page_title: Coventry, Rhode Island
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Coventry, Rhode Island / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a pic from page 85 of: "The Remains of General Greene," By Rhode Island General Assembly. Joint Special Committee on the Remains of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, Edward Field, Asa Bird Gardiner, Rhode Island General Assembly, 1903 Published 1903 E.) Dansk: Dette er et billede fra side 85 i: "The Remains of General Greene," Udgivet af Rhode Island General Assembly. Joint Special Committee on the Remains of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, Edward Field, Asa Bird Gardiner, Rhode Island General Assembly, 1903 Udgivet 1903 E.) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1925. Public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. If the work is not a U.S. work, the file must have an additional copyright tag indicating the copyright status in the source country.
context_page_description: Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 35,014 at the 2010 census.
context_section_description: Coventry was first settled by English colonists in the early 18th century, when the town was part of Warwick. Since the area was so far away from the center of Warwick, the section that became Coventry grew very slowly. However, by 1741, enough farmers (about 100 families) had settled in the area that they petitioned the General Assembly of Rhode Island to create their own town. The petition was granted, and the new town was named "Coventry", after the English city. For the rest of the 18th century, Coventry remained a rural town populated by farmers. Among the buildings that survive are the Waterman Tavern (1740s), the Nathanael Greene Homestead (1770), and the Paine Homestead (late 17th century/early 18th century). The oldest church, Maple Root Baptist Church, dates from the end of the 18th century. The congregation was organized in 1762 and was affiliated with the General Six-Principle Baptists.
  During the Revolutionary War, the people of Coventry were supporters of the patriot cause. Nathanael Greene, a resident of Coventry, rose through the ranks to become a leading general of the American army. By the end of the war, Greene was second in command in the US army after George Washington.
  In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution came to Coventry with the building of the first mill in Anthony. Over the next century, the eastern end of town became very industrialized, with manufacturing centers being located in Anthony, Washington, Quidnick, and Harris villages. Many of the old factories still stand in the town, and the village centers (in particular, Anthony and Quidnick) remain mostly intact. The demographics of the town changed, as industrial jobs at these new mill villages attracted French Canadian and Irish immigrants. By the end of the 19th century, almost one fourth of the population was born outside the US, and French was the primary language for many of the people in the eastern part of Coventry. Not all immigrants worked in the factories. Census records from the late 19th century show that some owned farms.
  By comparison, the western end of the town remained very rural, with the only centers of population being located at Greene and Summit, both established as railroad stations on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
  In the 20th century, the town went through much change. The advent of the automobile brought an end of the railroad. (The track was dismantled in the 1970s, and in the early 21st century, the right of way was revitalized as the Washington Secondary Rail Trail/Greenway). By the mid-20th century, industry had largely left the town and most of the factories closed.
  Since the late 20th century, the town has attracted new residents, and the eastern part of the town became suburbanized. In the early 21st century, a movement in the town has developed to limit residential development to keep the rural flavor of the western part of the town.
caption: General Nathanael Greene Homestead pictured in 1902
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