Johnston Historical Society Historical Notes
Vol. XI, #3, October 2002
Louis McGowan, Editor; Steve Merolla, Asst. Editor
Acquisitions
Speakers
At our January 2003 general meeting Mrs. Clarssa Shinn visited us with part of her extensive collection of mostly folk dolls from around the world. The dolls were very interesting. Mrs. Shinn focused her lecture on what we can learn from dolls, looking at them in terms of their composition, the history of the doll-making, and the social context in which they were used.
Our February speaker was Charlotte Taylor, Assistant State Archeologist, who spoke to us about the contact period for the Native Americans and the colonists in Rhode Island. Her very entertaining talk dealt with trade, settlement, and war in the 17th century.
Our speaker for March was Richard Lynch who presented a slide show on the Native-American mound builders. We saw slides of a number of the many mounds that Richard has visited in a number of states over the past 20 years. Richard, as he always does, fascinated us with tales of the different groups who built these mounds.
New Computer
During March 2003 our society received a new computer, thanks of course to the Champlin Foundations. Our old computer was five years old and served us well. We ran into a problem when we attempted to input an inventory of our holdings. We did not have the appropriate software for an inventory of this type. When we looked into adding the software to our existing system, we found out that our system was obsolete and the appropriate software would not run on our old computer.
Our new system will handle things nicely. Judy McGowan kindly set up the computer for us and we are ready to roll.
Hughesdale Village and the Post Office
By Louis McGowan
Hughesdale is a small village in Johnston and is located at the intersection of Atwood and Central Avenues. It is hard to imagine now, but at one time it was a bustling mill village. In the 1860s, within a few hundred yards of each other, there were three textile mills operating at one time along Dry Brook, which runs through the village and empties into the Pocasset River.
Textile activity began in Hughesdale by at least 1835. Records tell us that Zenas Bliss and Thomas J. Abbott were manufacturing cloth in a factory there by that time. Their mill was known as the New England Cambric Works (cambric being a glazed cotton cloth). U.S. Senator James F. Simmons and two of his sons, Warren S. and Walter C., were involved in bleaching and printing cloth in the village throughout the 1840s at their New England Print Works (these two mills, the New England Cambric Wks. and the New England Print Wks., were probably one and the same, as we also see reference to the New England Print and Cambric Works). By the late 1840s Simmons had sold out to Thomas H. Hughes and James Walch. Soon Hughes became the sole owner of the property, and in 1850 he began the manufacture of dyes and chemicals for textile purposes. In that year he established two companies, the Hughesdale Dye and Chemical Company and the Glendale Chemical Company.
Textile manufacturing ended in the village following a disastrous flood in 1868 that destroyed all three of the milldams. Hughes soon rebuilt the upper and lower dams and continued his chemical production. In 1871 the business was organized as a stock company and called the Hughesdale Manufacturing Company. Hughes and his two sons, Theodore S. and William H., were the officers. Thomas ran the business until his death in 1884 when his son, Theodore S., succeeded him. In 1892 the Hughes company merged with the Bradford Soap Works (not the Original Bradford Soap Works), the resultant company making soap for textile use. Manufacturing ended in the village on October 13, 1914, when the chemical plant burned to the ground.
Evidence from Hughesdale's industrial past can still be seen throughout the area. The upper and lower dams are in place, and so are many stone, trough-like vats at the lower site. A number of early worker houses are still standing, as well as Thomas Hughes' house and Theodore Hughes' house. The one room school is still being used (as a daycare center) and the building that housed the store and the post office still exists.
The Post Office
The Hughesdale Post Office was established on Feb. 25, 1876. The original name of the office appears to have been Hughesville, although on the original site request form the name was written in as Hughesdale, then crossed out and Hughesville written in. That was in turn crossed out and Hughesdale was once again written in. The above-mentioned Theodore S. Hughes was the person who filled out the application for the new post office and requested that he be made the postmaster. The application for the post office was approved, and Hughes was appointed postmaster on March 17, 1876. The office opened in the village store at the intersection of Atwood and Central Avenues. The nearest post office at the time was the Olneyville Post Office, which was three miles away. The Hughesdale Post Office was needed because of the industrial activity in the village. Once the mills shut down after the 1914 fire, there was little need for the post office. On Feb. 29, 1916, the office was discontinued and the mail was sent to Thornton.
