Misquamicut

Originally named Pleasant View, Misquamicut is a lovely stretch of beach located in southern Rhode Island. Court Bliven and his wife named the area for its remarkable views. They built the first cottage, called the Pioneer, in 1894 and the Wigwam Hotel in 1905. The trolley came to the area in 1908, and by 1911, there were three major hotels, a casino, a village square, and 150 cottages. Its Victorian charm attracted visitors from all parts of the country, but the Hurricane of 1938 devastated Misquamicut and destroyed many of its photographs. Misquamicut brings together more than 200 vintage postcards, many very rare, in chronological order dating from 1894 to today.

Donald L. Gentile and Bernard L. Gordon have lived in Misquamicut all their lives. Almost all the postcards in Misquamicut have come from their personal collections. Many of the postcards from the 1960s to 2008 were published by Gordon, whose postcard collection numbers in the thousands.