changed its provisions. On October 28, 1772, Hopkins freed Saint Jago and wrote the following in the manumission document: But, principally, and most of all finding that

258-678: A bill in 1774 while serving in the Rhode Island Assembly which prohibited the importation of slaves into the colony. This became one of the first anti-slave trade laws in the United States. There were several pressures occurring in the colony which led to greater restrictions on the slave trade, the greatest of which was the pressure applied by the Quakers, who were a large percentage of Rhode Island's population. In September 1776, poor health forced Hopkins to resign from

344-713: A conference with the five Indian tribes to secure their assistance in thwarting French encroachment. He and others considered Benjamin Franklin 's early plan for uniting the colonies, but the principles of the plan were rejected in both the colonies and Great Britain. As the war with France developed in February 1756, the General Assembly ordered the raising of 500 Rhode Island men for the expedition to Lake George in New York. After two years in office, Hopkins

430-409: A due exercise of his office – and this he informs me has been the common custom in this Colony. Sessions went on to request that the governor take measures to bring the ship's commander to account. A chain of threatening correspondence ensued between the governor and Gaspee 's commander Lieutenant William Dudingston , and Dudingston's superior Admiral John Montagu . On the night of June 9–10,

516-627: A farm in Scituate. Scituate was once made up of a multitude of small villages, including North Scituate , Hope , Ashland, Clayville , Elmdale, Fiskeville , Glenn Rock, Harrisdale, Jackson, Kent, Ponaganset, Potterville, Richmond, Rockland, Saundersville, and South Scituate. Foster was incorporated as a separate town in 1781, taking the western half of Scituate. In 1915, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to take 14,800 acres (60 km ) of land in Scituate (38% of

602-628: A governor of Rhode Island and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His brother, Esek Hopkins , was Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy beginning in 1776. In 1788 Scituate representative, militia general and Supreme Court Justice William West led an armed anti-federalist mob of farmers into Providence to protest the U.S. Constitution. In 1791 the U.S. Supreme Court decided its first case, West v. Barnes , regarding

688-585: A justice of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions from 1736 to 1746, serving as the clerk of the court for the last five of those years. Other positions that he held during this time period included president of the Town Council, deputy, and speaker of the House of Deputies. In 1744, he was elected as a deputy from Providence, which he held for seven years, and he was the speaker of

774-598: A justice of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas, while also serving at times as the speaker of the House of Deputies and president of the Scituate Town Council. While active in civic affairs, he also was part owner of an iron foundry and was a successful merchant who was portrayed in John Greenwood 's 1750s satirical painting Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam . In May 1747, Hopkins was appointed as

860-617: A justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, serving until May 1749. He became the third chief justice of this body in May 1751, serving until May 1755. In 1755, he was elected to his first term as governor of the colony, and he served in this capacity for 9 out of the next 15 years. One of the most contentious political issues of his day was the use of paper money versus hard currency. His bitter political rival Samuel Ward championed hard currency, whereas Hopkins advocated

946-490: A member of the naval committee established by Congress to purchase, outfit, man, and operate the first ships of the new Continental Navy . Hopkins was instrumental in framing naval legislation and drafting the rules and regulations necessary to govern the fledgling organization during the American War for Independence . The first American naval squadron was launched on February 18, 1776. Hopkins used his influence to secure

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1032-461: A national postal system that was devised by William Goddard , with Benjamin Franklin appointed as the first Postmaster General . This was an idea that had already been implemented in Rhode Island a month earlier. In December 1775, Hopkins was on a committee to report a plan for furnishing the colonies with naval armament. His knowledge of the shipping business made him particularly useful as

1118-510: A party of incensed colonists attacked the vessel and burned it to the waterline. Officially, Sessions was outraged at the incident and offered the colony's assistance in bringing the perpetrators to justice. To ameliorate retribution by the British authorities, Rhode Island officials took visible steps to find the culprits who burned the ship. Behind the scenes, however, Sessions and Hopkins did all they could to thwart any attempts to identify

1204-486: A slave owner, like the majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence , and he mentioned five slaves in his 1760 will consisting of a man, woman, and three boys. They were bequeathed to close members of his family with instructions for their care; this was highly unusual for any slave owner. The woman was named Fibbo (or Phibo, Phebe) and was to go to his wife Anne and be treated "so that Servitude may not be

