Johnston Historical Society Historical Notes
Vol. X, #1, February 2001
Louis H. McGowan and Steve Merolla, Co-Editors

Growing up in Thornton
By Louis McGowan
In this article, and hopefully in future articles, I will tell stories of places, people, and events that I remember from my youth in Thornton in the 1950s and early 1960s. A few of us in the society figured we should start getting some memories down on paper or on tape. We encourage you to help us in this endeavor.

I grew up in Thornton on Walnut Street in one of the mill houses that was built around the turn of the 20th century for the workers at the Pocasset Worsted Mill. The houses were quite roomy and comfortable, six rooms on each side, with a small yard in back. In the early part of the 20th century there were garden contests sponsored by the mill, and it is said that the yards were very beautifully designed and planted. By the time that we moved there in 1954 the houses were privately owned, having been sold by the mill in 1928. My family lived on the bottom half of the south side of the street which was predominantly English, the families mostly descendents of the early mill people. Some families that I remember were: Miller, Ashworth, Brown, Dove, Limb, Shepard, Powers, and Geary. The top part of the street was populated primarily by Italian families, among them: Conti, Ricci, Pezza, Tortalani, Manfredi, Siravo, and Caruolo. That I recall, there was no obvious prejudice against one side or the other, at least not among the many children of the neighborhood. Ethnic prejudice, at least openly, was not a big part of our lives.

As was stated above, there were many children in the neighborhood, baby-boomers born just after World War II, so there were always kids to hang around with. The neighborhood for us pretty much included Walnut Street, Maple Avenue, and Pocasset Street, the latter two also sites of mill housing. An important part of the neighborhood was the Pocasset Field located at the bottom of Walnut Street, and the stretch of the Pocasset River that bordered the field. Our neighborhood was also called "Pocasset," although when we were outside Thornton, which we were part of, we said that we were from Thornton, not from Pocasset. Not many outside the area really knew of Pocasset, and it appeared on no maps. Besides, old-timers referred to the area around Johnston Memorial Park as "Pocasset."

The aforementioned Pocasset Field was created by the Pocasset Worsted Mill on land it owned. It is told to us that the early residents played cricket and soccer there, but by the 1950s it was strictly used for baseball, the grand American game. The Little League played and practiced there, occasionally older groups used the field, and always there were the neighborhood pick-up games. For the local boys, much of our youth was spent "down the field." In the warm weather our main activity was playing baseball. Sometimes we would only have 3 or 4 kids on a side—it made no matter. We would make right field off-limits and use no catcher. The batter had to retrieve any balls that he didn't hit. We had no bases so pieces of cardboard filled the bill. Play continued until the bat broke (only wooden ones in those days!), the cover came off the ball (then we had to tape them), or until the ball was hit into the river, which was right in back of the backstop. Sometimes we were able to grab a branch and stop the ball before it floated away or sometimes it would snag on vegetation. Often, though, we lost the ball and play would usually stop for the day.

Most of the serious ballplayers played Little League Baseball, which was new in the middle 1950s. I played for Tommy "Pooker" Cappelli, a young man from the neighborhood who was a wonderful guy. We never won many games, but baseball was a lot of fun with him. He gave us all nicknames, some of which stayed with us for many years. We would pile into his car to get to games, definitely overloading the vehicle. Nobody minded in those days. After every game he bought us ice cream, whether we won or not. Tommy spent his career teaching in the town, eventually ending up as principal of Graniteville School.

After Little League some of us went on to the Johnston Teener League which today would be equivalent to the Babe Ruth League. There were four teams which drew players from different sections of the town. The teams were: Graniteville, Thornton, Manton, and West End. The Ciarlo-LaPrade VFW Post on Greenville Avenue in Manton sponsored the league which was part of a national system. At the end of the season an all-star team was selected in town and it played against other leagues in the North-East. In 1960 we went to Endicott, N.Y., which was a great thrill for us. In 1961 we played at Cranston Stadium.

Organized baseball was a fine thing for us, teaching us many valuable lessons. It was hard to beat the pick-up games for fun, though. Today we are so organized with our children that there is little time for them to go out and make their own way with sports.

Getting back to Pocasset Field, in the fall and winter we would play football there. Usually the games were "tackle," but sometimes we would play "touch." There was, of course, no equipment. Occasionally we would play games against other neighborhoods at our field. The games were usually friendly. There were no organized football or soccer leagues back then.

In the late 1950s we started playing basketball. Mel "Butch" Steppo and I first used an old peach basket nailed to one of the maple trees on the street. We soon tired of having to jump up to knock the ball out of the basket after a goal was made. So we broke the bottom out of the basket, and that worked until the basket flattened out after a few shots hit it on the side. What joy we felt when we were given a real hoop and a piece of old wood to use as a backboard. We felt like Bob Cousy or Bill Russell.

