Black History Adds a New Dimension to Local Lore

Exploring a rich vein of African American life provides novel perspectives on familiar North Kingstown figures.

Wickford’s Town Dock probably doesn’t rank on anyone’s map of black history landmarks, but Saturday morning local historian G. Timothy Cranston, author most recently of “Walking in Wickford,” wove the dock, the Old Narragansett Church, and several historic houses into a memorable tour of local African American history. Cranston’s history walk, the season’s first sponsored by the North Kingstown Free Library, took two dozen attentive history buffs from Colonial times to the 21st century. At the dock, for example, 18th-century ships disgorged molasses for two Wickford rum distilleries as part of the infamous “triangle trade.” As Cranston reminded his listeners, Wickford ships carried the rum to Africa, where it helped pay for slaves. Ships …

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