As the nineteenth century rolled into the twentieth, Rhode Island’s industrial production per capita was second to none. The goods made here traveled around the world. And, in fact, they were often made by people who came to these shores from the farthest reaches of the globe. This talk will kick off the RIHS’s annual theme of Rhode Island and The World as we begin to explore how Rhode Island has been shaped by and how it has, in turn, shaped the wider world.

C. Morgan Grefe is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Society, a position she has held since 2011. Prior to this, she served as the Director of the Newell D. Goff Center for Education and Public Programs at the Society beginning in 2005. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania; and earned a Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University in 2005. Her work as a historian focuses on U.S. social, cultural and architectural history, with special attention on carceral history, public history, and Rhode Island. She makes her home in Pawtucket with her spouse, artist Gage Prentiss, and their three exceptional cats.