The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-03-13
NAMING TIE STREETS.
Capt. Pettis Acts as Sponsor
for Providence Highways.
THE NAMES OF PILGRIM Fathers
Are Now Being Given to the New
streets--Some Strange and interest
ing Facts About the Thoroughfarcs
Of the City.


Providence gives the names Of almost 100
streets that have been accepted as public
highways, Captain Pettis, who occupies
the cosy little Office near the Fulton street
entrance OF the City Hall, can rattle off
the names of nearly 1900 thoroughfares.
The average citizen never heard OF one
half the streets, but Captain Pettis
has personal acquaintance with
them. He has rolled his little
wheel from one end to the other OF every
highway in order to number the houses
correctly and his work has brought him
to wider knowledge of the streets OF Prov
idence than many OF the employees OF the
city.
Besides being in charge of the work of
locating the street signs and numbers
Captain Pettis is often called upon to pro-
vide a name for some new highway.
Years ago there were many streets in
the city of Providence that went under
the same names. There was lack of
system in the City Hall, and the business
was transacted In such hap hazard
manner that 1t was not surprising that
such condition OF affairs should have
existed.
The matter was brought to the atten-
tion OF the Common Council number Of
years ago, however. The citizens found
that there were duplicate names
of streets and they objected very
seriously. 1t was not pleasant for the
strangers who came to the city TO take
Broad street car when they wanted to goto
Olneyville, and the fact that there were
two streets with the same name in the city
did not make the matter any more agree
able.
AT last Captain Pettis was called upon
to furnish the names of streets that were
provided with similar names and when he
made his report the surprised Councilmen
voted to correct the errors.
1t is no easy matter to select names for
about 1000 streets. After the first 1000 the
task becomes more difficult. In providing
these names the city fathers of the olden
time went through the entire catalogue of
names and their efforts may easily be dis
tinguished. There are the old reliable
names, the Westminster, Wcybosset,
Broad, High and Main streets. They then
took the trees, the bodies OF water,
and the divisions OF the land. They even
went so far as to use the names of the
metal currency and at last when their inn
agination gave one long gasp and
expired someone thought OF the
old family names. There were
many families who had lived in Rhode
Island for many generations and their
names were applied to the public thor
oughfares, giving such names as Eddy,
Dorrance, Waterman, Arnold, Harkne's,
Brown and many other streets in various
parts OF the city.
Since Captain Pettis has been In a posi-
tion to suggest names to the Board of
Aldermen more care has been taken in re-
gard to the selection. The captain, who
is an admirer of the Pilgrim Fathers, has
suggested many OF the names of the
worthy men and women who landed
upon Plymouth Rock to build new
nation in new world, and as
new streets are accepted or the names of
the old thoroughfares are changed, more
OF these historic reminders of heroic lives
will be used.
In searching the records OF the town
and afterwards OF the city OF Providence,
Captain Pettis has discovered many inter-
esting and curious facts. Instances were
found where the Council had induced the
name Of streets to be changed, but the
order had never been carried out.
The strangest fact, however, was dis
covered only few weeks ago.
On November II, 1905, the Council voted
that the streets that were then known as
Weybosset, a part OF Broad and a
part of High street, making one
thoroughfare from Westminster street
to High street should be known as Wey-
bosset street. The resolution was passed
without opposition. but the vote was
never carried into effect. 1t stood on the
books of record, but the street signs re-
mained unchanged.
During the latter part OF 1892 the city
passed a vote that was, word for woro,
the resolution that was adopted nearly
ninety years before. At this time every
one imagined that the idea was tho
roughly original, but when Captain Pcti,s
examined the records he discovered the
vote that was passed in 1905.
The street signs have now been changed
and Weybosset street which leaves West
minister street at Turks Head meets il
again at the Cathedral, but the fact that
this should have been done nearly cen =
tury ago, and that many similar errors
have recently been corrected, only proves
that Providence has long needed head to
this department.