History comes alive on Great Road Day
Lincoln turns back the clock as part of Saturday’s National Smithsonian Museum Day Celebration
LINCOLN — Three hundred years of history came alive on Saturday, as visitors to the various historic landmarks along Great Road could be transported back in time to the era of Lincoln’s founding family all the way through to the Edwardian era of phonographs.
This feast for the senses was all a part of the annual Great Road Day, in which 11 historic sites in the Great Road Historic District were opened to the public for free tours as part of Saturday’s National Smithsonian Museum Day Celebration.
Dressed in her finest Edwardian apparel to show off the phonographs from the 1910s, Kathy Hartley – president of the Friends of Hearthside – explained that Great Road Day served as a way to open the doors of history in Lincoln to people from across Rhode Island and New England.
“We try to give people the whole look at history and the importance of Great Road,” Hartley said. “There’s evidence of history that’s all still here. Many say this is like a miniature
Lincoln resident Dennis Przybyla, wearing a 1910 period piece, enjoys a bite of apple crisp during Saturday’s Great Road Day. Barbara Stevenson, also of Lincoln and who prepared the apple crisp, looks on.
Sturbridge Village, but the difference is these are the authentic buildings.”
“Authenticity is what separates 300 years of history along Great Road, one of the oldest roads in the historic North Woods,” she continued. “This was all wilderness only seven miles from Providence.”
As part of Great Road Day, visitors would learn about the Arnold family, the founding family of Lincoln, as they stepped inside the 1693 Arnold House. They’d continue through the decades, into the development of industry following the War of 1812, the prodigious mills that were built along the Moshassuck River, and into an authentic 1880s blacksmith demonstration.
Perhaps the most unique piece of history on display Saturday was the 1812 Moffett Mill, a rare survivor of the early industrial age. Great Road Day provided a rare opportunity to access the mill, as such a major event allowed for the mill to be opened to the public. However, because the mill is so close to the road, with no nearby parking, the only way to access it was via shuttle bus.
“There’s a real interest in history. People look at Lincoln and say we’re so lucky to have our history preserved,” Hartley said. “We don’t have to travel to get a dose of history, it’s right here.”
“We’re creating awareness and developing a sense that all of this history is in our backyard. Everyone here today traveled along that road millions of times,” she said, acknowledging Great Road.
Among those visitors on Saturday were Warwick residents Dave and Joan Harvey. As they sat at a picnic table and listened to National Park Service ranger Kevin Klyberg present the history of Great Road, they said they were most interested in the schoolhouses and other historic buildings along the road.
As Dave Harvey looked over his shoulder, to peer out to the rolling hills of Chase Farm Park, he said: “I’m amazed with the size of the farm. It’s fantastic. Wow!”
Part of their interest, Harvey explained, was that he recently wrote a research article on Louisquisset, which piqued his curiosity about early Rhode Island history and the history of Great Road. He said after finishing the article a few years ago, he gave a presentation to the Blackstone Valley Historical Society and that spurred even more interest.
“I learned a lot of Rhode Island history!” he said with a smile, referencing both his time writing the research article and his day at Chase Farm Park on Saturday.