EPVME history (part 3):

The I-195 freeway divides Ingraham's Corners (Warren Ave. and Broadway) from the Broadway business district. There is a pair of memorial signs posted on the south (toward Warren Ave.) and north (toward Rumford) side of the Broadway Bridge. These signs are in memory of WWII veteran John Braga and Korean War veteran, William Halton. William served in WWII, but was killed in action during the Korean War. These are not the original 1961 signs. Most likely, these signs were added in 2007 when this bridge was the first of most of the bridges along the East Providence Veterans’ Memorial Expressway (EPVME) to be reconstructed.

 Let's start, with a correction, at the northern end of S. Carpenter St. There is a sign pointing west towards Lyon Ave. with a School St. sign attached. So the land once occupied by the house next to A. P. Hoyt School is now School St. From S. Carpenter St. east to Broadway is Oakley St.

Prior to piling up dirt to form the Broadway freeway incline, all of the street level houses lining the north side of Oakley Street were moved or demolished. What became of the house where Gilbert Perito (WWII veteran with an I-195 bridge memorial, see series Part 1) and his brother and sister boarded with the Oliver family on Freeborn Ave.? The one story Ambrose house, on the corner of S. Sharon and Oakley St., was moved to Mauran Ave. and Fraser St. The present wall along Oakley St. is an excellent location for a mural vs. patches of painted over graffiti.

Along the corner of Oakley St. and the west side of Broadway was the EP Roller Rink. It extended to Freeborn Ave. where there was a lot (rink parking lot?) and a house (moved to the north side on Agnes St.) on land that is now the start of the west bound on-ramp to Providence. At the top of this on-ramp was the Isidoro house. Their house is now on Berkeley Street. What became of the other houses on Freeborn Ave. and Oakley St.?

On the east side of Broadway, across from where Oakley St. ends, there was the first Broadway Bar, Rocha's Grocery and Meat Market, a parking lot, then Division St.

To the north of Division St., along Broadway were 5 houses belonging to Silva, Pereira (Perry), Andrews, Albino, and Cuddigan's apartments, 1 or 2 lots and a house on the corner of Agnes St. This corner Albino house was moved (by choice) down Agnes St., diagonally to the right, to the east side of N. Hull St. (The Albino family is a relative of veteran Gilbert Perito. Please share info about Gilbert's life.)

Behind (east) the first three of the five houses on Broadway was Cuddigan's Heating and Plumbing Supply store on Division St. Made with cement blocks, the building was demolished and a new store was built nearby on the south side of Agnes St.

There is only one west bound exit into E. Prov., the Broadway exit (formerly exit 6 west). It is where the middle of these 5 former houses on Broadway was located, directly across from Freeborn Ave. Mary and Joseph Andrews raised five sons and two daughters in this house that they built in the early 1930s. This Andrews house was moved to the south side of Reynolds St. so the off ramp could be constructed. Four of their sons, who served in WWII and came home alive, are honored with a memorial exit sign. Unfortunately Joseph Andrews Jr. died on Memorial Day weekend in 2017 so he did not know about or see the memorial exit sign on his family's former street front, narrow, yet deep, house lot with grape vines and gardens. The memorial exit sign with the Andrews brothers' proper rankings will be dedicated during the EPVMER ceremony.

 Do you know any of these 7 veterans, their children, or relatives? Are you a relative? Please contact the families to let them know they (and the public) are invited to the re-dedication ceremony for the bridge memorial signs and the naming of the expressway on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 at Pierce Memorial Stadium, 1-3 pm. Also short biographies will be written about these veterans. Their family and friends are encouraged to share life and military details and photos with the EPVMER 2021 committee ( epvme@hotmail.com ) to help document and preserve this EP history.

View https://sites.google.com/view/EPVMER2021  to read the entire list of 28 veterans' names with memorial bridge signs and to learn more about items (ex. loan of wheelchairs) and volunteers needed (ex. to push attendees in these wheelchairs from the gates to seats in the bleachers) for this special Veterans' Day celebration.

The "Tribute to EP WWII Veterans", a visual presentation of the Military Service Honor Roll, is posted also in the link above. Please visit the city library's internet if you do not have web access to view it. A second visual presentation will pay tribute to our other EP veterans.

The EP Military Service Honor Roll (new version 5) with its origin is posted at ephist.org. Please check and email corrections and new submissions to epvme@hotmail.com . EP residents (past and present) who served in any war, peacetime, reserves, any military event since WWII or are serving now can submit their names. Include "in memory of (dead) " or "in honor of (alive)" last name, rank (in words and abbreviation) first name, middle name or initial, war, or name of the military event served in (or years, country), peace time, active duty, reserves, KIA, POW, MIA, etc., branch of service. Optional: awards, medals, job description, etc. Deadline is Sept. 1. Paper submissions (deadline August 1) can be mailed to the EP Historical Society Attn: Military Service Honor Roll PO Box 4774 Rumford, RI 02916. Please include a SASE or SAS postcard to receive confirmation and if needed, to contact you to clarify the submission.