Yankee Ingenuity Oral History Project

University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2008

Collection Overview

Title:	Yankee Ingenuity Oral History Project
Date range:	1976
Creator:	Wood, Linda P.
Extent:	2 box(es) (.75 linear feet)
Abstract:	The collection consists of interviews conducted by students of Chariho Regional High School with residents of three communities, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton, regarding the four broad areas of education, the town meeting, Yankee ingenuity, and the proposed Charlestown nuclear plant.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 31

Scope & content

Twenty longtime residents of three communities, Charlestown , Richmond , and Hopkinton, were interviewed by seven Chariho senior students who asked several questions in four broad areas – education, the proposed Charlestown nuclear plant, the town meeting, and Yankee ingenuity.

Project directors were Linda Wood, librarian at Chariho, and Paul Eastwood, history teacher and audio-visual specialist at Chariho. Humanists involved in the project were Prof. James Findlay, History Department at the University of Rhode Island, and Prof. Edgar Leduc, Chairman of the Political Science Department at the University.

Student interviewers were: Debra Brown, Stephen Fish, Greg Korean, Phil Loomis, Ricci Sicilano, Karen Weeden, and Mildred Wheeler.

Transcriber was Mrs. Naomi Germia; typists were Miss Patricia L’Heureux and Mrs. Polly Vredenburg.

Arrangement

After processing, the collection was arranged in a single series as follows:

• 1. Original Tapes and Transcripts

Historical Information

“Yankee Ingenuity: Can the Government it forged survive?” was a project sponsored by the Chariho Regional High School and the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, designed to create a dialogue on the relationship of the individual to the local government. Twenty longtime residents of three communities, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton, were interviewed by seven Chariho High School senior students who asked the interviewees questions covering the four broad areas of education, the town meeting, Yankee ingenuity, and the proposed Charlestown nuclear plant.

In the early 1970's, the New England Power Company proposed to build a nuclear power plant at the former Naval Air Station in Charlestown , Rhode Island . However, after a protracted legal dispute from local opposition groups, New England Power abandoned its plans and the Naval Air Station land was deeded to the town of Charlestown for use as a park and wildlife refuge.

The unique tradition of strong local government in rural New England historically has rested on the worth of the individual and his right to give consent. This government model, exemplified best by the town meeting tradition, survives to this day and was forged from the ingenuity of Yankee settlers as surely as were the stolid homes, rambling stone walls and rocky pasture which still grace our countryside.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Open for research.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	Yankee Ingenuity Oral History Project, Mss. Gr. 31, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The collection was transferred by Linda P. Wood in 1976.
Custodial history:	The collection was previously held by Linda P. Wood.
Processing information:	The collection was processed by Russell Franks in 2007.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Nicholas Albaugh.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Nicholas Albaugh on 2008 May 23, updated by Hailie D. Posey on 2009 October 2, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 May 14.
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:

For more information on the Charlestown nuclear power plant and the grass roots efforts to defeat its construction refer to, Representative Claudine Schneider Papers 1973-1990, MsG #89, in the Political Papers section.

Inventory

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Inventory