When we weren't playing sports there were plenty of other things to do down the field. We played hide and seek; we collected frogs, turtles, snakes, and crayfish; we built forts; we slid down the hill in winter on our sleds; we built rafts and floated them down the river; and we did all the other things kids do with such wonderful resources only a stone's throw away. Sometimes nature dropped things in our laps. Hurricane Carol in 1954 destroyed a number of the maple trees that lined our street and nearby Plainfield Street. Additionally, many branches were torn from the survivors. The beautiful trees, that were planted in the first decade of the century and had lasted 50 years, were mostly in shambles after the second big hurricane in 16 years. But we kids had a ball with the piles of branches that were stacked at the Walnut Street side of the field. The branches were great to climb on and build forts in. The pile lasted for years.

At the edge of the field and close to the river was a neighborhood dump that dated back to the mill days. It was small but the whole neighborhood threw their garbage there. I hate to think what was deposited there over the years! We threw our bottles, cans, paper, and whatever there. Some people on our street did burn their paper waste which you could do then. Food waste was picked up by the local pig farmers. Our little dump was a great place to play around, of course. There were always gallon jugs to break and big rats to throw rocks at. I don't think any of us ever hit any of the poor rats.

Sometimes we did do other things away from the field and the river. We did not have the amount of toys that children do today, so we spent an awful lot of time outside. On the front of my house at #63 Walnut Street was a set of stairs leading from the porch to the sidewalk. The side of the stairs was great for playing "outs," a kind of baseball game that was played with two people. One person threw the ball against the stairs and the other tried to catch it in the air. You could get a single, double, triple, a homer or an out. Sometimes on those long summer days we would sit on the back stoop and play cards, usually high-low-jack or poker. On rainy days we would play Monopoly, Scrabble, or one of the new electric basketball or football games. Other games that we tried were: tiddly-winks, marble shooting, and conkers. The latter involved finding chestnuts, drilling a hole through them, and stringing a shoelace through the hole. After securing the lace one person held their shoelace with the chestnut dangling down. Another person would swing their chestnut in circles and when it was going nice and fast would strike the dangling chestnut. Whichever one did not break was the winner. But in good weather, a real popular activity was riding our bicycles. Most of us had one, but many of them were used. It was very common then in our neighborhood for children to be given Christmas presents that were used. We knew no difference. But the bikes, ah, what freedom they brought to us! We were free to travel quickly to other neighborhoods, places that we would not have walked to. We loved our bikes, decorating them with all kinds of crazy things from fluorescent streamers in the handlebar grips to baseball cards stuck in the spokes to make varoooom sounds.

In earlier years there were soapbox derby contests in our neighborhood. Neighborhood children would build their soapbox racers (or "gigs" as we called them) and race them on Maple Avenue for prizes. The races were not held in my time although occasionally a racer would be built and used on one of the streets.

That's all for now. I will continue with my remembrances in a future issue. Please feel free to submit a piece with your memories of the town. We would be glad to give you any help that you might need.

Lora Clemence
Our society regrets the passing of Lora Clemence on February 12, 2001. She was a long-time resident of Johnston, having lived most of her life in the village of Belknap. When we were doing our first book in 1997, I visited Lora a number of times at her clock shop on Greenville Avenue. We talked about her family and the village of Belknap. She showed me photographs that were taken by her mother, also Lora, over the course of decades. We copied quite a few of the photos and used a number of them in our book. Her mother, a grammar school teacher for many years, was a good photographer and recorded on film much of the history of the village and her family. When she was an older woman her children had the present reproduction schoolhouse built for her. Later her daughter, Lora, located her watch repair shop there.

Lora, like most of her family, attended the Belknap School and was active in village affairs. She was the first trained female watchmaker in the country, quite an achievement, and she practiced her trade for many years. Lora was very proud of her accomplishments and of her family. She will be missed by her family and all who knew her.

Monthly Meetings
Ginny Leslie presented a slide show on the North-South Trail at our November 2000 meeting. She pointed out some of the many interesting historical sites along the trail which begins at our south shore and runs north to Burrillville through the western part of our state. She also had a few poster boards displaying postcards of textile mills along the Pawtuxet River. It was a splendid show.

For our January meeting, which was held at the Graniteville Baptist Church, Ralph Florio gave a Power Point talk on Italian-American culture in early 20th century Johnston. Ralph is a Master's student in the History Department at Providence College. He did a great job and taught us all a lot about the history of Italians in our town.

In February Scott Molloy spoke to us about the Secret History of R. I.—the History of the Common Person. Scott was wonderful as always. He is a gifted and highly learned speaker. His vast knowledge and keen wit kept us all enthralled. He covered topics in our state's history including: the settlement of Rhode Island, R.I.'s role in the slave trade, the fight for the vote, our rich ethnic history, and our labor history.

