THE SNOWTOWN RIOTS

A major confrontation between local blacks and whites occurred during a four-day period between September 21 and 24, 1831. On the evening of Wednesday, September 21st a brawl between white sailors and blacks living along Olney Street (near the corner of North Main) escalated into gun fire with one white being fatally shot.

Later that week the rioting continued and spread to another black neighborhood called Snowtown near the present site of the State House. Five local militia units were called in to restore order. On Saturday night, September 24th a large crowd gathered near the corner of present-day North Main and Smith streets and began pelting the militia with rocks and sticks and damaging nearby homes. Ordered to disperse, the crowd grew even bolder, surrounding the militia wounding several. The troops fired on the crowd, killing four and wounding many others.

The documents shown here are a call for a special town meeting issued by the town clerk Richard M. Field at 2:00 a.m. on September 25th a short time after the bloodshed.

Also shown here are the resolutions adopted by the town meeting on the 25th lamenting the loss of life, but justifying the action to prevent the "lawless attack on private property."

The Snowtown riots provided a dramatic and tragic illustration that a town meeting form of government was not able to effectively deal with the town's growing and diverse population. Less than a year later the town of Providence incorporated as a city.

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