September Membership Meeting & Tale of Two Centuries

Thursday, September 22

6:30 pm

Warren Methodist Church

Church Street, Warren, RI

Join us at Fellowship Hall for a Potluck Supper. 

The Evening will feature an introduction to our new digital exhibit: 

A Tale of Two Centuries

To view the exhibit click on the link: marymerchantdewolf.omeka.net

"A Tale of Two Centuries" celebrates the life of Mary Merchant DeWolf and her daughter Rachel Howard DeWolf. This digital exhibit was curated by archivist Jessica Rogers-Cerrato. The exhibit was made possible with funding from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH).

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.

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.

We are exciting to introduce this new exhibit and are looking forward to the return on our always popular "potluck supper" meetings (it's been two years!)

Hope you can join us! The meeting is open to members and friends of WPS. New members are always welcome.

Spring 2022 Events

       Preservation Presentation 

          Featuring Robert 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 Robert 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 Association, Robert 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 Association 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

Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 pm

Imago Gallery

36 Market Street, Warren 

Join us at Imago Gallery for a special presentation: 

"Luminous Coasts: The Life and Works of Henry N. Cady" 

Painting, Photography, Illustrations, Children's Literature, Research & Education

                       

This virtual exhibit will be curated and presented by archivist Jessica Rogers-Cerrato. Originally presented in June 2021 at George Hail Free Library in conjunction with Bristol Warren Art Night. 

Created on behalf of George Hail Free Library in association with the Warren Preservation Society and Massasoit Historical Society

This exhibit is made possible through major funding support from he Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.  

Thank you for your support and participation!

New Members are always welcome.

 

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.