Jamestown Historical Society
All across Conanicut Island are sites maintained by Jamestown Historical Society. The sites opened to the public for the first time that year on the day I visited Jamestown. I visited three of the society’s sites: Jamestown Windmill, Conanicut Friends Meetinghouse, and Jamestown Museum & Town Hall.
Jamestown Windmill
The gray cedar shingled Jamestown Windmill was built in 1787 by the Watson family, the same people who owned Watson Farm down the street. The windmill was used for grinding corn in cornmeal. The windmill was in operation until 1896 when modern industrial methods of grounding corn made the business unsustainable.
Jamestowners were keen on saving their windmill and formed the Jamestown Windmill Association to buy and rehabilitate the structure. A few years later, in 1912, Jamestown Historical Society was founded 1912 for the purpose of preserving this windmill. The society continuously fundraises for maintenance and last renovated the windmill in 2001. Grants from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities contributed to the signage explaining the history and operation of the windmill. While I have visited windmills the Dutch Windmill in Nederland, TX (which I wrote about it in my old blog, “Abby Epplett, Park Ranger”) and Windmill Island Gardens in Holland, MI, these were Dutch windmills for wheat grinding, rather than English windmills for corn grinding.
I enjoyed exploring the floors of the windmill, going all the way up into the bonnet and looking down the drive shaft to the milling floor. Mini exhibits on the history of the windmill were on each floor. The docent was highly knowledgeable – she even wrote the signage found on the exhibits!
Near the windmill are a glassblowing shop, Clancy Designs Glass Studio. The glass studio had a booth in the farmer’s market at Casey Farm, along with the small shop in the studio and an online store. The shop offers lessons at different price points. The glassblowers live in the house originally belonging to the miller at the windmill. Also nearby is an art installation, “The Poppy Field” by Eileen M. Travis. Part of the 2022 Biennial Art Exhibition “Passages” hosted by the Jamestown Arts Center, "The Poppy Field" is a massive crocheted field of bright red flowers.
Conanicut Friends Meetinghouse
Down the hill from the windmill, accessible either by a wooden ladder and soggy walk through a field or a drier route along the road, was 1787 Conanicut Friends Meetinghouse. I am a fan of Quaker meetinghouses, my favorites being the 1770 Uxbridge Friends Meetinghouse in my hometown of Uxbridge, MA and the East Hoosuck Meetinghouse in Adams, MA that Susan B. Anthony attended as a child. I was delighted to talk with the Friend acting as a docent at the meetinghouse. The property has an arrangement where the meetinghouse and yard are owned by the Jamestown Historical Society, while the building is used for services by local Friends belonging to the Providence Friends Meeting. The property is the final resting place for what is believed to be several Hessian soldiers from the American Revolutionary War. The meeting and historical society are interested in exhumation and testing to determine the identity of these people and reunite them with their relatives.
Jamestown Museum & Town Hall
The Jamestown Museum opened in 1972 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with community events and an exhibit, “Jamestown Museum at 50”. The building housing the museum began its life in 1885 as a one-room schoolhouse. In 1898, it became the town library and served this purpose until being leased by the Jamestown Historical Society to become the museum. The last renovation of the building took place in 2008, which included the addition an ADA compliant ramp.
The current main exhibit summarizes the exhibits from the past 50 years. Themes included architecture, transportation, military service, town service, how people lived, and special events. A set of vinyl posters displays information from past exhibits, while a digital touch table allows visitors to explore the museum’s archives of photographs. The back room of the museum houses an exhibit on the history of steam powered ferries that ran from Jamestown to Newport from 1837 to 1969.
Across the street from the Jamestown Museum is the Town Hall. The building has undergone multiple renovations and expansions since its construction in 1883, including a Town Clerk’s office in 1914, and a new but connected building in 2006. Town Hall houses additional exhibits created by the Jamestown Historical Society, while modern art sponsored by Jamestown Arts Center stands on the front lawn. Sculptor Mark Dornan created the rainbow colored Celtic knot sculpture “Renewal” in 2021 as part of the 2022 Biennial Art Exhibition.
Visiting Jamestown Historical Society Sites
Visitors to the Newport area who love history and scenery but need a break from the crowds would enjoy a stop in Jamestown. However, be aware that the sites are open only part of the year, on weekends from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. during mid June through September. The meetinghouse holds meetings on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. during this time. Jamestown Town Hall is a government building and appears to be open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