1290-496: A small margin. The year was mostly occupied with legislation and work related to the pending war with France. Braddock's defeat and the occupation of Crown Point led the colony to send forces to Albany . Late in the previous year, Hopkins and his Attorney-General Daniel Updike were delegates from Rhode Island to the Albany Congress , which convened to discuss the common defense of the collective colonies and to hold

1376-459: A small subscription fee to the library to purchase books which all members could share. Stephen Hopkins , signatory of the Declaration of Independence , was a leading member of the early organization. Many of the early books had to be purchased from England . In 1758, a fire destroyed the majority of the first collection of books, which were then housed at the Providence court house. 71 of

1462-484: A strong supporter of hard currency and also a champion of Newport, and Hopkins sued Ward for slander, putting damages at £40,000. The case was moved to Massachusetts for a fair trial; the judgment went against Hopkins by default in 1759, and he paid the costs. For ten years, the two men went back and forth as Governor of the colony, each at the head of a powerful party. Ward led the wealth and conservatism of Newport, Narragansett, and Kent County, while Hopkins represented

1548-655: A total of nine years as governor; he served until October 1775 while simultaneously serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress . One of the most important events with which Hopkins dealt during his final tenure as Chief Justice was the Gaspee Affair . In March 1772, Deputy Governor Darius Sessions in Providence sent a letter of concern to Governor Joseph Wanton in Newport, having consulted with Chief Justice Hopkins. Sessions expressed alarm that

1634-472: A youth, and his grandfather Hopkins gave him an additional 90 acres (36 ha). Hopkins was interested in astronomy and other scientific endeavors, and he was involved in the observation of the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on June 3, 1769. Joseph Brown had obtained a complete set of the necessary instruments, including a reflecting telescope , a micrometer , and a sextant , and an observatory

1720-563: Is bent, his thin locks, fringing a forehead bowed with age and honorable service, and his hands shake tremulously as he folds them in his lap. It is Stephen Hopkins." The congress was called to protest the actions of Great Britain and to secure the rights and privileges of the 13 colonies. Both Hopkins and Ward had already predicted that independence would only come with war. Hopkins told his associates in Congress, "Powder and ball will decide this question. The gun and bayonet alone will finish

1806-559: Is owned and maintained by the Providence Water Supply Board. The main Scituate reservoir was formed by the construction of a dam across the Pawtuxet River at the former village of Kent. The dam, principally of earth, is about 3,200 feet (980 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) high. Water storage in the reservoir began on November 10, 1925. An aqueduct from the dam feeds the nearby treatment plant which

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1892-542: The Continental Association and Declaration of Independence . He was from a prominent Rhode Island family, the grandson of William Hopkins who was a prominent colonial politician. His great-grandfather Thomas Hopkins was an original settler of Providence Plantations , sailing from England in 1635 with his cousin Benedict Arnold , who became the first governor of the Rhode Island colony under

1978-674: The Continental Congress until September 1776, when failing health forced him to resign. He was a strong backer of the College of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (later named Brown University ) and became the institution's first chancellor. He died in Providence in 1785 at age 78 and is buried in the North Burial Ground there. Hopkins has been called Rhode Island's greatest statesman. In 1774, Hopkins owned six or seven slaves, making him among

2064-673: The First Continental Congress , his former rival Samuel Ward being the other. Hopkins had become well known in the Thirteen Colonies ten years earlier when he published a pamphlet entitled The Rights of Colonies Examined which was critical of British Parliament and its taxation policies. Hopkins signed the Declaration of Independence in the summer of 1776 with worsening palsy in his hands. He signed it by holding his right hand with his left and saying, "My hand trembles, but my heart does not." He served in

2150-539: The Rhode Island Royal Charter . Sessions conferred with Chief Justice Hopkins, lawyer John Cole, and Moses Brown , and the four men drafted a letter to Massachusetts' statesman Samuel Adams . Adams replied by urging Rhode Island to remain defiant, or at least to stall matters by appealing the creation of the royal commission. Governor Wanton was put at the head of this commission but was compliant with Sessions' and Hopkins's attempts to frustrate

2236-477: The Royal Charter of 1663 . As a child, Hopkins was a voracious reader, becoming a serious student of the sciences, mathematics, and literature. He became a surveyor and astronomer and was involved in taking measurements during the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun. He began his public service at age 23 as a justice of the peace in the newly established town of Scituate, Rhode Island . He soon became