Hughes remained the postmaster until June 2, 1900, when James W. Patton replaced him. He served until June 22, 1910, when Nicholas J. Wooder took over. Wooder was postmaster until Feb. 18, 1913, when Michael Wooder assumed the position. The latter was in office until the office closed.
The post office was referred to as a Special Office and was supplied from the Olneyville Post Office. The main postal route was from Olneyville to Scituate along the Hartford Pike (Route 6). In 1876 mail was delivered six times a week along this route by the contractor, Stone & Richards. Hughesdale was one mile south of the Hartford Pike and the main mail route. Three circular date stamps (postmark devices) have been identified as being used in Hughesdale. The earliest identified one is small compared to the other two and was used around the turn of the century. It was used in conjunction with a target killer (the part of the postmark that cancels the stamp, meaning that it cannot be used again). The other two are larger and date from the first two decades of the 20th century. No letters postmarked from Hughesdale during the 19th century have been seen by the author up to this point.
As was mentioned previously, the old store/post office building still exists. It stands on the southwest corner of the intersection and was moved back slightly from the road. It was used most recently as a gas station and has been heavily altered.
Belknap School
Our contractor, Warren Lanpher, has told us that the restoration of the exterior of the Belknap School should commence during the first part of April 2003. He has a little work to do on the roof, and then a roofing crew will start their work.
Old-Fashioned Schooling
(This article was written in 1990 by Smokey Ullucci, one of our longtime members who passed away a few years ago).
There are not many of us left who started their education in an old four-room school building, and so I'll let you in on some old-fashioned schooling. It was about 1927, I recall, and the first memory that comes to mind is that there wasn't any indoor plumbing; second, a big, noisy, coal-fired hot air furnace kept us luke-warm in cold winter weather; and third, there was no changing of rooms for different subjects. Going back to number one, on frigid, bone-chilling days, one had to leave the drafty room, dress up as well as possible, and do his or her thing outside in a backhouse about fifty feet behind the school. There were cutouts in the seats that were not unlike others at home or elsewhere. And when the strong winds blew into the opening at the back end of the building, anyone using the facility was discouraged from lingering too long. As far as the furnace, there was a way to get warm in cold weather, and it was to stand on the grid or register in the floor. Of course, there wasn't much opportunity for doing that many times a day. The rest of the room was very drafty and cold, but oh, that hot register felt good!
Lincoln School, a small brown structure, was situated on Greenville Avenue, half way up the hill from the intersection with George Waterman Road in the Manton section of the town. The building is still around, but it now houses apartments and is known as the Lincoln Arms. Looking from the street, the lower room on the right was Mrs. Mathewson's first grade class. She was an elderly woman who I remember as motherly but stern. Above her room was the second grade room, taught by Miss Fox, who was young but knew her teaching. There was a problem in her class, as she could not keep the unruly lads under control. One of them had her crying one day at her desk. I think that this class was her first assignment. Across from her room on the same floor was another newcomer whose name was Miss Tomassi. She became my favorite. She seemed to take a special interest in drawing out the acting and dramatic ability of the pupils. One play of hers cast me as a character named Cho Cho. I did not have a problem in memorizing, and I recited the whole skit without notes or coaching, which she thought was awesome. Another classmate, who now lives a block away, was the heroine in the play, and we sometimes discuss our Lincoln School drama society when we meet. Below Miss Tomassi was the principal's room. Her name was Miss Winsor, and she was a short woman with full figure who would admonish a student because of the slightest infraction. She had a high pitched voice, and that alone was enough to keep one in line. There wasn't any doubt who was in command in the school. To this day I think that she was quite regal.
As for classroom changing, there wasn't any. We would occupy the same room and seat for the whole school day. The teacher would simply ask us to pick another book and a new subject would commence. If my memory does not fail me, the janitor then was a Mrs. Pezza. Her home was across the street from the school, and her house still stands today.
