filed under Arts
Salon tonight
10:50AM ON
02/29/2008
BY
Dave Segal
Tonight the Athenaeum continues it’s “Meanwhile, At That Same Moment…” series, about stuff that was going on at the same time that the Athenaeum opened, in 1838:
Fri, 2/29, 5-7pm: SALON - Meanwhile, At That Same Moment… part 4: Roger Williams University architectural historian Rick Greenwood on transportation, circa 1838. At his 1832 inauguration Providence’s first mayor Samuel Bridgham urged inhabitants of the new city to match the spirit of their age, in which “Every thing physical, intellectual and moral in our country … is marching on with steam-boat and railroad speed upon the highway of improvement.”
The citizenry responded to this metaphoric challenge quite literally, embracing steam transportation along with the associated rhetoric of progress through technology. By 1838 the steamboat and the railroad had become integral parts of city life and potent symbols of Providence’s eagerness to secure a prosperous future through industrial growth and innovation. For Athenaeum members and their guests.
Write a Comment