Category: News

Exciting News!  North Gate is the Town of Lincoln’s 20th Christmas ornament.

“North Gate” was originally built as a toll house for the newly built Louisquisset Pike in the early years of the 19th century.

Valley Breeze reporter Brittany Ballantyne interviewed Richard DiMase, Dave Sale, and BVHS President Jason Dionne at North Gate.  North Gate was selected for the town’s 20th annual ornament because of “the relevance of the tolls on the pike, and the parallels with today’s truck tolls passed by the Rhode Island House of Representatives in February of this year,” according to Richard DiMase.

The ornament sells for $17.00 and can be purchased at North Gate at Blackstone Valley Historical Society events, and several other places around the town of Lincoln.

The sale of Christmas ornaments over the years has provided $23,000 to the town for the re-location of the historic Hot Potato School House, which was transported from the corner of Angell and Whipple Road to Chase Farm last November.

Read the Valley Breeze article.

October 2016 is Archaeology Month. This series of events is organized by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission to promote Rhode Island’s rich archaeological heritage though a series of free public events led by the professional community.

Read about all the exciting events this month.

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September 24, Great Road Day Open House at North Gate, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The Bakery will be open 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.  We will have a small exhibit, Central Falls Annual School Reports, 1904-1916, and 1929-1933: Unexpected Photographs and Artwork.

This exhibit takes place thanks to our grants for the archives in 2015 from the Blackstone Valley Historic Corridor and the Ida B. Littlefield Trust.

Cooking Class- 7^th Grade, Broad Street School, 1913 Annual School Report, Central Falls (frontispiece)

Thanks to several generous donations, we have purchased the sign used to be on the original Arnold’s Lonsdale Bakery. It will be on display.  Also, Steven Parent has donated a wonderful panorama photograph of the Arnold’s Bakery fleet in 1951. (photo is one section of the photograph.)

Meet at the Jenks Park entrance on Broad Street, Central Falls
July 13, 2016, 6:30 p.m.

On July 13, Bob Ferri will give his annual tour of Cogswell Tower in Jenks Park in Central Falls.  Learn the history of the tower as we climb to the top for a spectacular view and go under the building to the hidden grotto.

In addition, Dan Bethel will be there and will show us pictures and postcards of the tower from his collection.

This event is free and the public is welcome.

Photograph of Jenks Park Entrance from the Lysander Flagg Collection.

We are happy to share the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park schedule for the 2016 Ranger Walkabout Series.  Each Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m., a National Park Ranger will offer a free program in the Blackstone Valley. The full schedule is as follows:

June 2: “Slatersville: An Engineered Landscape of Waterpower.”

June 9: “A Walk Up Castle Hill: How to Fight Depression.” Meet at Whitin Machine Works Parking Lot off Douglas Road, Whitinsville, Mass.

June 16: “Ashton Walking Tour: Evolution of a Mill Village.” Meet under the viaduct by Kelly House/Bikeway, Lincoln.

June 23: “Hopedale Walking Tour: A Mill Village Design Renaissance.” Meet at the Hopedale Junior Senior High School, 25 Adin St, Hopedale, Mass.

June 30: “Building a Canal: Working in Heat.” Meet at the open field by the entrance to the Goat Hill Trail, East Hartford Avenue, Uxbridge, Mass.

July 7: “Exploring Roger’s Journey: New Wayside Exhibits.” Meet at the Roger Williams National Memorial.

July 14: “Slater Mill: Pawtucket Falls & Sargent’s Trench.” Meet in Slater Mill parking lot.

July 21: “Ashton: Controlling Water.” Meet at the viaduct/Kelly House parking lot, Lincoln.

July 28: “Slatersville: Planning a Mill Village.” Meet at North Smithfield Heritage Hall, 101 Greene Street.

Aug. 4: “Slater Mill: Conflict of Man & Nature.” Meet at Slater Mill parking lot, Pawtucket.

Aug. 11: “Hopedale: The Hopedale Women’s Sewing Circle.” Meet at the Adin Ballou Statue, Hopedale and Peace Streets, Hopedale, Mass.

Aug. 18: “Whitinsville: The Growth of the Village.” Meet at Alternatives parking lot, Douglas Road, Whitinsville, Mass.

Aug. 25: “Ashton: Kelly House & the Canal.” Meet at the viaduct/Kelly House parking lot, Lincoln.

The BVHS sadly misses Glenn Laxton, board member and director for many years: http://wpri.com/2016/06/09/longtime-wpri-12-reporter-glenn-laxton-dies-at-74/

Photo credit: Jim Hendrickson

The Andy DiPaola Jazz Trio

1873 Old Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln, RI  02865, Upstairs Hall
June 12, 2016, 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are $15.00.  This is a benefit for the BVHS.

Call Jason at  401-862-4202 for reservations or to buy tickets.  Tickets will be sold at the door.  

The Blackstone Valley Historical Society will present the Andy DiPaola Jazz Trio on Sunday afternoon, June 12 at 3:00 PM upstairs at the Blackstone Valley Historical Society.  

