Roger Williams National Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Roger Williams National Memorial | |
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| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location: | Providence, Rhode Island, USA |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 4.56 acres (18,500 m²) |
| Established: | October 22, 1965 |
| Visitation: | 50,668 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Roger Williams National Memorial is a landscaped urban park located on a common lot of the original settlement of Providence, Rhode Island by Roger Williams in 1636. Bounded by North Main, Canal, Smith, and Haymarket Streets, the memorial commemorates the life of the co-founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and a champion of the ideal of religious freedom. Williams, banished from Massachusetts for his beliefs, founded this colony as a refuge where all could come to worship as their conscience dictated without interference from the state.
[edit] Administrative history
The national memorial was authorized on October 22, 1965. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. As of 2006, it is the only unit of the National Park System in Rhode Island. Touro Synagogue National Historic Site in Newport is an affiliated area of the National Park Service, but not formally part of the System.
[edit] References
- The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
[edit] External links
- Official NPS website: Roger Williams National Memorial
