Free Event: September 21, 2018 –
6:00 – 7:00 pm – Photo Display, Short WPA* film, light refreshment
7:00 – 7:30 pm – Talk by David Robinson, M.A., RPA, URI marine archeologist, on the destruction of the Whale Rock Light during that storm.
Location: The Coastal Institute, URI Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett
This event is sponsored by the Narragansett Historical Society, URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography,
and South County History Center
On September 21, it will be exactly 80 years since the brutal New England Hurricane of 1938 hit our shores, unannounced, causing many tragic deaths, as well as much destruction and devastation. Weather forecasting has come a long way since that terrible day, primarily due to an urgent act of Congress to provide funds to improve the science and ability to track and predict these violent storms.
In remembrance of that day, there will be a photograph display, a short WPA* film, and a lecture at the Coastal Institute, URI Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett. Free parking is available just before the Coastal Institute building. Turn left on Tarzwell Road, then a quick right into the parking lot.
This event has been organized by our board member, Donna Rodgers. The many photographs tells of the storm’s dramatic effects on Rhode Island’s south shore, concentrating on Napatree Point, Watch Hill, Charlestown, Narragansett, and Jamestown.
The program is sponsored by the Narragansett Historical Society, URI’s School of Oceanography, and the South County History Center, and is free and open to the public. Registration not required. We hope to see you there!
*WPA – Works Progress Administration – put in place by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
Shirley Eastham
Narragansett Historical Society