Andy has been playing jazz professionally since he was seventeen. All who have known him, worked with him or heard him play jazz are agreed that he is a world class jazz pianist in the tradition of Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck and Dave McKenna. He is renowned for his sensitive performance of Gershwin classics. He has played with such well known jazz greats as Tony Bennett.

Joining Andy for the concert will be John Curzio on string bass and Joe Holtzman on drums, both of whom have performed throughout the U.S. in large and small jazz ensembles.

Reservations are encouraged as seating is limited.

Al Klyberg Brings the Blackstone Valley to Life with a Panel Discussion

Panel Discussion: Sunday, May 15^th, 2016, 2:00 P.M.
North Gate Toll House, Upstairs Hall
1873 Old Louisquisset Pike (Route 246), Lincoln, RI 02865
Annual Meeting 1:30 p.m. Downstairs

The Blackstone Valley Historical Society’s Christine Nowak Lectures are always a fascinating slice of life in this very rich historic region of Rhode Island.  This year, Rhode Island historian Al Klyberg brings together members of all the communities within the Blackstone Valley – Pawtucket, Central Falls, Lincoln, Cumberland, Smithfield, North Smithfield and Woonsocket – and introduces you to the lifestyles of the early settlers within these communities. The panel discussion will focus on the families who filtered back into the this region after King Philip’s War, in the period 1680 to 1731, when the ‘Outlands’ or North Woods of Providence were set off into the towns of Smithfield, Glocester, and Scituate.

Although not aimed at the genealogy of the families, the local experts will introduce you to their ways of life: their occupations, how they built their houses, what farm life was like hundreds of years ago.

In addition to chairing this panel of local historians, Al Klyberg will speak of Central Falls and parts of Lincoln; Dan Santos of Historic New England will spotlight the Arnold family of Lincoln and Woonsocket; BVHS board member Gail Harris will introduce her hometown of Cumberland, Irene Nebiker will showcase North Smithfield, Irene Blais, Woonsocket, and Steve Todaro will give information on Pawtucket.  This will be a great way to learn the histories of our local cities and towns.

At 1:30 P.M, the organization’s annual business meeting will be held in the downstairs hall.  All are invited to come before the presentation upstairs at 2:00 P.M.

Free and open to the public, donations are gratefully accepted, and all interested persons are invited to join the organization.

Cleanup at Lampercock Cemetery: April 16 (9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)

Save the Date! The Lincoln Conservation Commission voted to sponsor a cleanup at the Lampercock Lane Cemetery (LN044) on April 16 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Please feel free to just drop by for a little while. The cemetery is a short distance off Wilbur Road, where Lampercock Lane turns the corner. Free lunch for all volunteers. Call John Houghton (401-651-6463) for more information.

Cleanup at Mineral Spring Veteran’s Cemetery: April 23 (9:00 a.m.-Noon)

The retired police and firefighters under the direction of Gerry O’Connor will be hosting a trash and leaf cleanup at Mineral Spring Veteran’s Cemetery from 9:00 a.m.-noon. If you want to help in any way with donations of water, work gloves, muscle donations or picture taking, please feel free to swing on by.

Cemetery Tour by Ken Postle: Sunday, May 1 (2:00 p.m.)

Saylesville Friend’s Meeting House, 374 Great Rd, Lincoln, RI 02865.
We will travel to several sites (use your own car), ending at the Lampercock Lane Cemetery.  Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes. Bring (and wear!) tick spray.  Free and open to the public. Picture; Stone of Jonathan Sprague, 1648-1741, photographed on the tour.

Annual Meeting of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society: May 15 (1:30 p.m.)

North Gate, Blackstone Valley Historical Society, 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike, LIncoln, RI  02865.  All interested are welcome.

Christine Nowak Lecture: May 15 (2:00 p.m.)

The 4th Christine Nowak Annual Lecture will be a panel discussion this year.  The focus of the presentation will be to see if there are similarities among the earliest permanent settlers of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Lincoln, Cumberland, Smithfield, North Smithfield, and Woonsocket.

In previous annual meetings we have introduced the idea of using the annual Christine Nowak talk as a future chapter in a book of talks about the history of the Blackstone Valley.  We have heard about the origins of the geographic area known as Louisquisset, a description of the uprooting of the original settlers in King Philip’s War (battles at Nipsachuck Swamp in 1675/1676).  This time we are focusing on the families who filtered back into the this region after the war in the period 1680 to 1731, when the ‘Outlands’ or North Woods of Providence were set off into the towns of Smithfield, Glocester, and Scituate. Our presenters will be Dan Santos for the Arnold family of Lincoln and Woonsocket, Gail Harris for Cumberland, Irene Nebiker for North Smithfield, Steve Todaro for Pawtucket, Irene Blais for Woonsocket and Albert Klyberg (chair and moderator) for Central Falls and the rest of Lincoln,

The presentations will be based on research the presenters have done on the original settling families, but not genealogies of the families.  The aim of this presentation is to create a “group profile” based on occupations, religious beliefs, house types, farm types, and other general descriptions of this re-settlement of the land in the postwar years.