India Point Park occupies the site of Providence’s first port, established in 1680 at the meeting of the Seekonk and Providence rivers. For about 250 years, India Point was a major center of trade and transportation, tied first to commerce with the East and West Indies and later to rail, steamship, freight, coal imports, and immigrant arrivals. Fox Point became one of the city’s key industrial waterfronts, but the port declined after hurricane damage, wartime disruption, shifting shipping patterns, and the construction of Interstate 195. Dedicated in 1974, the park now blends recreation, public events, and reminders of the harbor and immigrant histories that shaped the area.