If you live in Kent or Providence County, Rhode Island you may have unknowingly traveled along a 19th-century railroad route. What we know today as the Washington Secondary Bike Path was once a working railroad corridor that carried steam locomotives south out of Providence, through the mill villages of Cranston, Warwick, and West Warwick, and into the rural countryside of Coventry. Known as the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad, the line stretched from the state’s capital all the way west to the Hudson River. It carried passengers, freight, farm goods, and raw materials—linking Rhode Island’s industrial core to inland Connecticut and the markets beyond. Unfortunately, This railroad has largely been forgotten, and its stories are fading from memory. But I’d like to change that. This is Forgotten Railroads of Rhode Island, where we uncover the hidden tracks, lost stations, and forgotten stories of the state’s vanished railroads. For today’s episode, we’re traveling back to nineteenth century Rhode Island to follow the route of the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad. We’ll start in Providence, where the state’s industrial might and railroad network converged, then make our way west through the factory towns that once pulsed with energy, before wrapping up in the small, rural villages of western Coventry. Along our journey, we’ll bring this old railroad back to life and learn about the people and places that give Rhode Island such a rich history. Overview / Historical Context The Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad emerged in a rapidly industrializing world. In Rhode Island, that transformation was especially pronounced. After sparking the American Industrial Revolution in the 1790s, Rhode Island spent decades fully embracing manufacturing. By the mid-nineteenth century, an economy once rooted in farming and maritime trade had become dominated by mills, machine shops, and industrial villages. But This rapid industrial growth created a new problem: transportation. Rhode Island’s manufacturers needed faster, more reliable ways to move raw materials in and finished goods out, and existing roads and waterways could no longer keep pace. But Railroads offered the solution. By 1847, three major lines were already in operation—the Boston and Providence, Stonington, and Providence and Worcester Railroads. And once Rhode Island’s industrialists saw what railroads could do, there was no turning back. They saw their next opportunity just forty-five miles west in Hartford, Connecticut, another growing manufacturing center. A railroad linking Providence to Hartford—and eventually to Fishkill Landing on the Hudson River—promised access to inland markets and connections far beyond New England. By 1855, the line between Hartford and Providence was complete, connecting the state’s founding town to a new set of mill villages and rural communities in Cranston, Warwick, West Warwick, and Coventry. By the end of the nineteenth century, this railroad was operating at the height of Rhode Island’s industrial power. The state had become a national leader in textiles, steam engines, jewelry, silver, and small tools—an achievement that helped make it the wealthiest state in the country and ushered in what became known as Rhode Island’s golden age. And so this is the world we step into as we follow the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad: a state alive with industry, movement, and ambition. And our journey begins where the line met the heart of that economy—its eastern terminus in Providence. Providence It would be irresponsible to discuss Rhode Island’s late 19th century economy without mentioning Providence. Home to more than thirty percent of the state’s population, the city’s industrial influence reached far beyond Rhode Island. It was the nation's leading producer of silverware, jewelry, wool and worsted goods and home to some of the largest manufacturing companies in the entire world. Known as Providence’s Five Industrial Wonders, businesses like the Corliss Steam Engine Company, Nicholson File Company, Gorham Manufacturing Company, the American Screw Company, and Brown & Sharpe led their respective industries. And like a more modern Rome, all of Rhode Island’s major railroads led to Providence. Acting as the heart of this rail network and the place where our journey begins is the former location of Rhode Island’s first unified railroad depot. designed by 21-year old Brown student Thomas Alexander Tefft, it was known as the union station and was where trains traveling west on the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad began their journey. Passengers must have marveled at the union station—considered at the time to be the longest in America and later praised by the American Institute of Architects as one of the best in the country. But the station didn’t come without sacrifice. To make room for the station they filled in part of the cove behind it, shrinking this historic body of water into what would become known as the Cove Basin. By 1900, the cove had been completely filled in to make way for industrial expansion. Unfortunately, the station failed to survive as well. A catastrophic fire largely destroyed the building in 1896, enabling the city to act on already approved plans to replace the building with a new Union Station, a building that still stands today but that now acts as a food hall. Once trains on the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad departed this area they would then head west through the Providence neighborhoods of Smith Hill and Valley. Along their way, they would pass industrial powerhouses Brown and Sharpe and the Nicholson File Company before heading south through Olneyville and Silverlake. From there, the line enters Cranston, where we’ll visit the first of many mill villages along our journey. Mill Villages By the late nineteenth century, numerous mill villages had emerged from Rhode Island’s industrial economy - many of which were located in Cranston, Warwick, and present day West Warwick. Providing freight services for these mill villages was The Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad. During Rhode Island’s golden era, the trains carried finished goods out and raw materials in for the mills. Today, the line's tracks have disappeared and been replaced by the Washington Secondary Bike Path, a trail we embark on shortly after arriving in Cranston. Anyone traveling this route by train in the early 1870s, would’ve seen smoke coming from the Cranston Print Works - a business owned by the Sprague family whose industrial empire was one of the most powerful in America. Their overarching company, A. & W. Sprague Manufacturing was the largest calico printing mill system in the world and employed nearly 10,000 workers - making it a pivotal part of the Rhode Island economy. Unfortunately, like many businesses at the time, A. & W. Sprague Manufacturing was highly susceptible to America’s volatile economy, a reality that came to life during the Panic of 1873. The