2322-621: The 345 titles held by the Providence Library Company were in circulation at the time of the fire and survived. The surviving volumes now make up the Founders' Collection. Brown University moved to Providence in 1770, and the library offered students the use of its books. In 1836, the Providence Library Company merged with the Providence Atheneum (founded in 1831), and the merged organization became known as

2408-715: The British schooner Gaspee had been cruising the Narragansett Bay , disrupting the traffic by stopping and searching commercial ships. Sessions wrote: I have consulted with the Chief Justice thereon, who is of the opinion that no commander of any vessel has any right to use any authority in the Body of the Colony without previously applying to the Governor and showing his warrant for so doing and also being sworn to

2494-603: The Business of the Evening was over, he kept Us in Conversation till Eleven and sometimes twelve O Clock. His Custom was to drink nothing all day nor till Eight O Clock, in the Evening, and then his Beveredge was Jamaica Spirit and Water. It gave him Wit, Humour, Anecdotes, Science and Learning. He had read Greek, Roman and British History: and was familiar with English Poetry particularly Pope , Tompson and Milton . And

2580-613: The Chopmist Hill area was considered as a candidate for the location of the headquarters of the United Nations. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 54.8 square miles (141.9 km ), of which, 48.7 square miles (126.1 km ) of it is land and 6.1 square miles (15.8 km ) of it (11.15%) is water. One of the most prominent features of

2666-667: The Continental Congress and return to his home in Rhode Island, though he remained an active member of Rhode Island's general assembly from 1777 to 1779. He died at his home in Providence on July 13, 1785, at age 78, and he is buried in the North Burial Ground there. Hopkins helped to found the Providence Library Company in 1753, and he was a member of the Philosophical Society of Newport . The town of Hopkinton, Rhode Island

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2752-449: The House of Deputies during two of those years. In 1742, Hopkins sold his farm in Scituate and moved to the settled part of Providence. Here he devoted much energy to commercial interests which helped Providence grow. He became a merchant who built, owned, and outfitted ships, and he was part owner of the privateering vessel Reprisal in 1745, in partnership with John Mawney, sheriff of Providence and son of Colonel Peter Mawney . In

2838-463: The Providence Athenaeum. On December 23, 1848, Sarah Helen Whitman broke off her relationship with Edgar Allan Poe in the building. Author H. P. Lovecraft was not a member of the library, but he lived nearby on College Street; he frequented the library and wrote about it in his letters and stories. In 1838, the current Greek Revival building was completed on Benefit Street by Philadelphia architect William Strickland . A three-story addition

2924-660: The Special Collections of the Philbrick rare book room holds texts dating back to the library's Colonial Era origins: Stephen Hopkins (politician) Stephen Hopkins (March 7, 1707 – July 13, 1785) was a Founding Father of the United States , a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , a chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court , and a signer of

3010-592: The United States wars. During the Revolutionary War, 76 cannons were forged at the Hope Furnace in the village of Hope in southern Scituate. During World War II, a Federal Communications Commission Radio Intelligence Division monitoring facility on Darby Road near Chopmist Hill ( 41°49′11″N 71°38′43″W  /  41.8198°N 71.6453°W  / 41.8198; -71.6453 ) intercepted German HF communications. Because of this, in 1946,

3096-478: The act infuriated Americans, and Samuel Adams of Massachusetts invited all the colonies to a congress of delegates to meet in New York to discuss relief from the unjust taxes. The Rhode Island General Assembly passed resolutions in August 1765 following the lead of Patrick Henry of Virginia . Rhode Island's appointed stamp distributor was Attorney General Augustus Johnson, who refused to execute his office "against

3182-475: The aims of the commission. Sessions, Hopkins, and others coordinated their efforts to lose evidence, threaten potential witnesses, and discredit those who testified. The vast majority of Rhode Island's citizens were supportive of the attackers and kept quiet about their identities. A year after the incident, the royal commission was terminated without a single indictment. In 1774, the First Continental Congress convened, and both Ward and Hopkins were chosen as

3268-458: The attackers. A royal commission was appointed by the British to investigate the incident, and they demanded that any indicted person be sent to England for trial. This egregious threat to local liberty prompted the colonists to form the Committees of Correspondence . Loyalist Massachusetts Governor Hutchinson further aggravated the colonists' sensitivities by urging Britain to rescind

