Wickenden Street in 2008Original settlement plots on the East Side of Providence in 1650. Wickenden's strip of farmland (now Wickenden Street) is highlighted. Wickenden Street and other East Side streets received their names after the names of the original plot owner, (e.g. Arnold, Williams, Angell, Waterman)
The street is named after a rebellious British minister, William Wickenden, who had a farm on the original strip of land comprising modern day Wickenden Street.[2] Wickenden was one of the first settlers in Providence in the 17th century. The area was home to a large Portuguese-American community starting in the 19th century. In 1885 Bishop Hendricken organized one of the first Portuguese-American churches in the area on the site of a former Wickenden Street skating rink.[3] Some of the houses on the Street are still painted in pastel colors in the Portuguese style.
Today, Wickenden Street has numerous independent shops, art galleries, a farmer's market, and restaurants that are popular among local artists, professors and students.
