Smithfield, Rhode Island

Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville. The population was 21,430 at the 2010 census.

History

The area comprising modern-day Smithfield was first settled in the 17th century by British colonists as a farming community and named after Smithfield, London. The area was within the boundaries of Providence until 1731 when Smithfield was incorporated as a separate town. There was an active Quaker community in early Smithfield that extended north to Uxbridge, in the early 18th century. In the 19th century several mills were built in the town. In the mid-19th century the towns of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Lincoln, Rhode Island, became separate towns. In the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan was active in the area, and KKK rallies were held within the town.^[3] Also, the colonial ghost town of Hanton City is located within the town.

Education

Bryant University, a private university with programs in business and the arts and sciences, is located in Smithfield. Smithfield contains several public elementary schools and a public high school, which was ranked 17th out of 52 high schools in Rhode Island in 2006.^[4] St. Phillip's School, a private Roman Catholic academy offering education in grades K-8, is situated in Greenville.^[5] Mater Ecclesiae College, a Catholic college, is also located in the town in a facility that was formerly the St. Aloysius Orphanage.^[6]

Noted residents

• Cyrus Aldrich - (1808–1871), born in Smithfield, United States Congressman from Minnesota.^[7]
• Ronald K. Machtley - Former U.S. Representative.
• Peleg Arnold - delegate to the Continental Congress.
• Daniel Mowry, Jr. - delegate to the Continental Congress.
• Arthur Steere - politician, businessman.
• Don Orsillo - Commentator for the Boston Red Sox on New England Sports Network(NESN).
• David Wilkinson (machinist) - co-builder of Slater Mill.
• Elizabeth Buffum Chace - (1806–1899) Influential American activist in the Anti-Slavery, Women's Rights, and Prison Reform Movements of the mid to late 19th century.

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ In the 1920s, the Klan ruled the countryside
4. ^ http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeRsphp/STATE_RI_level_High_CountyID_0.html
5. ^ http://www.stphilipschool.com/
6. ^ http://www.mecollege.org/
7. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967. 

External links

• Smithfield official website