RIC's Roots
An early home for the Normal School in Bristol, 1858-1865. Photo from RIC Special Collections
The Rhode Island Normal School was founded in 1854 to train teachers, one of the first such institutions in the country. Supported and advocated for by the likes of Henry Barnard, Horace Mann, and local educator Thomas W. Bicknell, the school survived a difficult beginning and began to thrive by the 1870s. The Normal School had four homes throughout Providence and Bristol before moving into its own custom building near the State House in 1898.
Rhode Island Normal School Reading List
A History of the Rhode Island Normal School [electronic resource] by Publication Date: 1911
Address at the Opening of the Rhode Island State Normal School at Providence, May 29, 1854 by Call Number: SP COLL LB1948.P9 P8 1854 Ed.Coll.Pam
Publication Date: 1854