Great Road Day: Blackstone Valley Historical Society

Back in September 2024, I visited Lincoln, RI during Great Road Day, an annual celebration of the historic highway that runs through the town. My final stop for the day was Blackstone Valley Historical Society. Located at North Tollgate House on Old Louisquisset Pike, this non-profit organization preserves the history of the Blackstone River Valley in Rhode Island.

The two-story North Tollgate House was built around 1807, a few years after the Louisquisset Turnpike Company was chartered in 1805. The building acted as Lime Rock Hotel between 1829 and 1851, then became Lime Rock Grange in 1904. After several additions and interior renovations, plus a move to a new foundation to accommodate a widening road, the building was bought by the historical society for $1 in 1971. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Lime Rock Historic District in 1974.

Inside the tollhouse are a wide range of artifacts from the history of the town and surrounding area. The second story has been maintained as a meeting room from the 1920s, complete with painted advertisements on the little stage. In a plexiglass display case is “Old Rough & Ready, Jr.”, a little model of the Pawtucket Fire Department’s horse drawn pumper built by George Henry Webb in 1870. Additional research showed that Webb was apparently so beloved among his family that his grandson and great-grandson were named after him. Other interesting artifacts included a collection of paintings, photographs, and a dollhouse depicting local buildings, including Ballou Tavern of Lincoln and Slater Mill of Pawtucket.

A newer addition to the historical society collection was a reconstruction of the tiny Lonsdale Bakery building once owned by Joseph Jenks Arnold. The very first iteration of the building was constructed by a Hezekiah Kent and used as a shoe making shed. The Arnold family rented the building to use as a bakery beginning in the 1870s. Over the next sixty years, the family established a major business selling bread around the valley and built new bakeries along the way. They bought the original bakery shed and put it next to their new factory. The business closed at some point in the late 20^th century, and the historical society acquired the remains of the little building in 1997.

Today, the bakery is painted bright yellow and filled with bakery artifacts, including an oven, signage, pallets, barrels, and other tools for making and carrying baked goods. The tour guide in the bakery was much friendlier than those in the tollhouse and expertly answered all the questions my group had to offer. These buildings seem to be open sporadically and only during special events. Parking is somewhat difficult, as the unlined, narrow gravel lot is sandwiched between the tollhouse and the highway. Like most historic buildings, these are not accessible to those using a wheelchair or with limited mobility, and the light is generally dim, although plenty of seating was available in the tollhouse. This makes a decent quick history stop on a sunny day.