Providence Walks: Downtown Historic Timeline

1636
Providence founded by Roger Williams
 

1764
Brown University is founded

1776
Rhode Island is the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain

1790
Population is 6,380

1815
Great Gale hits Providence, caused severe damage and flooding

1829
Providence Journal begins daily publishing

1835
Providence and Boston Railroad begins operating

1847
Providence and Worcester Railroad begins operating

1848
Union Railroad Station opens

1868
Beginning of Providence’s Golden Age

1875
Cornerstone of City Hall laid on June 24

1877
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is founded

1900
Population is 175,597

1914
Johnson & Wales University is founded

1938
Hurricane of 1938, Providence submerged under nearly 11-foot storm tide

1940
Peak population is 253,504

1954
Hurricane Carol, downtown Providence flooded 

1966
Fox Point Hurricane Barrier completed, first of its type in the U.S.

1986
Providence River Relocation Project begins

1994
Waterplace Park opens and WaterFire debuts