Settled in 1636, Incorporated in 1832

• Founded by Roger Williams
• Gets its name from “God’s merciful Providence”
• Home of H.P. Lovecraft, the early 20th-century science fiction writer
• Providence was a refuge for religious dissenters of the 17th century, thanks to Roger Williams’ beliefs in religious freedom.
• Before the Boston Tea Party, there was a much more aggressive attack against the British and their taxes  by the people of Providence known as the Gaspee Affair