Prospect Terrace Park is a park located on Congdon Street in the College Hill

College Hill, Providence, Rhode Island

College Hill is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, and one of six neighborhoods comprising the East Side of Providence and part of College Hill Historic District. It is roughly bounded by North Main Street to the west, Power Street to the south, Governor Street and Arlington Avenue to...

 neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

. The park, founded in 1867, overlooks the city's "downcity."

Author and Providence native H. P. Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft

Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....

 frequently visited the park.

A statue of theologian Roger Williams

Roger Williams (theologian)

Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...

 was built in the late 1930s after Williams' descendant Stephen Randall made a deed of gift for the monument. The 35-foot stone statue commemorates Williams' founding of the state of Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 and his promotion for religious freedom. The statue depicts Williams gazing over the city.

In 1939, Roger Williams remains were moved into a tomb that lies directly beneath the statue. His body had been overgrown by the roots of an apple tree next to his original grave. The roots grew over the form of his body, so that it looked identical to a human form. The remainder of his bones were reburied in a bronze casket and placed beneath his statue in Prospect Terrace. The so-called "William's Root" is preserved and is now on display at the John Brown House Museum on the East Side of Providence.