View source for Pawtuxet Village

{{Short description|Village on Rhode Island, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2009}}
{{Infobox NRHP
  | name = Pawtuxet Village Historic District
  | nrhp_type = hd  | nocat = yes  
  | image = 2023_Gaspee_Days_Parade,_Pawtuxet_Village.jpg
  | caption = Pawtuxet is known for its annual '''Gaspee Days''' celebration
  | location= Bounded roughly by Bayside, S. Atlantic, and Ocean Aves., Pawtuxet and Providence Rivers, and Post Rd., [[Cranston, Rhode Island]], U.S.
  | coordinates = {{coord|41|45|49|N|71|23|27|W|type:city_region:US-RI|display=inline,title}}
  | locmapin = Rhode Island#USA
  | area =
  | built = 1638
  | architect = Multiple
  | architecture = Late Victorian
  | added = April 24, 1973
  | governing_body =
  | refnum = 73000050<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
'''Pawtuxet Village''' ({{Respell|PAH|tucks|it}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farzan|first=Antonia Noori|authorlink=Antonia Noori Farzan|title=Rhode Island pronunciation guide: 35 names that visitors and even some locals get wrong |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/story/lifestyle/2024/07/02/how-do-you-pronounce-quonochontaug-heres-how-to-say-ris-trickiest-names-sachuest-pawtucket-pascoag/73789429007/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=The Providence Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>) is a section of the New England cities of [[Warwick, Rhode Island|Warwick]] and [[Cranston, Rhode Island|Cranston]], [[Rhode Island]], United States. It is located at the point where the [[Pawtuxet River]] flows into the [[Providence River]] and [[Narragansett Bay]].

== History ==
[[File:Pawtuxet Baptist Church, Pawtuxet RI.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.5|Pawtuxet Baptist Church]]
Pawtuxet means "Little Falls" in the [[Narragansett language]], and this area was originally occupied by the Sononoce Pawtuxet band, part of the larger [[Narragansett Indian]] tribe. In 1638, Rhode Island founder [[Roger Williams]] purchased the property extending south from [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] to the Pawtuxet River. Shortly after, his followers [[William Arnold (settler)|William Arnold]], [[William Harris (settler)|William Harris]], [[William Carpenter (Rhode Island colonist)|William Carpenter]], and Zachariah Rhodes settled along the fertile meadows of the Pawtuxet. Meanwhile, [[Samuel Gorton]] purchased the land south of the Pawtuxet River and became the founder of Warwick.<ref>Oliver Payson Fuller (1875). ''The History of Warwick, Rhode Island, from its settlement in 1642''.</ref>

Early 18th-century inhabitants took advantage of the power of the Pawtuxet River by constructing various mills, and took advantage of its excellent harbor by building one of America's premier shipping ports. The Pawtuxet Village Historic District boasts dozens of preserved Colonial structures among its scenic blend of homes and buildings. The mouth of the Pawtuxet River was a strategic location to settle, and gave boats a safe harbor and the village considerable importance in the triangular trade of the day, and shipyards for the coastal and [[West Indies]] trade were located here.

It was here in 1772 where Rhode Island patriots took the first organized military action towards independence by attacking and burning the hated British revenue schooner {{HMS|Gaspée|1763|6}}. This was America's "First Blow for Freedom", known as the [[Gaspee Affair]], and led directly to the establishment of permanent Committees of Correspondence, unifying the individual colonies, and starting the process of the [[American Revolution]]. The cities of Cranston and Warwick celebrate this historic role of Pawtuxet Village by hosting the annual Gaspee Days Parade each June.<ref name="GaspeeEvents" />

During the early 19th-century, Christopher and William Rhodes formed the textile manufacturing firm which controlled the prosperity and swayed the destiny of Pawtuxet for more than half a century. It changed from a shipping port to a mill village with [[textile mill]]s at either end of the Pawtuxet Falls. Pawtuxet shops and businesses of the 19th-century may be seen on old advertising maps from about 1862 to 1870.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pawtuxet.com/historichomes.htm|title = Pawtuxet Village Details of Historic Homes}}</ref>

In the late 19th-century, the Rhodes family developed one of Rhode Island's top attractions called the Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet casino, dance hall, and canoe center. Trolley lines from [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] carried vast numbers to the Pawtuxet area for entertainment.<ref>Donald A. D'Amato & Henry A. L. Brown (1997). ''Pawtuxet, Rhode Island''.</ref>