financial crisis was so severe that it brought the entire company down, making it the nation’s largest business failure at the time. But other businesses were able to weather this economic storm - one of which we’re introduced to as we continue our way south down the railroad's former corridor and into Warwick and present day West Warwick. Upon arriving, we see the names of various mill villages surrounding the railroad line - Pontiac, Natick, Lippit, Riverpoint, Arctic, and Centreville, names that you’ve heard a thousand times if you’re from the area. And even if you’re not, you’re almost definitely familiar with the brand that emerged out of one of these villages - Fruit of the Loom. The brand’s origins begin with the creation of the B. B. & R. Knight Company, which was started by brothers Robert and Benjamin Knight at the Pontiac Mills. When the brothers noticed their clothing selling fastest under hand-painted fruit labels added by a local merchant’s daughter, it inspired them to adopt the imagery themselves—giving rise to Fruit of the Loom. Realizing their products were a hit, the brothers constructed a newer, larger mill powered by George Corliss’ state-of-the-art steam engine. Sales of Fruit of the Loom grew steadily, helping the company survive the Panic of 1873 and become one of the world’s largest textile manufacturers by the 1880s. Flush with cash, the brothers began purchasing and expanding nearby mills. They acquired the formerly Sprague owned Cranston Print Works, along with the mills at Natick, Lippit, Riverpoint, Arctic, and Centreville. By the end of the 19th century, this part of Rhode Island became synonymous with the Fruit of the Loom brand - home to villages filled with houses, stores, and churches built or owned by the Knight family. With most of these mill buildings now living spaces or having been torn down completely, it’s hard to picture them filled with people and machinery that churned out products for the entire world. And with The Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad’s former right of way now a bike path, it’s easy to forget that trains once traveled along these narrow corridors. It’s perhaps more incredible to think that this area was so full of industrial activity that the trains were not a center piece but merely another part of a vast industrial landscape. But in other areas this railroad played a much bigger role. It not only supported other villages but created them. And we learn about these communities as we head to the final leg of our journey in western Coventry. Coventry As we continue west along the Washington Secondary bike path we come across a set of villages that emerged because of the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad. The first village grew around a depot built on the railroad's high point, explaining why it became known as Summit. Along with a handful of houses, it consisted of a couple of mills, a church, a library, and a general store—the latter three buildings still standing today. On a similar note, another station was built about two and a half miles west on Hopkins Hollow Road. Named for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, the village eventually grew into an important depot and marketplace. It was from Greene where locals supplied Providence with dairy goods and large quantities of lumber. At its height, it consisted of stores, workshops, mills, and a box factory, and grew large enough that a new residential road—Benefit Street—was laid out to serve its expanding population. It’s in between Summit and Greene where the bike path ends and the railroad's old route turns into a wooded trail. Along that path, we eventually come across the final remnant of this old line. Only about a mile short of the Connecticut border is an old bridge that was once traversed by freight trains and passenger cars while on their way to and from Hartford. Its steel beams and cement foundation, clearly out of place in the quiet woods of western Coventry, remind us of how much the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad altered its surroundings. But like the railroad itself, these transformations were only temporary. To understand why places like Summit and Greene faded back into the countryside, we have to step back and look at the forces that shaped—and ultimately unraveled—the railroad itself.. Decline/End of Service The Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad faced challenges throughout its history. The Panic of 1857 pushed it into bankruptcy just years after opening, and even after recovering, it struggled against competitors with more efficient routes. This grew especially pronounced in 1888 with the creation of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, a shortcut that provided a far more direct line to Central Connecticut. The line struggled along but Passenger service eventually ended in 1932, and freight continued in slow decline until 1988, marking the railroad’s final closure. As a result, the commercial centers of Greene and Summit reverted back to sleepy villages amongst an even quieter rural landscape. And mimicking the railroads' slow demise throughout the 20th century were the mill villages to the east. With southern manufacturing undercutting Rhode Island’s manufacturing base many industrial businesses—including Fruit of the Loom— were forced to close or relocate. The negative effects of deindustrialization were felt in Providence as well. With most of the city’s most important businesses moving elsewhere, so too did the people. From 1945 to 1985 Providence’s population declined by 40% - making it clear that Rhode Island’s industrial might was a thing of the past. Closing And so, because of the railroad’s decline and the changes that followed, it’s easy to see the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad as a somber story. But I see it differently. Through my family’s ties to the places this railroad once served, I see an example how easy it is for Rhode Islanders to form personal connections to their state—a place where so much history is packed into such a small space. Let me explain For instance, Both my dad and grandparents worked at the mills that surrounded the railroad - my grandma at Lippit Mill and my father and his father at Royal Mills, two factories that were once part of the Knight brother’s textile empire. Once my dad graduated high school he went on to work at Brown & Sharpe, one of the industrial giants the line once passed. Then, when the Royal Mills were converted into apartments, my brother, sister, and her husband took up residence there. Meanwhile, another one of my sisters lived in the village of Summit, in a historic house just steps from the train’s old right of way. It’s personal connections like these, connections so easy to come by for most Rhode Islanders, why I believe we have such a deep bond with our state’s past. They allow us to weave old buildings, former mill villages, or even a simple railroad into our own family stories, and that’s part of what gives this state its rich history.