We had the usual characters in school in those days, and a couple still stand out in my mind. One had the nickname of Shoemaker, and, now as I think of it, I do not know how a seven-year-old lad already had a moniker. He took cornet lessons once a week in his father's barbershop, and I would be mesmerized by the sound when I was able to be around during the lesson. He wasn't very good at his school work and would sass the teachers more than not. It seems the same thing went on at home because I remember he had the same attitude with his parents whenever he didn't want to do what they requested. I do not believe that it was anything more but the way he was being brought up. His barber father evidently was his greatest tormentor, but it was a way of life with him. I do not think I would be here today if I tried the same stuff at our home. Later on he was to become a hero during World War II. The other lad wasn't as bad and his adverse trait was not attending classes every day. He argued not only with teachers and the like but with everyone. He especially liked to argue though with his sisters, who also were pupils at the school. In the spring he would not attend many classes at all because it was planting and seeding time. The thing I admired in him was his handwriting. Even by the popular Palmer Method, a form of slant writing that looked fantastic to us scribblers (it came later in the higher grades), his hand was very neat, feminine, and very legible. Compared to the rest of the pupils, including the girls, his handwriting was the best, and the boys teased him about it. Of course, the girls would have liked to fare as well in their writing, but none ever did. This lad today is one of the few remaining blacksmiths around and still shoes horses for a living.
Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library
(This sketch was written in 1986 by Marcella C. Wood, MLS, a former Librarian of the Marian J. Memorial Library, 1970-1972).
With the concept of the town's own Junior-Senior High School practically a reality, the need for a town library was imminent. This need was satisfied by the personal gift from Mr. And Mrs. Ralph S. Mohr.
In 1959, Mr. And Mrs. Mohr had decided to devote part of their estate to providing the town with its first library. With matching funds from the Town of Johnston, the library was built on the corner of Memorial Avenue and Atwood Avenue.
Thru the efforts of the Library Association, funds and books were solicited from the citizens of the town for a total of 5000 books. Approximately $2500 was contributed for furnishings including furniture and drapes, the outdoor reading room and meditation garden, landscaping, plants and flowers.
The library was dedicated June 17, 1961, and named in memory of the late Mrs. Ralph S. Mohr, to be known as the MARIAN J. MOHR MEMORIAL LIBRARY.
The first Board of Directors consisted of: Mr. Ralph S. Mohr, Honorary President; Mr. G. Chandler Beals, President; Mrs. Raul Nodarse, Secretary; Mrs. Thomas R. DiLuglio, Treasurer; Mr. Raymond A. LaFazia; Mr. Albert A. Cappelli; Mrs. Edward Lawrence; Mrs. Silvio V. Santilli; Mrs. John D'Abate; Mrs. K. Najarian; Mrs. William R. O'Brien; Mrs. Ethel Williams; Mr. Armando F. Lusi.
Ex-officio members: Aaron F. DeMoranville, Superintendent of Johnston Schools; Thomas J. Pezzullo, Assistant Superintendent; Anthony I. Ricci, Acting Principal of Johnston High School; Raymond Fortin, Sr., President of Johnston Town Council.
With the steady growth of the town and the increase in the public use of the library, the need for expansion was growing. Mr. Mohr, thru his generosity, again donated funds to construct a new wing on the north side of the building to be known as THE RALPH S. MOHR ADULT READING ROOM.
The room was completed and dedicated June 14, 1969.
Today, the Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library has a total of over 39,000 books about a wide range of subjects, as well as 900 phonograph records and 105 magazine subscriptions. It is now a member of CLAN, Cooperating Libraries Automated Network.
The present librarian is Robert S. Burford and its Board of Directors:—.
(Editor's Note: In the last paragraph there is no listing of the Board of Directors. That is because this information was not included on the copy of the sketch that I was given.
Also, for informational purposes, there was a library in the Olneyville section of Johnston from 1891 until 1898, at which time that section of Johnston was annexed to Providence).
Elijah Angell House
During April 2003 Warren Lanpher began work on the downstairs interior of the Elijah Angell House. A few months back we had the baseboard heating system converted to a forced hot air system. When the old system was ripped out, it left some very unsightly repair work needed in every room downstairs. Warren is working to rectify that situation. He is doing some patching, some replacement of wood that was torn out, and some painting.
Lafayette's Visit In 1824
(This account of Johnston's and Providence's welcome to Lafayette was printed in the Prov. Even Bulletin on Nov. 1, 1881).
