Exeter Historical Association

Food for thought from a sign-eating tree

2012-01-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

If your travels take you to the intersection of Purgatory and William Reynolds roads, you'll come upon this tree. At our last meeting, several of us were discussing how fascinating it is to watch how nature tries to slowly erase our footprints - and the "sign-eating tree" is the very embodiment of this. We are reminded that all of our historical treasures here in Exeter - roads, farms, schools, cemeteries - will be hidden by nature without our deliberate efforts!

And that's what the Exeter Historical Association is all about.

Many thanks to EHA board member Gary Boden for both the picture and the thoughts!

The Smithsonian in Exeter

2011-12-05T21:14:00.000-05:00

Our little hamlet may be getting some national attention in the coming months! Earlier this Fall, a writer for the Smithsonian Magazine named Abby Tucker contacted EHA President Sheila Reynolds Boothroyd. Abby was looking for information about poor Mercy Brown, who, as many of us know, was cast as a vampire after her death from tuberculosis in 1892. Abby recently travelled to Exeter to conduct first-hand research on Mercy, and to meet with Sheila. They are pictured below, in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel near the Providence airport.

With Sheila's assistance, Abby has been busy doing primary-source research on Mercy and her family, pouring over census records and newspaper articles from the the 1890's. While we don't yet know when the article will be published, we're sure it will be quite interesting! Stay tuned!

You can learn a lot from a cemetery - adopt one today!

2011-11-13T19:58:00.000-05:00

Here in Exeter, we are lucky to have time capsules of history located literally right in our own yards. There are dozens and dozens of small cemetery plots scattered all over town, and each one has amazing stories.

The Peckham Holocaust mass grave is located in the
northeast corner of Cemetery #25 (foreground, left side).

For example, did you know that Cemetery #25, at the intersection of William Reynolds and Purgatory Rds, is the location of a mass grave from a horrible fire that claimed the lives of eight people and made national news in 1839? The Peckham Holocaust was a result of arson at the home of Mr. and Mrs Timothy Peckham, who ran a boarding house as the town "Poor Farm". The story about the fire originally ran in the Providence Journal and the Rhode Island Republican (a Newport paper) on April 17 of that year. Within one week of its publication, it was picked up by 9 other newspapers, from Alexandria VA to Brattleboro VT.

Do you have a cemetery on your land, or near your house, that you'd like to know more about? The Exeter Historical Association is starting an "Adopt-a-Cemetery" program. We'll be posting more information about this program in the coming months, but if you'd like to get started in caring for a cemetery on or near your property, contact us at exeterhistory@yahoo.com

Official Opening of Woody Hill School! Sat Sep 10

2011-08-20T14:31:00.003-04:00

"Irene" has come and gone,
and we have a new date for this event!

The members of the Exeter Town Council

cordially invite you to attend an

Open House

at the newly restored

Woody Hill One-Room Schoolhouse

Woody Hill Rd, Exeter RI

Please join us on

Saturday, September 10, 2011

from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Ceremony will begin at 1:30

Refreshments will be served!

- restroom facilities will not be available-

A cool new way to view a cool old building - 3D video of Exeter Old Town Hall

2011-08-07T11:13:00.003-04:00

A core group of EHA members have started working on a plan to move Exeter's old Town Hall from its current location over to the property where the Library is located. This move would not only bring the building to a spot where more people would see it, but would also allow us to use it to house the many known and as-yet-unknown treasures from Exeter's vibrant past.

EHA member Gary Boden took a bunch of pictures of old Town Hall, and used a great new 3D video site called PhotoFly to make this super-cool mini movie:

One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion Weekend is here! Two events this weekend!

2011-07-07T06:14:00.000-04:00

Once again, it's time for all the former Exeter One-room Schoolhouse alum to get together and catch up on what's been going on.

Woody Hill School, as it appeared in June 1941

This year, the Exeter Historial Association is showing off the newly-restored Woody Hill School on the day before the Reunion.

On Saturday, July 9th, the school will be open for viewing from 2 PM until 4PM. Woody Hill School is located on Woody Hill Rd, near the intersection of Ted Rod Rd (Rte 165). Come and see the progress of the restoration. It's almost done!!!

Invitations have been sent to all those who come to the reunions, so hopefully some of the former students will be able to stop by and see the progress while they are in town.

One of course, on Sunday, July 10th, from 1 to 4pm, it's the main event - the 6th Annual One Room Schoolhouse Reunion, which will take place as always at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd (Rt 102) in Exeter.

So come on out and enjoy some refreshments and reminiscing about old times in Exeter! No matter what your age, or even if you don't have any connection to the One Room Schools at all, it's always a very interesting time. There will be lots of old photos and other memoriabilia on display to look through!

Hope to see you there!