3354-405: The average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the town

3440-718: The bondage of self-sufficient "rational creatures" was against God's will; he also thought that unconditional freedom for some slaves would be irresponsible on his part. To this end, he refused to free his woman slave Fibbo, even though it cost him his membership in the Quaker meeting. His rationale was that "she had Children that needed the Immediate Care of a Mother." It appears that Hopkins's remaining slaves were not freed until after his death, but at least two of them (Primus and Bonner Jr.) had been living semi-independently for several years before his death. Hopkins introduced

3526-532: The chief seat of government." On the same day, without the knowledge of this letter, Hopkins wrote to Ward inviting him to accept the position of deputy governor, which had just been vacated by the death of John Gardner . Neither man accepted the proposal of the other, but the stage had been set for future cooperation. In early 1765, the Stamp Act was passed by both houses of Parliament in England. This act

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3612-480: The colonies. In May 1747, Hopkins was first appointed as a justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court , whose long title was the "Superior Court of Judicature, Court Of Assize, and General Gaol Delivery." In 1751, he became the third Chief Justice of this court, which he held until 1755 when he became governor. Hopkins was once again appointed as Chief Justice of the court in 1770 after

3698-507: The colonies. Historian Thomas Bicknell called it "the most remarkable document that was issued during the period preceding the War of the Revolution." Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson wrote of the paper, "it was conceived in a higher strain than any that were sent out by other colonies." It was printed widely, and Hopkins became recognized as one of the leaders of public opinion in

3784-577: The contest in which we are engaged, and any of you who cannot bring your minds to this mode of adjusting the quarrel, had better retire in time." Hopkins was again elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress which met on May 10, 1775, following the April attacks on Concord and Lexington . This congress convened to manage the war effort, and eventually declared independence from Great Britain. In July 1775, they adopted

3870-559: The daughter of Sylvanus Scott and Joanna Jenckes and a descendant of Providence Plantations settlers Richard Scott and Katharine Marbury; Marbury was the youngest sister of Anne Hutchinson . Richard Scott was the first Quaker in Providence. Hopkins had seven children, five of whom lived to maturity. His wife died on September 9, 1753, at age 46, and Hopkins married Anne Smith, the daughter of Benjamin Smith. They did not have children together. Hopkins's younger brother Esek Hopkins became

3956-411: The delegates from Rhode Island. Hopkins, at age 68, was senior to every delegate there, and only he and Benjamin Franklin had attended the Albany Congress 20 years earlier. Over the previous several years, Hopkins had developed palsy in his hands, and this greatly affected his ability to write. At the seating of this congress, Henry Arniett Brown wrote, "yonder sits the oldest of them all. His form

4042-606: The document, remarking, "my hand trembles, but my heart does not." The gathering of the Founding Fathers was depicted in John Trumbull 's Declaration of Independence , where Hopkins is pictured standing in the back wearing a hat. John Adams appreciated Hopkins's contributions during the congressional sessions: Governor Hopkins of Rhode Island, above seventy Years of Age kept us all alive. Upon Business his Experience and judgment were very Useful. But when

4128-570: The first commander in chief of the Continental Navy , and his brother William became a celebrated merchant. Hopkins's cousin was Quaker preacher Jemima Wilkinson , with whom he was friends. Online sources Scituate, Rhode Island Scituate ( / ˈ s ɪ tʃ u eɪ t , - ɪ t / ; SIH -choo-ayt, -⁠it ) is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island , United States. The population

4214-526: The first governor of the colony under the Royal Charter of 1663 . The early part of Hopkins's life was spent in the wooded northern part of Providence known as Chopmist Hill, an area that became Scituate, Rhode Island. There were no schools in this area at the time, but the books belonging to the family were supplemented by a small circulating collection and provided him with reading material, which he consumed voraciously. Historian Irving Richman refers to Hopkins as "a close and severe student, filling up all

4300-400: The flow of his Soul made all his reading our own, and seemed to bring to recollection in all of Us all We had ever read. I could neither eat nor drink in those days. The other Gentlemen were very temperate. Hopkins never drank to excess, but all he drank was immediately not only converted into Wit, Sense, Knowledge and good humour, but inspired Us all with similar qualities. Stephen Hopkins was

