The PVD Landmark You've Always Wondered About Is Once Again Open For Tours
Back in elementary school, I did a report about Roger Williams and not to get all macabre or anything, but I seem to remember something about his remains being discovered inside a soap box. (A proper way to bury the founding father of Rhode Island? I think not!)
The Betsey Williams Cottage, Circa Yesterday Afternoon at RWP
Anywho, this is actually not about RW, but his great-great-great granddaughters Betsey and Rhoda (Can’t help think of the late Valerie Harper and head scarves every single time I see that name.) and the classic NE cottage that they called home for most of their lives.
Another Look At The BWC From Yesterday
When Betsey died in 1871, at the age of 81, she left the cottage and the surrounding 102 acres to the city of Providence with the understanding that it would become a public park (and not a hospital, prison, or slaughterhouse…as specificied in her Last Will & Testament which is Google-able for all the history buffs out there) and monument to the memory of her grandfather.
Oops, Just Caught A Typo On This Vintage Illustration That Hangs In The Cottage: Note The Spelling Of “Betsy” At The Top.
Cut to one hundred or so years later and the house on display for all who entered RWP via the main (Elmwood Avenue) gate.
Driving by as a kid, I was always incredibly curious about that little red house.
In those days, however, it was closed to the general public - a mystery which I now know was rooted in apparent “structural issues” that made it unsafe to tour.
One of Three Fireplaces That I Saw Yesterday While Checking Out The BWC’s Ground Level
After an incredibly impressive renovation, thanks to a State Preservation Grant from the RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, last August visitors were finally allowed back inside the historic farmhouse (where the sisters had once worked diligently weaving cloth to help support themselves after farming had ceased and also entertained guests on a fairly regular basis) for the first time in over 30 years.
And fellow Rhode Island blogger I Heart Rhody was kind enough to write about those Open Houses. (Click here for her post.)
I still really wanted to see it for myself, though, so I was ecstatic to find out about another round of open door events this month.
A Spinning Wheel Just Like The One The Williams Sisters Used To Use Back In The 19th Century
We were there yesterday, I took lots of photos with my I-Phone, and highly recommend going to all Rhody history enthusiasts (not to mention those of you who have drive by a gazillion times and wondered…) out there.
RWP Conservancy (In my opinion, the Park looks the best it’s ever looked in my lifetime right now!) - in conjunction with the RWP Museum of Natural History And Planetarium - will be hosting more opportunities coming up on this season:
Tuesday, November 12th
Saturday, Nov. 16th
Tuesday, December 10th.
For more details, you’ll want to go to the Roger Williams Park Conservatory Facebook Page.