College Hill in Providence in Providence County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
A Place for Your Ideas
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 18, 2017
1. A Place for Your Ideas Marker
There is no National Memorial to Roger Williams here [in Washington], unlike the monuments to other national heroes like Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. Our National Memorial is in Rhode Island, where he lived and left us a philosophical legacy of incomparable worth. Senator Claiborne Pell, sponsor of the original legislation creating the memorial, on its 30th anniversary, October 22, 1995
This site has changed drastically since the 1950s. Industry moved away. Infrastructure deteriorated. Retail followed the population to the suburbs. The site, cleared as an urban renewal project, was ready for a new use. Congress created this memorial in 1965 to commemorate Roger Williams's "outstanding contributions to the development of the principles of freedom" in the United States.
Take time to contemplate his legacy in this urban oasis. Sit quietly, walk the winding paths, and find a place for your own ideas.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1965.
Location. 41° 49.877′ N, 71° 24.639′ W. Marker is in Providence, Rhode Island, in Providence
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Witness to History (a few steps from this marker); Gabriel Bernon (a few steps from this marker); Snowtown Riot 1831 (within shouting distance of this marker); Seasonal Gathering (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cathedral of St. John (within shouting distance of this marker); Roger Williams National Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Wellspring of Providence (within shouting distance of this marker); The Original Water Supply (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Providence.
Also see . . . Roger Williams National Memorial: History & Culture.
The memorial, a 4.5 acre urban greenspace located at the foot of College Hill in downtown Providence, includes a freshwater spring which was the center of the settlement of Providence Plantations founded by Williams in 1636. It is on this site that Williams, through word and action, fought for the ideal that religion must not be subject to regulation by the state but, instead, that it should
2. Marker detail: Roger Williams Memorial map
By 1975, the site (image above) had been cleared of buildings and the Angara-Gray House, which is now the memorial visitor center, was moved 40 feet south of its original location onto the new memorial grounds.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 18, 2017
3. A Place for Your Ideas Marker (wide view)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 18, 2017
4. Roger Williams National Memorial Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 204 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
