2011 -- H 6288

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LC02938

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2011

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J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N

RECOGNIZING BLOCK ISLAND'S MANISSEAN HISTORY ON JUNE 26, 2011

     Introduced By: Representatives Walsh, and Hull

     Date Introduced: June 22, 2011

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, The first founders to establish a community on Block Island were

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Narragansett Native Americans, who inhabited the island for centuries and called it “Manisses”;

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and

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     WHEREAS, In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano, in service to the French crown, sighted

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Block Island, and although he did not land, he named the island “Claudia,” after the mother of

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King Francis I; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1614, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block set foot on the island and so loved

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its beauty and charm that he named it Adriaen’s Eyelandt. He placed it on navigational charts,

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which later recognized it as Block Island; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1660, Block Island was sold by the Massachusetts Bay Colony to a

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company of sixteen men, most of whom constituted its first colonial settlers; and

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     WHEREAS, In the 1990s, an archaeological excavation carbon dated objects found at the

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site of a year-round village on the island, and established its time frame to be 500 B.C.; and

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     WHEREAS, Artifacts found in this area suggested that the inhabitants went deep-sea

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fishing by navigating their dugout canoes through a transient breach way between Great Salt

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Pond and the ocean.  Remains of many sturgeon, a deepwater fish, were found during the

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excavation along the shore of the pond; and

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     WHEREAS, Several archaeological sites also indicated that the people lived primarily by

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catching fish and shellfish, growing corn, and making trades with Wampum; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1661, Native Americans on the island numbered between 1,200 and

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1,500, but by 1774, that number had been reduced to fifty-one; and 

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     WHEREAS, In 1672, Block Island received its town charter from the Rhode Island

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General Assembly and was incorporated by the Colony of Rhode Island as “New Shoreham,

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otherwise Block Island”; and

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     WHEREAS, The tiny community took hold with stubborn independence and prospered

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despite wars, taxation, piracy, and invasion. In 1774, it declared its independence from the crown

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by repudiating British duties on tea; and

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     WHEREAS, Through the ensuing centuries, Block Island remained a ruggedly

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independent yet close-knit community while still fully partaking in global events; and

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     WHEREAS, The people of Block Island remain unabashedly proud of their island and

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their community. They strive to strike a balance among conservation of land, commercial and

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residential development, and affordable living opportunities in today’s economy; and

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     WHEREAS, This year, the current Block Island community celebrates the importance

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and rich heritage of all who have come before to establish communities on and “discover” Block

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Island; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence

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Plantations hereby recognizes that this smallest town in Rhode Island is large of heart, striking in

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beauty, and great in importance; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly hereby extends hearty congratulations at the

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celebration of the New Shoreham, otherwise known as Block Island, Memorial Honoring the

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Manissean Native Ancestors and Descendants on June 26th of 2011.  We furthermore

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commemorate and encourage the preservation of the local indigenous cultures and their historical

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sites; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Shirlyne J. Gobern, Member of the Block

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Island Semiseptcentennial Committee, Administrative Assistant to the Town of New Shoreham,

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and descendant of the original native family.   

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LC02938

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