Roger Williams Memorial, Prospect Park - Providence, RI - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

In Providence, at Prospect Park within the College Hill neighborhood, is a massive stone retention wall with a sculpture featuring the figure of Roger Williams.

The sculpture is located between Congdon and Wheaton Streets. There are several one way streets, so getting there by car is a bit of a challenge, I approached from the south - some slopes are steep. Though you can see the sculpture better from Wheaton, I found street side parking on Congdon.

Prospect Park (no signs stating this) has two levels. The upper part of the park is off Congdon. There is a spectacular lookout along the edge, which is lined with an iron fence. At the center of this overhang is the monument. The monument has a stone base with the words, "Here Reposes Dust From the Grave of Roger," implying that ashers were incorporated into the sculpture. There is also a survey disk incorporated on the base, between the arches and several feet from the engraved wording. From the base two great square columns rise, spanned with stone, making an arch. Forward of this arch is a larger than life figure of Roger Williams standing at the bow of a boat (the database page says a canoe). Williams is standing erect, if slanting slightly backwards, with his right hand raised to a horizontal position. On the canoe are stylized waves.

Reverend Roger Williams is a well known figure in Rhode Island, and appears to be getting more attention abroad. A new biography was released recently, and the Smithsonian magazine had an article about him. He was born in London around 1803 and arrived in the new world just after Winthrop founded Boston in 1631. He preached in the Boston area, including Salem and Plymouth, but his views did not agree with the views of the colonies there, and eventually he was banished. Long story short, he had befriended the Wampanoags, including Sachem Massasoit, who had given him and followers shelter for the winter and land in present day East Providence. Plymouth Colony forced him to move 'across the river' and he resettled less than a mile from the monument, founding Providence. He later was a founder of the first Baptist Church in America. Among the ideas that he promoted was that government and church should not be intermixed in government - which was the idea behind separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution.

I did not see any sculptor marks. There is an iron fence around the monument so close (safe) inspection is not possible.

I didn't see any plaque mentioned in the text of the web site, but was not aware to look for one.

TITLE: Roger Williams ARTIST(S): Leo Friedlander, Sculptor; Ralph Walker, Architect DATE: 6/29/1939 MEDIUM: Grainite Stone CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 77001757 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Located in Prospect Park, between Congdon and Wheaton Streets, on the slope of College Hill. DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: Noted some minor graffiti on sculpture base. Words on the Base": "Here Reposes Dust From the Grave of Roger"

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