4386-415: The fountain reads "Come hither every one that thirsteth". After falling into disrepair, the fountain was restored to working order in 2018. Today, it continues to operate as an independent, member-supported library. It hosts many cultural events for both adults and children, one of the most famous being its salon speaker series which was launched in 2006. In addition to the books available for circulation,

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4472-414: The growing strength of Providence and Bristol Counties. The two men had been likened to gladiators in an arena, thirsting for each other's life. Hopkins eventually lost to Ward, who was finally elected Governor in 1762. In 1763, Hopkins won back the governorship, and signs of reason between the two men appeared the following year when Ward wrote to Hopkins proposing that both resign their "pretensions to

4558-516: The largest treatment facility in New England. Scituate is the most Republican town in Rhode Island. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election , Scituate was the only town in Rhode Island to vote for John McCain , 51%–47% over Barack Obama . It is the only town in Rhode Island to vote Republican in every presidential election since 2000. Despite this, in earlier days the town was solidly Democratic, with Democrat William Jennings Bryan carrying

4644-463: The merciful and beneficent goodness of Almighty God; by the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord: hath by the blessed Spirit taught all, who honestly obey its Divine Dictates, that, the keeping any of his rational Creatures in Bondage, who are capable of taking care of, and providing for themselves in a State of Freedom: is, altogather inconsistent with his Holy and Righteous Will. Hopkins felt that

4730-534: The mid-1750s, Boston portraitist John Greenwood was commissioned by a group of sea captains and merchants, including Hopkins, to create a satirical painting. The men were stopped at a major trading port in Suriname on the north coast of South America where Greenwood was living at the time. Greenwood concocted a 22-figure tavern scene, showing himself among the affluent traders, many of whom were caricatured as intoxicated. One of Hopkins's enterprises later in life

4816-408: The population. There were 3,780 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and

4902-542: The position of commander in chief of the new navy for his brother Esek Hopkins , an appointment that proved to be unfortunate. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations declared its absolute independence from Great Britain by a nearly unanimous vote on May 4, 1776; the Continental Congress adopted the United States Declaration of Independence two months later on July 2. Hopkins had to support his palsied right hand with his left as he signed

4988-434: The spare hours of his life with reading." John Sanderson writes, "He attached himself in early youth to the study of books and men." Hopkins gained skills in surveying from his grandfather Samuel Wilkinson. He used his surveying skills to revise the streets and create a map of Scituate, and later he did the same for Providence. His father gave him 70 acres (28 ha) of land when he was 19 because of his responsibility as

5074-421: The state population. The surrounding drainage basin that provides water to the reservoir system covers an area of about 94 sq mi (240 km ), which includes most of the town of Scituate and parts of Foster, Glocester, Johnston, and Cranston. The Scituate Reservoir is operated by Providence Water Supply Board. The original treatment plant was state-of-the-art at the time of its construction. The plant

5160-453: The top five percent of slaveholders in Providence at the time. Hopkins was born in Providence in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , the second of nine children of William and Ruth (Wilkinson) Hopkins. His grandfather William Hopkins was very prominent in colonial affairs, having served for more than 40 years as a deputy from Providence, speaker of the House of Deputies, and major. His grandmother Abigail Whipple Hopkins

5246-413: The town in 1908 United States presidential election despite losing statewide by 25 points. In the 2016 Presidential election , Donald Trump won 60.2% of the vote in Scituate. Opponent Hillary Clinton received 34.8% of the town vote. In 2020, Donald Trump received 57.0^% of the town vote, to Joe Biden's 40.9% In the concurrent Senate election, incumbent Democratic Senator Jack Reed received 50.25% of

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5332-469: The town is the Scituate Reservoir. The large reservoir spans a large portion of Scituate and has forever changed the face of the town. During construction of the reservoir, numerous villages were flooded along the former banks of the Pawtuxet River. Some foundations of the old structures are still visible today during times of drought. The reservoir, and a large portion of land surrounding, it

5418-581: The town vote, to Republican Allen Water's 49.57% As of the census of 2000, there were 10,324 people, 3,780 households, and 2,929 families residing in the town. The population density was 212.1 inhabitants per square mile (81.9/km ). There were 3,904 housing units at an average density of 80.2 per square mile (31.0/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 98.13% White , 0.29% African American , 0.07% Native American , 0.58% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.32% from other races , and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of

