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PLEASE REHIDE CACHE IN THE SAME SPOT YOU FOUND IT!!
This is another of our Providence Division Series. You are looking for a small Bison Tube container hidden along the Oneco to Providence section, in Coventry, of the defunct railroad.
CONGRATS TO YAWPPY FOR FTF!
Parking Coordinates off Phillips Hill Rd: N41* 42.046 W071* 38.156
This cache is set out on what was once the Providence Division of the N.Y. & N.E. Railroad. The tracks were torn up in the 1960’s – 70’s.
Here’s the rest of the story . . .
Coventry RI History
History
Coventry was first settled 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 area 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 a city in central England. 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 1600s/early 1700s). The oldest church in Coventry, Maple Root Baptist Church, dates from the end of the 18th century.
During the War of Independence, 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 also changed as these new mill villages were populated by 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, however, worked in the factories. Census records from the late 19th century show that some of them 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 being 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 (which was dismantled in the 1970s, and only within the past 10 years, revitalized as the Washington Secondary Rail Trail|Greenway).
Most of the old factories closed during this time. In the late 20th century, many new people moved to Coventry, most of them being from the Providence area. These new comers moved because of the large amount of land available to build on.
The eastern part of the town became suburbanized. Currently, there is a movement in the town to limit new homes in order to keep the rural flavor of the western part of the town.
West from Providence: 1846-1863
The corridor from Providence, Rhode Island west into New York was originally chartered as three companies. The Providence and Plainfield Railroad, chartered in June 1846, would run from Providence to the Rhode Island/Connecticut state line. The Hartford and Providence Railroad, incorporated in May 1847, would continue west to Hartford, Connecticut, and the New York and Hartford Railroad, chartered and incorporated in May 1845, would continue to the New York and Harlem Railroad at Brewster, New York. In 1849, the two Connecticut companies merged to form the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad, with a modified charter to continue past Brewster to Fishkill, New York on the Hudson River, and in 1851 the Rhode Island company was merged into it. Later that year the first section opened, from Hartford east to Willimantic. Extensions opened east to Providence in 1854 and west to Waterbury in 1855. The HP&F went bankrupt on January 1, 1858, and was run by the trustees until 1863, when it was leased by the newly-formed Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad.
Station listing
Coventry Quidnick
Anthony
Washington
Coventry
Summit
Greene
CT Sterling
Oneco
Plainfield
Moosup
New York and New England Railroad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New England Railroad was the final name for a railroad system connecting New York state with Providence, Rhode Island, Boston, Massachusetts and other parts of New England before its 1898 lease by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Earlier names included the New York and New England Railroad and Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lrf - lbh znl trg jrg.