6th Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion - July 10, 2011

2011-06-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Once again, it's time for all the school chums from yesteryear to get together for the annual One Room Schoolhouse Reunion! It will take place on Sunday, July 10, from 1:00 to 4:00, at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd, Exeter. Additional details will be forthcoming!

Woody Hill School - again! But this time, restored!

2011-05-29T07:42:00.001-04:00

On May 18th, three members of the EHA Board had an on-site visit with Brian Patch, who has been working on renovating the Woody Hill School. The desks are back inside; the stove is about to be reinstalled; windows and doors almost completed. The outhouses were inspected to see if they could be salvaged. Plans are being made for the opening in late June or early July - hopefully along with our annual One Room Schoolhouse Reunion event! (Many thanks to Gary Boden for taking these pictures!)

Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd, Karen Colberg, and Gary Boden
discuss the renovations with Brian Patch (far left)

...maybe we can even restore the outhouses!

Do you remember what Exeter looked like before Interstate 95 was built?

2011-04-25T21:04:00.000-04:00

It seems like just about everyone on the East Coast takes Interstate Rte 95 for granted. Whether you revere it or curse it, or do a bit of both, the road has become part of our culture.

But how many remember what was there before the highway? What homes or business existed before the construction? Which intersections are no more, and which roads were rerouted or cut off?

If you lived in Exeter before the highway came through, consider gathering your memories and photographs of life before I-95 for a joint project with the Richmond Historical Association, to be published in an upcoming book. RHA is currently gathering stories about Richmond and Hopkinton, and they would very much like to includes stories about Exeter too.

Check out the Richmond Historical Association web page for a short explanation about the project! And email us at exeterhistory@yahoo.com if you have recollections of life in the slow lane to share.

Of Schools and Town Halls

2011-03-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

EHA members came out of hibernation on Thursday March 3 for an update on our current projects!

Woody Hill School Sheila reports that all the interior work is finished, and the original furnishings have been put back in the building. The windows have also been redone, but will not be re-installed until the doors are refinished and replaced. She also reported that shutters were made for the windows as well! We are all looking forward to seeing the completed work once the nicer weather arrives. We're hoping to have a Woody Hill School restoration ceremony on the same weekend as our annual Exeter One Room Schoolhouse Reunion, sometime in June.

Pictures of Woody Hill School, taken December 2010 by Gary Boden:


..waiting for restored doors.	We hope to restore the outhouses too!

Town Hall Project Wouldn't it be great to turn the never-used old Town Hall back into a hub of activity again? The building was the center of town activity in the 1800's, and was used as a schoolhouse until 1952, but now is all but forgotten. EHA members are currently working on securing a grant to move the old Town Hall building, currently located at the intersection of Ten Rod Rd and Town Hall Rd., onto a new foundation near the Exeter Public Library. Not only would we save and restore a historic building, but we could also use it as a public meeting place, as well as a museum to house and display Exeter's treasures. Stay tuned for updates!

Making progress on all fronts!!!!

2011-01-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

If you missed the January 6th meeting of the Exeter Historical Association, you missed a lot of news!

First off, the Woody Hill School restoration project is almost complete. All of the contracted restoration work is done. In addition, the Exeter Town Council voted to allocate additional funds that were slated for the Old Town Hall to be used to restore the front doors of the school - something that was not in the original restoration plan. In the coming months, Woody Hill School's official celebration will take place. All of this information will be posted here, of course! And pictures too!

Second bit of news: We are starting to come up with a plan to move the Old Town Hall, currently located on Old Ten Rod Rd, over to the property where the Library is currently located on Rte 102. The building now sits in an area of town that does not get much traffic. Let's be honest - how many in town even know there's a Town Hall on Town Hall Rd? At the same time, the Exeter Historical Association has no real place to store items and papers of signficance, and even the new Library is short on space. So how about we both save an old and beloved building, and give the town another meeting place? It will take lots of work (and some luck!) to pull the plan together, but we're optimistic that it will happen.

And last but not least: We have our 501 (c) 3 status!! Ok, well almost. But we're a stone's throw away from being an official non-profit organization, which will allow us to do lots of stuff such as apply for grants. A HUGE thanks to our friend Pete Lacouture for his pro bono work on the application.

So all this news qualifies are pretty darn exciting, around these parts. Dontcha think?

Woody Hill School Renovation Project

2010-11-10T20:57:00.001-05:00

After its doors were closed in 1942, no one knew what would happen to the one-room school house on Woody Hill Road. The building where the children of Exeter School District No.1 had been educated no longer had a teacher, and the pupils had transferred to the Lewis school.

For decades, the building remained unoccupied, quietly suffering the annual freeze and thaw, windstorms, rain and destructive activities of small animals, insects, and human vandalism. Several years ago, the Exeter One-Room Schoolhouse Committee, along with the Exeter Town Council, secured a grant from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission to halt the deterioration and restore the building for use as a place to teach about Exeter’s history.

