A collection of regional sketches and historical anecdotes that evoke coastal Rhode Island life from colonial through early American times. It blends family chronicles, folklore, and local traditions—elopements, weavers, slave quarters, sea commerce, church customs, superstitions, and landscape descriptions—paired with architectural and material culture details such as houses, furnishings, and domestic crafts. The essays trace social patterns, seasonal customs, and personal memories to portray a vanished rural community and its mixture of wealth, labor, and belief.