5504-542: The town) to create a reservoir to supply fresh water to greater Providence. This project resulted in the condemnation of "1,195 buildings, including 375 houses, seven schools, six churches, six mills, thirty dairy farms, eleven ice houses, post offices, and an electric railway system, the Providence and Danielson Railway system". (2) The hamlets of Kent, Richmond, Rockland, South Scituate, Ashland, Saundersville, Ponaganset and parts of North Scituate and Clayville disappeared forever. Scituate has played an important role in many of

5590-411: The use of paper money. The rivalry between the two men became so heated that Hopkins sued Ward for £40,000, but he lost the case and had to pay costs. By the mid-1760s, the contention between the two men became a serious distraction to the government of the colony, and they attempted to placate each other—initially without success. Ultimately, both agreed to not run for office in 1768, and Josias Lyndon

5676-487: The widest margin of any of their previous elections. In 1768, Hopkins proposed to Ward that the two men should relinquish their claims on the elections and agree to a compromise candidate. Ward accepted the proposal, Josias Lyndon was elected as governor, and Ward and Hopkins met and united in a cordial friendship for the remainder of their lives. In November 1764, the Rhode Island General Assembly published Hopkins's pamphlet The Rights of Colonies Examined . This pamphlet

5762-705: The will of our Sovereign Lord the People." The Rhode Island General Assembly met again at East Greenwich in September 1765, choosing delegates to the New York congress and appointing a committee to consider the Stamp Act. The committee reported six resolutions that pointed to absolving all allegiance to the British Crown unless the grievances were removed. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, with news reaching America in May to public rejoicing. In 1764, an act

5848-469: Was $ 60,788, and the median income for a family was $ 67,593. Males had a median income of $ 42,392 versus $ 30,703 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 28,092. About 2.0% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over. In 1839, the Smithville Seminary , a Freewill Baptist institution

5934-597: Was 10,384 at the 2020 census . Scituate was first settled in 1710 by emigrants from Scituate, Massachusetts . The original spelling of the town's name was " Satuit ", a native Indian word meaning "cold brook" or "cold river." The town was a part of Providence until 1731. Scituate's first town meeting was held at the Angell Tavern in South Scituate, with Stephen Hopkins elected as the first moderator and Joseph Brown as clerk. Stephen Hopkins later became

6020-448: Was a daughter of Providence settler John Whipple , sister of wealthy Providence merchant Joseph Whipple , and aunt to Deputy Governor Joseph Whipple Jr. His great-grandfather was Thomas Hopkins, one of the earliest settlers of Providence Plantations . Thomas Hopkins was orphaned and raised by his uncle William Arnold , and he sailed to New England in 1635 with his Arnold relatives, including his cousin Benedict Arnold , who became

6106-435: Was a man of penetrating astutious Genius, full of Subtlety, deep Cunning, intriguing & enterprizing." Stiles added that Hopkins was a "man of a Noble fortitude & resolution" and "a glorious Patriot!" Hopkins has been given strong accolades from numerous historians, including Sanderson, Arnold , and Bicknell , but Richman simply called him "the greatest statesman of Rhode Island." Hopkins married Sarah Scott in 1726,

6192-433: Was a scheme for taxing the colonies, directing that all commercial and legal documents must be written on stamped paper sold at fixed prices by governmental officers, and also directing that a duty be applied to newspapers. Parliament assumed the right to tax the colonies and put additional duties on sugar, coffee, and other articles, and required that lumber and iron from the colonies only be exported to England. The news of

6278-554: Was allegedly burned several times by the local Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and 1930s and closed in 1938, although the summer camp operated until 1974. The Greek Revival buildings and campus are now the Scituate Commons, an apartment complex on Institute Lane. High school students in Scituate go to Scituate High School . The Scituate Art Festival, held every Columbus Day weekend since 1967, features over 300 artists and craftspeople displaying and selling their artwork in

6364-500: Was as a manufacturer, and he became a partner with brothers Moses , Nicholas , Joseph , and John Brown in establishing the Hope Furnace. This enterprise was concerned with iron works which made pig iron and cannons for use during the Revolutionary War . Hopkins's son Rufus managed the business for four decades. In 1755, Hopkins was elected to his first term as governor, defeating his predecessor William Greene by