In the 21st-century, Pawtuxet Village became known as a food destination, with eateries ranging from a tea room, Parisian cafe, Irish pub, Thai restaurant, creperie, ice cream, and more.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ciampa |first1=Gail |title=R.I.'s newest food destination: Pawtuxet Village |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/article/20140115/entertainment/301159921 |access-date=March 16, 2021 |publisher=The Providence Journal |date=January 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903205018/https://www.providencejournal.com/article/20140115/entertainment/301159921 |archive-date=September 3, 2016}}</ref> The Friends of Pawtuxet Village host an annual ''Taste of Pawtuxet'' event to highlight local eateries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taste of Pawtuxet |url=http://www.friendsofpawtuxetvillage.org/TasteofPawtuxet.html |website=Friends of Pawtuxet Village |publisher=Friends of Pawtuxet Village |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref>

==Gaspee Days celebration==
{{Multiple image
| header = Gaspee Days parade
| align = right
| direction = 
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 2/2
| image1= Kingston Reds Historic Militia.jpg
| caption1 = Kingston Reds
| image2= Connecticut Patriots of Plainville with 15-star flag.jpg
| caption2 = Connecticut Patriots
| image3 = Pilgrim High School (Warwick, RI) Patriot Band.jpg
| caption3 = [[Pilgrim High School]] Patriot Band.jpg
| image4 = Mock HMS Gaspee during 2023 Gaspee Days parade.jpg
| caption4 = Mock HMS Gaspee
}}
Since 1965, the town has hosted a multi-day series of events known as '''Gaspee Days''' which commemorates the [[Gaspee Affair]], the 1772 burning of the British revenue schooner HMS Gaspée.<ref name="GaspeeWPRI" /><ref name="GaspeeAbout" /> The events include an arts and crafts festival, fireworks, concerts, 5k race, colonial encampment, parade, and fundraising events.<ref name="GaspeeEvents" /> The Gaspee Days Parade is held annually on the second Saturday in June.<ref name="GaspeeInfo" /> The parade showcases Rhode Island's many ceremonial [[Rhode Island Independent Military Organizations|Independent Military Organizations]] as well as Colonial Fife & Drum Corps and bands from as far away as Connecticut and Massachusetts.<ref name="GaspeeInfo" /> Local dignitaries and civic organizations also participate.<ref name="GaspeeInfo" />

The Gaspee Days celebration concludes with a reenactment of the [[Gaspee Affair|burning of the Gaspée]] at Pawtuxet Park.<ref name="GaspeeWPRI" />

==Notable residents==
* [[Elisha Hunt Rhodes]] (1842–1917), soldier of the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers and diarist of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]
* [[Vanessa Carlton]] (1980–), American singer-songwriter and pianist

==See also==
* {{Portal inline|Rhode Island}}
* [[Experiment (horse-powered boat)|The Experiment]], a horse powered boat first tested here.
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Kent County, Rhode Island]]
* ''[[The Case of Charles Dexter Ward]]'', a 1927 story by [[H. P. Lovecraft]], partially set in the village

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="GaspeeEvents">{{cite web |title=Gaspee Days Calendar of Events |url=http://www.gaspee.com/events |website=Gaspee Days Committee |publisher=Gaspee Days Committee |access-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322022112/http://www.gaspee.com/events |archive-date=March 22, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="GaspeeAbout">{{cite web |title=About The Gaspee Days Committee |url=http://www.gaspee.com/about |website=Gaspee Days Committee |access-date=June 11, 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="GaspeeInfo">{{cite web |title=Gaspee Days Parade General Information |url=http://www.gaspee.com/events/parade/info |website=Gaspee Days Committee |publisher=Gaspee Days Committee |access-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816093245/http://www.gaspee.com/events/parade/info |archive-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="GaspeeWPRI">{{cite news |last1=Sisson |first1=Carl |title=Warwick holds 58th Annual Gaspee Days Parade |url=https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/warwick-holds-58th-annual-gaspee-days-parade/ |access-date=June 11, 2023 |publisher=WPRI |date=June 10, 2023}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Pawtuxet, Rhode Island}}
* [https://www.cranstonri.gov/residents/historic-district-commission/historic-locations/pawtuxet-village-historic-district/ Pawtuxet Village Historic District]
* [http://www.gaspee.com Gaspee Days Committee]
* [https://www.pawtuxetvillageassociation.org/ Pawtuxet Village Association]
* [http://friendsofpawtuxetvillage.org Friends of Pawtuxet Village]

{{National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island}}
{{Kent County, Rhode Island}}

[[Category:Cranston, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Historic districts in Kent County, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Historic districts in Providence County, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:History of the textile industry]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Kent County, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Providence County, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Villages in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Warwick, Rhode Island]]