Renovation finally began this summer after carefully determining what work needed to be done to preserve historical authenticity of the structure. Preliminary inspections showed that the plaster ceiling had deteriorated beyond repair so was removed after the interior furnishings – desks, woodstove – had been moved to a temporary storage unit on site. Rotted rafters and windows are being replaced as are the termite-eaten sills and floor joists and new doors are being constructed. All work is being done by Brian Patch of PlanB Construction ,who is certified for renovation work on historic buildings.

Work begins by bringing in a temporary storage unit and dumpster.

Furnishings and construction materials are kept in a locked storage unit on site.

Keeping the building level while severe damage to the sills is repaired.

Deteriorated rafters are replaced with new lumber while the original structure is preserved as much as possible.

Photos courtesy Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd.

Updates from May 27th meeting

2010-05-27T21:35:00.001-04:00

Yes, it was Standing Room Only at our latest meeting at the Exeter Grange! If you couldn't make it into the building to hear the proceedings, here are the highlights:

Our Fifth Annual One Room Schoolhouse Reunion will take place on Sunday June 27th at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd. Spread the word, and arrive at 1PM for the start of the event itself. However, you can come early and attend...
...our Annual Meeting, which we decided to hold on the very same day (June 27th) at 12:30 PM. This way, folks won't have to come out twice in June. The meeting will be BRIEF! So please attend if you can.
Bids for the work on Woody Hill School will be opened and read on June 7th at the next Exeter Town Council Meeting (was delayed a bit from previous deadline). According to our Woody Hill School chariman, Lauren Andrews, there are at least 3 companies bidding on the work.

5th Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion - June 27 2010

2010-04-17T22:09:00.000-04:00

Mark your calendars for the 5th Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion !! This year it will take place on Sunday June 27 from 1 PM to 4PM. The location is the same - Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd. We hope to see everyone there!

Progress to report on the Woody Hill School restoration

2010-03-27T10:51:00.001-04:00

We're finally on our way to having major restoration work done on the Woody Hill one-room schoolhouse! At our last meeting on March 25th, Planning Board member Mike Abbott briefed us on the paperwork he's done so that the ACTUAL work can get started. Bids on the specified restoration are due back by April 26th, and Mike will present the eligible contract proposals to the Exeter Town Council at their May 3rd meeting.

The building itself will be restored to the way it looked when it was built in the 1800's, using hand-sawn timbers and non-commercial windows and window panes. After the work is complete, the interior desks, chairs, blackboards and woodstove will be placed back inside, and the school will look as it did when it closed in 1942.

We are all VERY excited about the upcoming work, and are anticipating all the visitors that will be able to see this fascinating piece of Exeter's past.

Our new logo!

2010-01-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

We've got a draft design for a new logo! Visibile above is a logo designed by EHA Board of Directors member Gary Boden. The idea for the logo came from a brainstorming session of EHA members a few months ago. We wanted a stylized picture of a water wheel and mill, reminiscent of the one that can be seen from Ten Rod Rod on the eastern end of our town, evoking Exeter's past. Gary came up with a great design, which he incorporated in to a complete logo. We're still working on fine-tuning the font and color - but we think it looks fabulous already!

Halloween treat! Exeter Historical Cemetery program - Oct 31, 2009

2009-09-14T22:03:00.000-04:00

Get into the spirit of Halloween by attending an afternoon talk on October 31 at the Exeter Public Library. "Beyond Mercy Brown: Exeter's Historical Cemeteries" promises to be a hauntingly a good event.

Click here to read the real truth about Mercy Brown (ProJo article from October 30, 2008).

We have money to help repair Woody Hill School!

2009-07-18T11:22:00.000-04:00

Great news! Sheila met with Exeter Town Council and Rhode Island Historic Preservation Commission folks in mid-July to talk about money that had been earmarked some years back for repairs at Woody Hill School. She is happy to report that the money, totaling about $33,000, will be released for use for this project!

Our current plan is to restore the school so it will look as it did when it closed in 1942. These plans are tentative though, as we need to have everything approved by Virginia Hesse, of the RIHPC. But this is very exciting news, and their willingness to release these funds is directly a result of the efforts of all of us at the Exeter Historical Association! Stay tuned for more news...or better yet, come to our next meeting!

Recap of Annual Meeting

2009-06-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

Our first Annual Meeting was held on June 16th. A short business meeting was conducted first. Those members of the Board of Directors whose terms were expiring were voted in for another 3-year term. In addition, we added new Board member Jeanne Abbott.

Following the business meeting, those in attendance enjoyed refreshments and were treated to a very interesting presentation about genealogical and historical information that can be found in our One Room Schoolhouse records, compiled by Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd and Barbara Carroll. The slides have been uploaded to our Flickr account, and you can view them here.