As soon as it was known that Lafayette was on his way towards Providence, Ephraim Bowen, one of his old war companions, was sent by the Town Council to meet him in Connecticut. They approached the town along the Plainfield pike-road, which lies hard by the eastern face of "the great hill of Neutaconkanut," in the town of Johnston. In the early morning they reached the Brown Tavern, about three miles from the town, and which building is now standing, under the brow of the great hill, surrounded by giant elms, the first building on the right after leaving the present terminus of the horse car route on Plainfield street, at the old Alverson stand. Until within a few years it retained the same appearance that it had on that day, and now it has only received a new covering of clapboards and fresh paint. Here breakfast was served and Lafayette left the stage coach and entered the barouche which was to convey him to the Court House. This was on the morning of August 23d, 1824.
The event had been heralded throughout the town, and in that part known as Christian Hill there was much preparation among the young men to go out and meet the stage coach. Hundreds of young men at sunrise started across the fields and through the woods to the plain lying this side the road in front of the tavern. They climbed into the trees and sat upon the great branches, and when the stage came up they gave such a welcome as only Christian Hill boys could give, making the hills resound with their shouts. My father had often pointed out to me the very limb of the tree where he sat and looked upon the scene.
The great trees which long ago upon that hot August morning lent their refreshing shade to the illustrious friend of Washington, and whose more than royal welcome to the country for whose welfare he had sacrificed so much, was proving that a republic could be grateful, stand today, proudly defying storm and tempest, graceful in outline, and bounteous in leafy shade, known the country round as "the Lafayette elms.
Near by the Alverson stand the procession of militia and citizens halted to meet the carriage of Lafayette and escorted him to the town line, where an address was presented by John Carlile, and after a brief reply, they proceeded along the High street, gay with the bright faces of the ladies at the open windows, the huzzas of the men and boys resounding as the carriage of Lafayette came in sight, over the bridge to the Court House parade, where he left his carriage and walked between rows of bright, joyous, gaily dressed girls, to the steps of the west front, where came that pathetic meeting with his old comrade, Capt. Stephen Olney, and as the heroes stood locked in each other's embrace, a scene fit for a painter's pencil, the eyes of the onlookers were moistened with tears. Grim-visaged war had rooted tender memories—smiling peace had revived them and sympathy drew tears from the fountain of grief. The Governor and public officers, sided by the citizens of the town, received the eminent Frenchman in the Senate chamber, and extended to him a most hearty welcome. A review of the troops closed the day, and Lafayette set out for Boston, with the prayer of the people of the land of Roger Williams.
Donation Of Prints
In April 2003 Bel Peters and Louis McGowan donated two large Currier and Ives prints of George and Martha Washington. They have been re-framed with beautiful new frames, but the prints are original and date to the last few decades of the 19th century. They are hanging in the parlor of the Elijah Angell House.
New Sign
Rolf Johnson has very kindly constructed for the museum an outside sign, which provides information for visitors such as a telephone number for appointments and the hours that the museum is open. It now hangs below the main museum sign. The sign is two-sided and has the winter information painted on the reverse.
Inventory Of Holdings
Louis McGowan has started an inventory of our holdings. All items will be written up on index cards, giving a description of the item, when it was acquired, and how it was acquired. The information will then be transferred to our computer. All three-dimensional objects will be photographed. A hard copy of the photograph will be kept on file and the photos will also be available on computer.
Our Executive Board:
President: Louis McGowan
Vice-President: Dan Brown
Treasurer: Pat Macari
Recording Sec.: Evelyn Beaumier
Corresponding Sec.: Mike Carroll
Trustee: Steve Merolla
Trustee: Everett Cogswell
Trustee: Fred Mikkelsen
Trustee: John Barratini
Our Executive Board meets at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum building, 101 Putnam Pike, on the second to the last Wednesday of each month, September through June (Except December). All are welcome to attend.
General Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month, September through June (no December meeting. We have our Holiday Party that month). The meetings are held in the Museum Building. Our phone # is: (401) 231-3380.
Annual Dues
Have you paid your 2003 dues yet? Help us to defray the costs of producing this newsletter. The price is still the same: $10.00 for a single membership and $12.00 for a family membership.
Name: ______________________________________
Address:____________________________________
____________________________________________.
Single ($10) _____ New ____
Family ($12) _____ Renewal ____
Come Visit the Museum!
Don't forget—your donations to the Johnston Historical Society can be deducted from your taxes. We are registered with the Federal Government as a non-profit organization.
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 May 2006