6450-734: Was completed in 1914, designed by architect Norman Isham . This addition housed the Children's Library until 1979, and now holds the Reference Room. In 1979, a second addition was added by architect Warren Platner to house the Sayles Gorham Children's Library. The building is decorated with artwork including: In front of the library is the Richmond Fountain, a Gothic Revival water fountain dating to 1873, designed by Ware & Van Brunt . The inscription on

6536-423: Was considered to be among the most technologically advanced of its day, and for many years the filtration system was the only plant of its type in New England. As demand continued to grow, the treatment plant underwent major expansions and renovations in the 1940s and again in the 1960s. Today, the plant has a maximum treatment capacity of 144 million US gallons (550,000 m ) of water per day and still remains

6622-443: Was defeated by William Greene for the governorship, but Greene died in office in February 1758, and Hopkins once again became governor. The most divisive political issue of the day was the use of hard money, or specie, versus the use of paper money, and Hopkins sided with paper. Another issue was Newport interests versus Providence interests. For several years, Hopkins was locked in a bitter rivalry with Samuel Ward of Westerly ,

6708-559: Was directed primarily at the Stamp Act and helped build Hopkins's reputation as a revolutionary leader, with its broad distribution and criticism of taxation and Parliament. The text begins, "Liberty is the greatest blessing that men enjoy, and slavery the heaviest curse that human nature is capable of;" it goes on to present a clear and logical review of the relationship of the American colonies with England. The paper received widespread circulation and brought hearty approval from throughout

6794-447: Was elected governor of the colony as a compromise candidate. In 1770, Hopkins once again became chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and he became a principal player in the colony's handling of the 1772 Gaspee Affair , when a group of irate Rhode Island citizens boarded a British revenue vessel and burned it to the waterline. In 1774, he was given an additional important responsibility as one of Rhode Island's two delegates to

6880-402: Was elected to the revived American Philosophical Society in 1768. Hopkins began his public service in 1730 at age 23 when he became a justice of the peace in the newly formed town of Scituate, a position that he held until 1735. He also became the clerk of Scituate in 1731 which he held for 11 years until moving to Providence in 1742. Following his tenure as justice of the peace, he became

6966-636: Was erected on a hill in Providence (later named "Transit Street" in honor of the event). Brown was assisted by a group that included Hopkins, Benjamin West , and others who were also interested in science. The observation enabled them to very accurately determine the latitude of Providence to the nearest second of arc , after which the longitude was determined by comparing observations of the Moons of Jupiter with similar observations made in Cambridge, England. He

7052-463: Was founded in North Scituate and existed on and off as an educational institution until it finally closed in 1876. The Pentecostal Collegiate Institute then moved to the former campus from Saratoga Springs, New York in 1902. When PCI became Eastern Nazarene College and left in 1919, William Holland purchased the property and moved his Watchman Industrial School and Camp there in 1923. It

7138-532: Was named after him. The SS Stephen Hopkins is a liberty ship named in his honor, and it was the first U.S. ship to sink a German surface warship in World War II . Hopkins was instrumental in the establishment of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (now Brown University) as a founding trustee. He served as Brown's first chancellor from 1764 to 1785. His home

7224-619: Was originally located at the corner of Hopkins and South Main Streets in Providence, but it was moved twice after his death, both times to other locations on Hopkins Street. It is now located at 15 Hopkins Street, at the corner of Benefit Street, on the edge of the Brown University campus, and is a National Historic Landmark . In his diary, the Reverend Ezra Stiles wrote of Hopkins, "I well knew Gov. Hopkins. He

7310-441: Was passed incorporating the college in Rhode Island. Ward and Hopkins both strongly supported an institution of higher learning within the colony, and both became trustees of Rhode Island College . Hopkins also became one of the school's most generous supporters and the school's first chancellor, which position he held until his death in 1785. Rhode Island's election of 1767 was as hotly contested as ever, but Hopkins beat Ward by

7396-458: Was placed in operation on September 30, 1926. The Scituate Reservoir is the largest artificial freshwater body of water in the state of Rhode Island. It has an aggregate capacity of 39 billion US gallons (150 × 10 ^  m ) and a surface area of 5.3 square miles (14 square kilometers). It and its six tributary reservoirs—which make up a total surface area of 7.2 sq mi (19 km )—supply drinking water to more than 60 percent of

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