PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 20, 2009) — Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis invites the public to see how business was done at the turn-of-the-century at a free exhibit at the State Archives in downtown Providence.

“Rhode Island Revisited: The Collections of Howard W. Preston, 1859 – 1936” includes an array of early photographs, postcard views and historical publications depicting large and small businesses during early part of the 20th-century.

“As a historian, bookseller and the first director of the State Bureau of Public Information, Preston had an appetite for preserving images of places of historical significance throughout the state,” said Mollis. “The display depicts an era of commerce that has largely disappeared.”

Some of the businesses highlighted in the exhibit are still familiar names such as The Washington Trust Company. Others such as the Village Store in Kingston are barely remembered.

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Among the other items on display are a circa 1880 view of Newport’s Thames Street retail district, photos of Artic Center in West Warwick and street scenes of Wickford Village in North Kingstown from the 1920s.

Other photos include the Westerly Chamber of Commerce, the Blackstone Valley Gas & Electric Works in Pawtucket, views of Main Street in Warren, the Lonsdale Company in Cumberland and Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston.

“I hope exposure to history like this will inspire Rhode Islanders and remind them of the unique treasures the State Archives has to offer,” said Mollis.

The exhibit is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through June 30 at the State Archives located at 337 Westminster St., in downtown Providence. Free parking is available at the In-Town Parking lot adjacent to the facility.

In addition to hosting special exhibits, the State Archives is also home to thousands of historic documents such as the handwritten, 225-year-old law freeing children of Rhode Island slaves born after March 1, 1784; the 1920 “Act Extending the Right to Vote to Women Citizens” and Roger Williams’ handwritten copy of the original 1638 deed recording the purchase of Providence.

Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information on the “Rhode Island Revisited” exhibit at the State Archives, call (401) 222–2353 or visit www.sec.state.ri.us.