Don't miss our 1st Annual Meeting - June 16

2009-05-20T22:41:00.000-04:00

THE DATE OF OUR FIRST ANNUAL MEETING HAS CHANGED!! Due to a conflict we are changing the date of our annual meeting to June 16th (the Town Financial Meeting is on the 9th).

Exeter Historical Association

1st Annual Meeting

Tuesday June 16th,7pm

Exeter Public Library

773 Ten Rod Rd, Exeter

There will be a short business meeting followed by a presentation on researching Exeter's past using schoolhouse records and other materials in our history collection at the library. Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite photos from the past to share. Refreshments will be served.

It's Reunion Time!!

2009-04-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

Don't forget! The 4th Annual Exeter One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion will take place on Sunday, April 26th, from 1 to 4 PM at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Road, Exeter RI. (click here for directions).

Everyone is welcome - join us, enjoy some refreshments, visit with old and new neighbors and come talk about the "good old days"!!

February Meeting highlights

2009-02-16T19:08:00.000-05:00

About a half-dozen of us met at the Library for our February meeting. Here are some of the higlights of what was discussed:

Woody Hill School repairs: Some must-do weatherproofing was completed recently by project chair Loren Andrews. We're using the downtime forced upon us by the winter weather to decide what needs to be done next, and to continue to pursue a "memo of understanding" with the Town Council.
The Fourth Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion will take place on April 26, 2009, from 1Pm to 4PM at the Exeter Public Library. We hope to send notices out by mail. Please come to the Exeter Historical Association meeting on April 14 if you'd like to volunteer to help out on that day.
We're still looking for a logo! Awaken your hidden artistic talents and see if you can create something you think would be appropriate for our group. Fame and fortune will be yours! OK, maybe not the fortune part.
We discussed compiling a 'Streets of the Town' document, which would include the history of the names of some of the roads in Exeter.

20 members so far!! Details of the December meeting:

2008-12-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

At the December 10 meeting, Sheila informed us that we have 20 members so far! This is a great start. We also have collected enough money in dues and donations to pay for the remainder of our 501(c)(3) filings.

Here's a brief summary of some of the items discussed at our meeting:

Loren Andrews was elected (in abstentia!) to chair the Woody Hill School projects group. However, before any work gets underway at this school, we need to work out a memo of understanding with the Town Council with regard to some grant money that remains earmarked for this building. Sheila hopes to set up this meeting early in 2009.
Next year's One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion dates were discussed. We are zeroing in on three possible Sundays: April 19, April 26 or May 3.
We now have our own email address: exeterhistory@yahoo.com .
As always, we spoke about getting others involved with different projects. Would you be interested in helping turn Hall School into a museum? Helping to collect oral or written histories? Organizing a photo contest of "Historic Exeter"? The winter months are a great time to brainstorm -- if you come up with an idea, let us know - or better yet, come to the next meeting on Feb 10!

Mercy Brown - Can the vampire myth finally be put to rest?

2008-11-16T12:57:00.000-05:00

Every year, around Halloween, our town tends to get a bit more interest than at other times of the year. This can be attributed to the legend of an Exeter resident from many years ago.

Mercy Brown was only 19 years old when she died of tuberculosis on January 17, 1892. While the loss of someone so young is tragic enough on its own, the legend that grew around the circumstances of her death are horrifying as well. Mercy was labeled a vampire by some of her superstitious contemporaries. Not only was she not allowed to rest in peace after her burial, but curiosity about her gravesite has kept this myth alive for a very long time.

Providence Journal writer G. Wayne Miller wrote a thoughtful article about Mercy Brown and the vampire legend this past October. We think it provides a long-overdue debunking of some of the assumptions made about her.

You can read the online version of the article here . It was originally published in the Journal on October 31, 2008.

Looking for a logo.........

2008-09-16T22:33:00.000-04:00

Now that we've actually filed our 501(c)3 paperwork, we're ready to come up with a logo for our new organization. One idea mentioned was to have a stylized image of a mill and water wheel, since this type of structure is so iconic to Exeter.

Are you feeling artistic? Go ahead and make up a design! Other suggestions are welcome!

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7PM at the Exeter Public Library.

Announcing the arrival of the Exeter Historical Association!

2008-08-23T21:12:00.000-04:00

In March 2008, a group of interested Exeter residents got together to begin the process of forming the Exeter Historical Association. Lead by local historians Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd and Barbara Carroll, the group was incorporated in August 2008 and have begun filing the necessary 501c(3) paperwork in order to be able to apply for grants.

We encourage and welcome participation in this newly formed organization. Meeting notices will be posted here. If you'd like to be included on our mailing list, please contact Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd at exeterhistory@yahoo.com