Spring 2022 Events

A Preservation Presentation 

Featuring Bob Lynch & Ed Theberge

Monday, June 6 at 6:00 pm

The Maxwell House 

59 Church Street, Warren 

Join us at the Maxwell House where special guest Bob Lynch and Warren’s own Ed Theberge will

reminiscence about the early days of the preservation movement in Warren.

As an early member of the Massasoit Historical Society, Bob was instrumental in the purchase and the restoration of the Maxwell House. Ed recognized and worked to promote Warren architectural heritage when he served on the Warren Town Council and has been actively involved in the restoration of the Historic Warren Armory.

Come show your appreciation for the people who had the vision and ambition to begin the process of recognizing and preserving Warren's historic heritage.

This discussion will be held as part of the Massasoit Historical Society Annual Meeting and will include light refreshments and conviviality in the yard of the Maxwell House, weather permitting. 

In case of rain, the meeting will be held at the Historic Warren Armory, Jefferson Street. 

WPS 2022 Annual Meeting

Featuring a new exhibit 
"A Tale of Two Centuries"

Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 pm

Imago Gallery

36 Market Street, Warren 

Join us at Imago Gallery for a presentation of a "A Tale of Two Centuries" featuring the life of Mary Merchant DeWolf. This virtual exhibit will be curated and presented by archivist Jessica Rogers-Cerrato.

Mary Merchant DeWolf (1870-1947) was a lifelong resident of Warren. She had the unique honor of being the first woman in Rhode Island to register to vote when the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.

The Merchant-DeWolf Collection contains photographs, letters and artifacts that tell the story of a family dedicated to serving their community. It also gives a unique glimpse into life in Warren over a century ago.

We are excited to share a virtual exhibition based on this special collection. Over the past two years, Ms. Rogers-Cerrato has been supervising the cataloging of our archives. She also worked with WPS to produce a virtual exhibit on artist Henry Newell Cady for George Hail Library.

The Annual Meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and the virtual exhibit will follow at approximately 7:00 pm

Wine and refreshments will be served.

Thank you for your support and participation! 

 

Warren's Child Street Water Works Presentation

“Warren’s Child Street Water Works: An Irreplaceable Riverfront Landscape”

A Presentation by Ned Connors

Historically, The Bristol and Warren Water Works facility was opened to much public acclaim on June 4, 1908. The modern water pumping and filtration station at the Child Street facility on the banks of the Kickemuit River commenced the delivery of pure, hygienic drinking water to the residents and businesses of these two towns. The rehabilitation and reuse of these threatened examples of our shared architectural and engineering heritage is of great interest to those seeking to preserve our historical landscape and to advocate for sustainable communities.

Click on the link to view the presentation on youtube: https://youtu.be/GL2d87UqP2k

At our March Meeting on Thursday, March 24 at Imago Gallery historian and preservation consultant Ned Connors gave a presentation on the beginnings Rhode Island's public water supply and led a discussion of the preservation issues associated with the survival and successful reuse of these historic buildings. The presentation focused on the fate of the old Child Street pumping station and storage house that have been recently slated for demolition. 

The meeting was well attended by WPS and community members as well as members of the Warren Town Council. The director of the BCWA, Steve Couto, was also in attendance. After the presentation by Mr. Connors, and following some questions from the audience, the director of the BCWA offered that although the buildings are no longer useful to the water company, they are willing to consider possibilities for preservation and adaptive reuse of the buildings. 

Much thanks to Ned Connors for taking the lead on the future of these historic buildings and for putting together such a well-researched presentation that covered the historic background of these buildings and provided the context for a thoughtful discussion about their future. Thank you to everyone in attendance for providing much appreciated community support. 

WPS will continue to be involved and keep the community informed about this important preservation issue.

Donate to our Annual Fund

A meaningful donation to our 2021 Annual Fund will help us continue with programs and projects that support the unique architectural and cultural fabric of Warren.  

This year we were able to finish projects that were delayed by the pandemic.  Happily we reunited with our membership in person at Burr's Hill Park and at the Historic Warren Armory for the Warren Walkabout. 

Over the past year we: 

         Hosted a virtual presentation on Warren’s very own female baseball pioneer Elizabeth “Lizzy” Murphy with historian and educator Jay Hurd.  

      Installed an exhibit in the Town Hall lobby of historic bird’s-eye view images of Warren taken from the steeple of the Methodist Church by artist Henry Cady in 1888 and architect Lombard Pozzi in 1988. This exhibit and a permanent hanging system were funded by RI State Legislative Grants.    

        Under the guidance of archival consultant Jessica Rogers-Cerrato, we processed and stored our collections, and also assisted in a digital exhibit on artist Henry Cady which was funded by the RI Council for the Humanities.

     

        Held our 2021 Annual Meeting & Elections outdoors at Burr’s Hill Park.  The meeting, which included a presentation on Warren’s pre-colonial history by member David Weed, was our first in-person meeting in over a year.  

    

         Purchased a painting of the Massasoit Ousamequin, Chief Sachem of the Pokanokets, and a painting of the Sowams Village with additional funding from the Jay Barry Cultural Arts Group.      

          Presented seven historic house markers to the following historic properties: Jeremiah Brown House, c.1793 (92 Water St); John Hubbard House, 1870 (43 Church St); Jonathan Bowen House, c.1792 (49 Church St); John Hoar House, c.1842 (50 Washington St); Alger-Maxwell House, c.1805-c.1835 (262 Water St); Samuel Brown House, c.1877 (27 Sowamsett Ave); and Allen & George Brown House, c.1853 (31 Federal St). The house markers were presented to the home owners at the Historic Warren Armory during the Warren Walkabout.   

   

       The Warren Middle Passage Project, headed by members Pat Mues and Sarah Weed, succeeded in adding the names of nine African American soldiers to a new Honor Roll plaque.

       Sadly Elizabeth “Bonnie” Warren passed away on August 8, 2021. Instrumental in the 1975 Statewide Preservation Report on Warren, Bonnie’s dedication to preservation in Warren and her affection for our community will always be remembered.  We are grateful that she donated her collection of slides and Warren related material to WPS.  

As always, we are thankful for the support of our members and our friends in this fabulous historic community.

 

 Happy Holidays to all from WPS!