The Old Neighborhood 
South Main St. was the main thoroughfare in Fox Point, which stretched from the waterfront to Brown University on the East Side of Providence. Clustered in tenements, families, relatives and friends lived within shouting distance of one another.
Photos courtesy of Alberto Pereira, Tia Santos, Alves family, Mauricio family
The Voyage of Dreams 
At the beginning of the 20th century, the first major wave of Cape Verdeans arrived in the ports of Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA aboard packets and other sailing vessels.
The SAVOIA, courtesy of the New Bedford whaling Museum The New Bedford Whaling Museum
The Ernestina 
The sighting of the beloved queen of the Cape Verdean packet trade, the ERNESTINA, coming down Narragansett Bay headed toward the dock in Providence, was always an exciting event. Between l948 and l965, the ERNESTINA carried passengers and goods between New England and Cape Verde.
Ernestina archival footage, waterfront and audio materials courtesy Manuel T. Neves. Voices: Captain of the Ernestina, Henrique Mendes and Manuel T. Neves
“Working the Boats” 
Once a bustling port for loose cargo-lumber, coal, scrap iron-most of the men from the Point “worked the boats” as proud members of the Longshoremen’s Union Local l329.
Archival footage courtesy of Eugene Josephs; Archival Photos Local 1329, Tia Santos
Seafarers 
Cape Verdeans engaged in a wide range of maritime activities, from whaling through modern day cargo ships and oil tankers. Many went down.
Rose Pires, New Bedford, MA born September 14, 1912
Granny’s 
Granny’s House. “Control central” for the clan and Cape Verdean culture.
Archival Footage courtesy of Antonio Andrade
“What did you say?” 
The Cape Verdean language, for hundreds of years, has remained a link across the Atlantic and between generations. The issue of language also presented many “challenges” for communication outside of the Cape Verdean community.
Rose Pires, New Bedford, MA born September 14, 1912
Community Displacement 
By the early 1970s, urban renewal, gentrification and Interstate 95 marked the end for three generations of Cape Verdeans who lived “down the Point.”
Archival photos. Andrade Family