PROVIDENCE – A bronze marker has been installed at the Meeting Street Steps on College Hill in Providence, noting its historic significance.
Restoration of the historic foot path was completed in 2018, after head-on collisions by two drivers over the past three years. Over the years, the steps had deteriorated to the point where they couldn’t be used.
The Providence Preservation Society, which was involved in the restoration, recently announced the marker.
The steps at the location mark one of Providence’s earliest roads. It was established in the mid-1800s and is now called Meeting Street. According to local tradition, R.I. Gov. William Sprague IV, who was governor during the U.S. Civil War, rode his horse up the steps on his way back home from the Old State House.
Funding for the restoration was provided by the Providence Preservation Society, with donations from the Lillian Cumming Streetscape Fund and Cornish Associates LP.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
