Wanskuck

Wanskuck is a neighborhood located in Providence, Rhode Island. The word Wanskuck is from the Narragansett language meaning “lowlands” and the land was primarily used as farmland before annexed to Providence. The neighborhood has a current median income per household is below the national median, at $37,328, with 66% of the population renting property rather than buying. The modern source of economic output unique to the area comes from small businesses. 

Today you will see many industrial buildings including the Wanskuck mill, which is now renovated into retail spaces and units for rent. This mill was previously owned by the Wanskuck company who manufactured textiles for armies during the Civil War which provided economic output for the area. The Wanskuck company also built various public buildings for the neighborhood, such as the Wanskuck public library, the Roger Williams Church or Chapel (referred to as the Christ Community Church on its website), and the Wanskuck park, all of which are still here today.

The Wanskuck park itself used to belong to the family who owned the mill, but they requested it be made into a park after they left the property. This was when that area of the map became a part of Providence, and the reason the border between Providence and North Providence is along the edge of this park. Today, it stands as an area that “recalls the once-isolated quality of a remote mill village, now surrounded by the city” (Wanskuck Mill Village). It even states on the Providence website that you might believe yourself to be in the English countryside (Zurier). For many, it is simply a nice place to walk their dogs.

Other areas include the previously mentioned library, the Victory Church, which settled in Wanskuck with a community of people who came together out of the want to worship God, and Mr. Lemon, my family’s personal favorite frozen lemonade stand with a royal customer base that has kept it open for decades. One customer stated, with the stand finally opening after this pandemic delayed it for a month, “It gave us a sense of normalcy.” (McGowan).