Johnston Historical Society Newsletter
Vol. II, #1, September 1985
Shirley Beaune, president
Louis H. McGowan, editor
1985 Heritage Bond Issue
A special election in our state on November 5 will give Rhode Island voters a chance to support historic and natural preservation. Bond Issue #4, titled the 1985 Heritage Capital Development Program, provides $9 million to be divided in three areas. #2 million will be used for a revolving fund to provide low-interest loans to local Rhode Island governments, public and private organizations, and individuals to restore historic buildings throughout the state. $2 million will be set aside for a National Heritage Revolving Fund to give loans to cities, towns, and land trusts to preserve scenic or ecologically important open space in local areas. The remaining $5 million will be used: to establish important recreational areas such as the Blackstone River Linear Park, to protect natural areas along the Wood-Pawcatuck River System, to restore buildings at Fort Adams, to improve Scarborough State Beach, and to purchase important unprotected natural areas.
Two other bond issues are also of importance. Bond Issue #1, titled State House Renovation, will provide for restoration and badly needed repairs to the State House. It totals $5.5 million. Bond Issue #7, Agricultural Land Preservation, provides $2 million for purchase of farm development rights to preserve important farmland from commercial development.
Several important events are planned to draw attention to the election. On September 29, Natural Areas Day, guides will conduct walking tours through some of the state's most beautiful natural areas. On October 20, Historic Buildings day, historic buildings throughout Rhode Island will be open free-of-charge. October 27 is designated State House day.
The Heritage Capital Development Committee is planning a campaign by volunteers to solicit support through door-to-door canvassing of neighborhoods. Follow-up reminder telephone calls will be made just before the election.
National Register Properties
In our last issue we printed a list of structures that have been plaqued by our organization. The following structures and sites have received additional recognition and have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
News and Reviews
On July 14 a group of Johnston Historical Society members visited the John Brown House in Providence which is owned by the Rhode Island Historical Society. Our informative guide led us back through 200 years of history in this, the house that John Adams called the "most magnificent and elegant mansion" in America. We recommend that all members visit this important piece of state and national history.
At our general meeting on July 29 the following members were elected to office for the 1985-1986 year:
Pres.—Shirley Beaune
Vice Pres.—Joseph Paquette
Treas.—Rita Saccoccio
Record. Sec.—Louis McGowan
Corres. Sec.—Robert Burford
Following the election a slide show was presented by Louis McGowan. Views were shown of recently photographed houses and of old photographs that were copied onto slides.
On August 3 a photograph duplicating session was held at the Farnum/Angell House. Photograph and slide copies of original Johnston photographs that were lent to us were produced. If you have any photos that you would not mind letting us copy please let us know.
At our general meeting on August 26 the newly elected officers were sworn in by past president Gilda Perrotta.
Historical Teasers
Answers to last month's questions:
1) Gallows Bridge was in the Thornton area. It spanned the Pocasset River at Plainfield Street (the old Providence and Norwich Turnpike). The bridge name would seem to come from a hanging (hangings) which took place at the site. No evidence has been found to support this though.
2) The nation's oldest distributor of hardware was the Barker-Chadsey Company. The firm was founded by a carpenter in 1776 in East Greenwich after he fled from the British in Newport. In 1955 the company moved to the former British Hosiery Mill building on Mill Street in the Thornton section. They closed their doors in December, 1982, unable to pay off their $1 million debt.
3) The KImball Reservoir empties into Moswansicut Pond and is located a short distance north of Hartford Avenue and east of Hopkins Avenue. The land for the reservoir was deeded by Asel Steere and Richard Burlingame on June 10, 1825, to the Scituate Mfg. Co. Soon after acquiring the land this company built the reservoir and two dams to supply water to mills they operated just over the border in Scituate. Today the reservoir and the water rights are owned by the City of Providence as part of their Water Supply Board property.
—Information from a typescript of a 1926 memorandum by an engineer of the Providence Water Supply Board.
This month's questions:
1) The famous poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, in one of his essays, "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," poetically described a famous Johnston landmark. Name the landmark and where it was located.
2) Who was elected to be the first town clerk in the town of Johnston?
3) Many of us are aware of the annexation of the Olneyville section of Johnston to Providence that took place in 1898. Another annexation also took place, though, When was it and what land was involved?
School Superintendents
In our July 1985 issue we reprinted several historical pieces relating to public schools in Johnston. In conjunction with those pieces we felt the following list of Johnston School Superintendents might be useful for our readers. The information was compiled from yearly Johnston Public School Reports which can be found at the Rhode Island Historical Society.
1872 through 1880, William J, Phillips
1884, J. Erastus Lester
1885 through 1887, Victor F. Horton
1888 through 1890, William E. Wilson
1891, Daniel W. Irons
1892 through 1895, Nathan M. Wright
1896, Rev. Frederick B. Cole
1897 through 1898, Sarah Dyer Barnes
1899 through 1906, Rev. William H. Starr
1907, No report
1908, Rev. William H. Starr
1909 and 1910, No reports
1911, Rev. William H. Starr
1912 through 1917, I. Leston Nickerson
1918 through 1921, George F. Weston
1922 through 1924, L. Leland Dudley
1925 through 1930, Everett C. Preston
1931, Thomas H. DeCoudres
Library Donation
The Mohr Memorial Library is proud to announce that the first issue of Historic Preservation magazine is on the shelf, thanks to the donation from the Johnston Historical Society.
Calendar of Events
September 23 (Monday) Johnston Historical Society General Meeting, 7:30pm, Farnum House, 101 Putnam Pike.
October 28 (Monday) Johnston Historical Society General Meeting, 7:30pm, Farnum House, 101 Putnam Pike.
November 5 (Tuesday) Rhode Island Special Election. Bond Issues 1, 4, and 7 are of special importance for historic and natural preservation.
Johnston Historical Society, 101 Putnam Pike, Johnston, RI 02919, (401) 231-3380, info@johnstonhistorical.org
Unless otherwise noted, all content is © 2006 Johnston Historical Society.
Posted March 2006