Our Upcoming Events:
October 19 - We have invited two members of the Friends of the Hunt River Watershed to give us an overview of their organization. The Hunt River is a little known river in the heart of Rhode Island, once used to power mills, it is now the home to beavers and other wildlife. Potluck begins at 6:30 PM, followed by the program at 7:30 PM. Please call Sue, our Hospitality Chair at (401) 884-4643 with information about what you plan to bring.
November 16th- The History of Aquaculture. What could be more apropos in a town with a history of whaling, scalloptown, boatyards and a shoreline of its own.
Please join us.
We have no meeting in December but encourage you to attend the Traditional Carol Sing, held each year at the Steam and Wireless Museum of Frenchtown Road. Join us also for an annual reading of The Night Before Christmas and for refreshments following the program.
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Written by Philip Brady, 1927: "I remember that Main Street was then one long avenue of elms over-arching the road. It was a pretty little town as you could find anywhere. The street was, of course, a dirt street - no asphalt or even macadam in those days. And when the rains came, and the wash came down from the hill, it was sometimes a thoroughfare of mud - not up to the hubs of the farmers' wagons, but deep enough." excerpt from "The East Greenwich Packet , Vol. 20 No. 3 September 2009
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History of the East Greenwich Historic Preservation Society
When the Colonel Micah Whitmarsh House (the Brick House) on Main Street, East Greenwich, was to be razed to make way for a parking lot, a number of the townsfolk foresaw what the future might hold. Already the Old Town Hall had disappeared and a number of lovely old houses had been demolished to make way for the nondescript purposes. The whole character of the town was going to change if this continued.
In 1967 the East Greenwich Historic Preservation Society was formed, primarily to acquire and save the Brick House. The building was refurbished, financed with money obtained from dues, donations, grants and bank loans, and became a working asset of the town.
In 1969 the "Olde Gaol" or "Old Jail" on King Street was scheduled to be torn down or moved to change the traffic pattern on Water Street. The Society rallied in support of the Jail, purchased the structure and it remains on its original site as the Society's headquarters.
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For further information you may contact us at the above address or phone us at:
(401) 826 - 0178
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Accomplishments
- Purchased, restored and sold the Brick House on Main Street
- Promoted development of Historic Zoning and Historic Disctrict Commission
- Initiated the Quilt show
- As part of the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976, sponsored the re-enactment of the 1789 spinning of flax into linen and produced a reproduction Calico used to design a period wedding dress
- Designed and created a Town Quilt as a community Project
- Purchased the Old Jail for restorations and use by the community
- Researched and prepared commemorative plaques for a number of historic homes
- Worked with Town officials for restoration of buildings in the downtown area
- Published a Legacy of East Greenwich Recipes
- Saved the Mathewson Warehouse and the old Frenchtown Baptist Meeting House
- Commemorated the 300th Anniversary of the founding of the United States Navy in East Greenwich
- Maintained landscapes at selected Historical cemetery sites for three years
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Ongoing Programs
- Encourage the protection and preservation of buildings, items, neighborhoods, open spaces, and rural environments
- Public waterfront access
- Sponsorship of programs that foster community growth
- Identification and cataloging of historic photographs and documents with the publication of a photography book of old East Greenwich: Images of America: East Greenwich (published in August of 2006, now available from the EGHPS and through local merchants)
- Continue restoration of the Old Jail
- Continue publication of The Packet, begun again in February 2007
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