Need a gift for an Aquidneck Islander? Faculty Emeritus James E. Garman has just published his new book, Looking Back: Historic Tales of Newport County (204 pages, paperback), the sixth in Jim's series of books on local history.
The book is a collection of five individual articles recounting different aspects of Newport County history. Also included are 143 historic photographic images, many from the author's collection.
The book includes articles on (1) the Portsmouth Coal Mine, (2) Tiverton's Soule-Seabury House, (3) Prohibition in this area, (4) a photo tour of Portsmouth a hundred years ago and (5) photographs of the local aftermath of the 1938 and 1954 hurricanes.
The Portsmouth Coal Mine functioned at Arnold's Point off and on from 1809 until 1913. There were many start-up and shut-down operations. Also included here is a brief history of the Taunton Copper Works which functioned at Arnold's Point.
The Soule-Seabury House, a large, federal style home, has stood at Tiverton Four Corners for over 200 years. The house and the Soule and Seabury families have a vast history going back to the earliest days of our history. The family histories are chronicled in this account.
The Prohibition Era (1920-1933) was a fascinating period in local history. This account focuses mainly on the rum-running activity in the Sakonnet River and surrounding areas. It also includes the autobiographical account of a local rum-runner who used 'Herb Reed' as one of his aliases.
O.E. Dubois (c. 1863-1940) was a Fall River itinerant photographer who toured the Sakonnet area in the first decade of the 20th century recording images of the local area. This article has as its focus Portsmouth in 1908. It is a tour of just what the town looked like a hundred years ago.
Photographs of the local aftermath of the devastating hurricanes of 1938 and 1954 were taken by a local professional photographer, Edith Richardson. This is a photo-essay of her work taken around Aquidneck Island in the days immediately following the storms. This collection, previously unpublished, provides a fascination look at the storm damage aftermaths.
Jim, now a writer and lecturer of Newport County history, was a member of the History Department at Portsmouth Abbey School from 1965 until 2004, a total of 39 years. He also coached the Track and Field and Cross Country teams throughout his time at Portsmouth, and served as the School's photographer. At the Abbey he taught U.S., Asian and Russian History and also Photography. He was also a professional photographer from 1981 to 2004. He is a lifelong student of history and he has combined his interests in local history and photography. He has gathered a large collection of local history images, many of which are reproduced in his books.
Jim was born in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College (PA) and has a master's degree in Civil War History from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He has lived on Aquidneck Island since he joined the U.S. Navy in 1961.
He has an abiding mission to help local residents become more aware of the unique history of the communities of Newport County, and that is the reason he writes and lectures on local history subjects. His six books on local history are: Historic Houses of Portsmouth RI (1976); A History of Portsmouth RI (1978); Early Twentieth Century Sakonnet: The Postcard Photography of O.E. Dubois (1983); Traveling Around Aquidneck Island (1890-1930): How We Got Around (1996); and A History of the Gentlemen's Farms of Portsmouth RI (2003) and the newly published Looking Back, Historic Tales of Newport County (2008).
Now retired, Jim Garman is active as a Master Gardener and volunteers many hours each week in that program. He is also a member of the Portsmouth Tree Commission and works on many preservation projects. He is a member of all of the local historical societies and he frequently gives historical lectures to many organizations.
You may contact Jim directly at 14 Sandy Point Avenue, Portsmouth, RI 02871 or e-mail: jimgarman@cox.net
