Jamestown Bridge 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:	Jamestown Bridge Project
Date range:	1989-1991
Creator:	Jamestown Historical Society
Extent:	3 box(es) (1.25 linear feet)
Abstract:	The Jamestown Historical Society sponsored the Jamestown Bridge Oral History Project as part of The Jamestown Bridge from the New Deal to the 1990s: From "The Bridge to Nowhere" to Obsolescence project to document the role of the Jamestown Bridge in the social, economic, and political history of Rhode Island.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 93

Scope & content

60 minute audio cassette tapes of twenty-nine former employees who held different positions with the Jamestown Bridge Commission from the years between 1940 and 1990. Some were office personnel, who had worked for the Jamestown and Newport Ferry Company before coming to work for the Bridge Commission, others worked on the actual construction of the bridge or were responsible for bridge maintenance. The tapes are accompanied by indexes to the individual interviews prepared by Sue Maden. Permission release forms also accompany the interviews. In addition to the interviews, a twelve minute VHS video tape narrated by John Ragland called “A Construction Diary” and a 64 page book with 60 illustrations chronicling the history of the bridge from its inception to 1990 written by Sue Maden are in the collection.

Arrangement

After processing, the records were organized into two series as follows:

• 1. Interview Tapes
• 2. Other Project Material

Historical Information

The Jamestown Historical Society sponsored the Jamestown Bridge Oral History Project as part of The Jamestown Bridge from the New Deal to the 1990s: From "The Bridge to Nowhere" to Obsolescence project to educate Rhode Island citizens and visitors about the role that the Jamestown Bridge has played in the social, economic, and political history of Rhode Island.

Sue Maden, Project Director, and John Ragland, a former carpenter who worked on the bridge during its construction conducted the project as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the bridge in 1990. In addition to the interviews, a twelve minute video tape narrated by John Ragland called “A Construction Diary” was produced, a 64 page book with 60 illustrations chronicling the history of the bridge from its inception to 1990 was published, lectures on the Jamestown Bridge sponsored by historical societies, libraries, schools, and senior citizen group were held, and from June to October of 1990 an exhibit was on display at the Jamestown Historical Society and then the North Kingstown Free Library.

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:	Jamestown Bridge Project, Mss. Gr. 93, 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 donated to the University of Rhode Island Library Special Collections in April of 1991 by the Jamestown Historical Society.
Custodial history:	Transferred directly from the Jamestown Historical Society to the Special Collections Unit.
Processing information:	The Collection was processed in 2007.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Russell Franks.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Sarina R. Wyant on 2008 May 06, updated by Hailie D. Posey on 2009 September 16, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 May 8.
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:	Jamestown and Newport ferry oral history, Mss. Gr. 55; Jamestown and Newport ferry records, Mss. Gr. 48
Separated material:	Original tapes at the Jamestown Historical Society

Inventory

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Inventory