[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOUTH KINGSTOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 300th 
anniversary of the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, home to some 
of our State's most iconic, historic, economic, and cultural treasures.
  Formally established in 1723, South Kingstown's origins can be traced 
back to the Pettaquamscutt Purchase of 1658, where the founder of our 
State, Roger Williams, and Narragansett sachems signed a document 
establishing the settlement of Kingstown Village, which became one of 
the five original State capitals of Rhode Island.
  With the coming of the industrial revolution, the villages of Peace 
Dale and Wakefield in South Kingstown became economic engines, 
employing thousands and defining life for many South Kingstown 
residents well into the 20th century.
  Some of these old South Kingstown mills are still standing today, 
including Kenyon's Grist Mill, the oldest continuing manufacturing 
business in Rhode Island, dating back to 1696.
  South Kingstown is also home to the University of Rhode Island, 
founded in 1892, our State's flagship public land-grant university, 
that today is leading research and innovation in the blue economy, with 
disciplines ranging from engineering to oceanography, entrepreneurship, 
healthcare, and so much more.
  The town has grown and evolved but has never lost its rural 
character, beautiful seascapes, and hardworking roots. Whether it was 
the farmers who tilled the land, the millworkers who built the middle 
class, or the university researchers on the cutting edge of innovation, 
everyone in South Kingstown, from Wakefield to Matunuck, Peace Dale, 
and Usquepaug, has contributed to the town's success in one way or 
another.
  The people of South Kingstown built a strong and vibrant community 
over the past 300 years, and may South Kingstown continue to thrive for 
generations to come.

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