This is the fourth oldest library in America, and the oldest one in Rhode Island.  It was founded in 1753 as a subscription library, and it is said that Edgar Allan Poe carried on an illicit affair with the poet Sarah Whitman within the book stacks.  They were engaged to be married and their nuptials were even announced in a Connecticut newspaper, but Sarah’s mother put the kyebosh on it when she found out that Poe was also having an affair with another woman at the same time.

It was fun to wander around and wonder if I was standing in the very same spot that Edgar Allan Poe used to smooch his girl.

Bonus shot:

What you see here is the “new” train tracks where Amtrack trains run underneath the Providence Place Mall on their way to New York City and other points south.

Buddy Cianci gets a lot of credit for rebuilding the city of Providence into a vibrant center of culture and arts, but the true reason these train tracks follow this path is because a man named Warner was out drinking with his architect buddies in 1981.  As the booze kept flowing, they sketched out a plan to move the rivers and the train tracks to more convenient locations so that more malls and other projects could be developed.

Yup, that’s right – here in Rhode Island we move rivers and trains to build malls.  A reproduction of the bar napkin appears in the book “Providence:  The Renaissance City” – complete with wine stains!

A favorite subject of mine.  Built during 1795-1904, it’s the fourth largest self-supporting dome in the world, and the second largest marble dome in the world (losing that distinction to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome).

This building is featured in several movies, most notably as representing the US Capitol Building in the movie “Amistad.”

Also of interest, it was one of the first public buildings to use electricity.

The statue at the top is called the Independent Man. It’s a bronze statue covered in gold leaf, and is meant to represent the independent spirit of Roger Williams, who fled Boston to found Rhode Island in search of religious freedom from the Quakers.

Inside the courtyard at the John Brown House/Museum in Providence, RI.  They don’t allow photography inside the museum for insurance purposes, as many of the items on display are on loan from private collectors.

The house was the grandest mansion in the State of Rhode Island when it was built in 1788.

On the grounds of the John Brown house in Providence, RI.  John Brown made most of his money by being a slave trader, but is best known for founding Brown University. 

The gold dome is the top of the Old Stone Bank building in Providence.  The Old Stone Bank building was designed in 1854 and the view here is from the Gov. Stephen S. Hopkins House.  It’s distinctive roof is a local historical landmark, and still glows with pride in the late afternoon sun.

Old Stone Bank was most popular here in RI in the late 1960′s, having 14 branches.  It failed in 1993 after a bad deal with the federal government.  It exists today as a paper company, pursuing lawsuits and tying up loose ends.  The actual building is now owned by Brown University today.

Sometimes I forget to look up.  This time I was glad that I didn’t.