First District Communities - East Providence

The territory, which in 1862 became incorporated as the town of East Providence, was in the mainstream of early American history. It was first settled in 1636 when Roger Williams and his followers were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and founded a new community called "Seacunke" (Seekonk). Williams was soon forced to leave this area and settled nearby in what would eventually become The City of Providence.

It was not until 1862 that the westerly part of Seekonk was annexed to Rhode Island and incorporated as East Providence. A large portion of the city is bordered by water: the Seekonk and Providence Rivers to the west; Narragansett Bay to the south, and the Running and Ten Mile Rivers along most of its eastern border. The land east of the Seekonk River was occupied by the Wampanoag Indians who moved their villages with the seasons. At the end of the 18th Century, the Wampanoag and Sachem tribes had all but vanished from the area, survived only by their woodland trails which today form the area's major transportation routes.

Today East Providence is a growing city whose development is attributed to its central location on an available waterway, it's modern highway and railroad routes and the suburban outgrowth from the Capital City of Providence.

Have a suggestion for your community? Contact Anthony Gemma now!

[ Back to Communities ]