Colwell Pond
I spoke with Mabel Sprague recently and she conveyed the following to me. She told me of Colwell Pond that she remembers on the south side of Hartford Avenue across from the present Post Office. The pond was evidently gone by the middle to late 1920s. It was fed by a brook that ran under the Post Office property. A large ice house operated on the pond. She said that a pipe that still carries the water from the hill on the north side of Hartford Avenue can be seen to this day emptying into the Pocasset River.

Thanks, Mabel!

Museum Update
In January we purchased five locking bookcases from W.B. Mason for our archives. We have started to fill them up. The executive board, spearheaded by Dan Brown, has been carrying over books, artifacts, papers, etc. from our headquarters. We are establishing files in the archives. The process is time-consuming, but we are making progress. Louis McGowan has been filing paperwork that we have been accumulating for quite a while now. He has also been integrating papers from research that he has done in the past.

There is not much left in the Farnum/Angell House but the furniture and furnishings that belong there. We have added a number of interesting items for the house, purchased from Richard Siembab. These include:

1. An early 19th century R.I. lady's desk with original decorative paint.
2. Four original Hitchcock chairs from a R.I. house.
3. A feather bed for our rope bed.
4. An original brass warming pan.
5. Two glass whale oil lamps.
6. A leather and wood document box.
7. A R.I. pewter tea pot.
8. A china tea pot with matching creamer and sugar bowl.
9. A large redware milk pan.
10. A Federal mirror with original reverse painting at the top.
11. A candle stand and a rocking chair purchased from the estate of Dan Brown's aunt.
12. A pair of brass candlesticks.
13. A small wooden mirror.

Most of the pieces are from Rhode Island Houses and all are in original condition. Richard Siembab has been very kind to us in rounding up all these pieces. He has done this by using his many contacts in the antique business and drawing on his vast experience.

We have also purchased four reproduction Winsor chairs from an antique shop in Bristol. They are new and were made by the Warren Chair Works in Warren, R.I. We decided to buy a few new reproduction chairs for the keeping room so that we could use them for small meetings. It would not be good to be sitting on period chairs.

Cemetery Doings
For the past few Sunday mornings (January and February) Steve Merolla and Everett Cogswell have been inputting cemetery inventory information into the State-wide computer bank. The information was obtained during the cemetery inventory that we compiled over the past few years. We will be getting out in the field soon to continue our field work.

"Le Farme" di Thorton, R.I.
"L'Emigrato Italiano," Rome, July and August 1911
Translated by Raffaele Florio
News of the condition of the Italians dedicated to agriculture in the U.S.A has always lifted our spirits because it is said by some that agriculture is luring in our emigrants. Of the agricultural colonies that exist in the US, some began spontaneously and others were a result of what the "padroni" (business agents renowned for exploiting immigrants) had said, speaking with much enthusiasm and telling exaggerated stories of the well-being of our countrymen.

It is dangerous for the visitor to compare appropriately the living condition of these successful Italians with the needy state in which other Italians find themselves elsewhere in time of crisis in farm work. It is also inaccurate to assume that all the Italians of the agricultural colony will find the same success, prosperity, or wealth. This is the case in Thornton, R.I., where a considerable amount of the Italians there dedicate themselves to the cultivation of the land.

In my long visit there, I became convinced of my theory. I reported to Rev. G. Gotti ASC, Pastor of the Italian Church in Thornton and I asked if I could be introduced immediately to the Italian farmers to obtain the news that I would otherwise not be able to get.

There are about 60 farms there owned by our nationals. The closest to the village is Seamen's Farm which is worked by Mr. Domenico D' Acchioli. This Italian farmer from Campobasso, who was already working the fields in his homeland, was able to lease the farm 9 years ago. The farm is about 70 acres of which only a little more than half was originally cultivable. The remaining land was wooded. There was a house with a barn in the middle and barns in 3 different places on the property. The rent was 800 dollars a year but after 9 years of patient work, D'Acchioli doubled the worth of the property, making almost all the land cultivable. He improved the property by adding to the buildings, constructing new roofs, new nurseries, and a greenhouse where he would grow the 1st crop of tomatoes and peppers. About 2 acres of land was transformed into an orchard, with a large part being apples. The rest is totally cultivated, around 20 acres for peppers and tomatoes and the other part for peas and beans. D'Acchioli doesn't have cattle with the exception of one milk cow for his family. He always has two horses but at times when work is abundant, he has four. He has a good number of pigs and sheep. In the winter, he and his family clear land and move big stones that have accumulated during the summer. He has between 20 and 30 people working during the summer, 2/3 of which are men. He paid them $1.50 per day and the women $0.90. From this Italian man one hears most optimistic news. The total product of his farm can be $9,000 on a good year and, after he pays all his bills, he is left with $2,000. He saves some and uses some to better his situation.

