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City of Newport Almshouse [ Newport County] -- Historical Notes |
| Submitted by Dave Mathieson dave@mysticseaport.org |
| Note: The
following statements and quotes are made with the understanding that the
reader understands the circumstances that surrounded the decisions made
and the attitudes that prevailed at that time in history. Dave |
|
The
first Almshouse established in the state of Rhode Island
was located in Newport, Newport County,.
Funds were appropriated by a town vote on July 31, 1723.
I do not know the specific location of the Almshouse as of this
writing. Less
than fifty years later, during the American revolution, the town of
Newport was under direct attack by the landing of a large force of
British troops. Providence
County offered their assistance by receiving and providing for four
hundred of Newport's poor. The
town council of Newport graciously accepted the offer, December 18,
1775, and Providence took
measures for their removal. -
(extracted from the History of Rhode Island) In the publication, "The State of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations At The End Of The Century: A History" ed. by Edward Field 1902, the fifth chapter gives a lengthy dissertation, some 102 pages, on "The Poor, The Defective, and The Criminal". The title of this chapter alone gives the inference of how society looked upon the state of the poor and how they dealt with this segment of the population. |
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