Here however, we can say that this is an exceptional case. The farm is very close to the center of Thornton and more importantly it is situated on a good road for travel which facilitates the transport and sale of his products. What is more is that D'Acchioli continues to pay $800 rent while the original value of the farm has doubled. This is because of the gratitude of the owner that D'Acchioli had improved the property so much. Therefore the landlord doesn't appraise his property anymore as a farm, but as land adapted for good specializations. The farm could have been divided into lots of 32x12 meters so they can be sold to construct houses for a total value of $15,000. Instead now he can sell it all for $100,000.

This is the reason why the farms are not sold to Italians but kept in lease. Among the best farmers in Thornton, it is noted, are the Parillo Brothers. They come from Caserta. In 1886, Vincenzo decided to work the land. He bought an old farm of 36 acres a little less than 6 miles from Providence and 3 from Thornton. The land was sloping to a nearby hill, part cultivable and part woods. It came with a small cottage, a garage and a chicken coup. The total cost was $1,500 of which Parillo paid $300, borrowing the rest. He and his brother and family, 6 adults in total, worked there. In three years they paid the debt and improved the value to $3000. After six years the Parillo brothers bought a 44 acre farm not far from the first, but in much better condition. It cost $4500 of which $2000 is still financed. Today they are 10 adults who work full time there.

In the summer six to eight extra workers are added. The Parillos find that the condition of the market has changed, and the costs are higher than before. A few years ago a man could obtain a place at the Providence market for free. The Italians are morning people, sometimes spending the night at the market so they can get the best spot to sell, not without jealousy, however, from the American people. Today the places at the market are taxed and our fellow Italians pay from $50 to $300 per year. Before, in a few minutes you would be sold out but now it takes a while to sell the vegetables at a lesser price because of the competition from other regions of the US like the South where the climate is more mild. The cost of seeds has gone up so that the Italians have to buy some of a lesser grade that do not produce the same quality product. A bushel of beans costs between $4 and $5 and the same quantity of peas is between $12 and $15. The 2 Parillo farms can earn a net sum of $2000. Every year isn't always as good for them, though; last year, in 1910, the Parillos lost a considerable amount of peas because they were destroyed by insects.

Farms like the one described above number about 40. These can leave a favorable impression. But to know truly the difficulties that Italians who would like to dedicate themselves today to farming would face, we must also look at the less valuable farms.

Antonio Straqualuzzi, a farmer from Caserta, after having done manual labor for a few years, saved money and 8 years ago bought 17 acres of woods worth $250. He worked heartily to clear his land. He sold the wood and paid up front 2 years of the loan and put $300 in the bank. The land then couldn't be cultivated because it was full of stones. Straqualuzzi bought a smaller farm of 2 acres which was good for cultivation. The farm, [across from where KFC is today according to Henry Parillo] with his small house, cost $1300 of which $600 is still financed at 6%. He and his 13 year old son work continuously for a maximum return of $90, which is not much considering the amount of work they do. In order to better his situation, he thought of leasing another 12 acres for $100 per year. The product will increase and he will earn more, but with conditions like these how does one succeed in persuading the Italian office clerk with 9 hours of paper work and a pay on the average of $12 a week to go to the country?

This state of things is more easily seen among those last Italians who dedicated themselves to farm work and especially those who did it with a small investment of only $200 or $300. Here's where the exaggeration is. The desire to push Italians to the country through a mirage of certain success with farming is no different than anything else. Some get rich. Some don't. Some get lucky. Some do not.

To send an Italian farmer looking for land to form new farms is an idea that is not feasible unless he knows that the land is fruitful or in other circumstances where he knows that there is a necessity for produce and newly cultivated land.

In the Italian and American newspapers everyday there are long lists of farms for sale, some at an irresistible price. A man, Nicola Fortini, with $600 got a little house with 125 acres of land in Coventry, Rhode Island. A few months ago the RI Conservation Commission looked into the matter of abandoned farms. They sent out a free 278 page bulletin which listed 418 good farms that needed to be sold or leased in a state smaller than the Italian Confederation. Who will respond? Will it pull in more Italians?

The Italian is intelligent enough to recognize where the best conditions are, avoiding the possibility of being misled by the stories about earning so much money by Italians who come from their farms smiling.

Our Executive Board:
President: Louis McGowan
Vice President: Pat Macari
Treasurer: Dan Brown
Recording Sec.: Evelyn Beaumier
Corresponding Sec.: Mike Carroll
Trustee: Steve Merolla
Trustee: Everett Cogswell

General Meetings are held the last Wednesday of each month, Sept. thru June. Call for location (231-3380). The Executive Board meets on the 2nd to the last Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the museum, 101 Putnam Pk.