RIHPHC Fall Focus: Heritage Festival, Archaeology Month, Semiquincentennial Grant, New Review Board Members, and more

RIHPHC Bulletin

Join the celebration: Rhode Island's 45th Heritage Festival

Join us to

"Explore the world through art and music!"

Rhode Island's 45th Heritage Festival will take place on Saturday, October 21st, from 12 - 5 pm

at WaterFire Arts Center in Providence.

Admission is FREE!

Visit our event page for more details:

RI's 45th Heritage Festival

Arch-tober approaches

Rhode Island Archaeology Month will feature free public programs led by professional archaeologists from Brown University, HDR, PAL, RIHPHC, RI Marine Archaeology Project, Salve Regina University, University of Rhode Island, and more. Here's a calendar preview--with more events to come:

Archaeological Examples of Narragansett Indian & Native American Life (virtual)
Archaeological Excavations at the Old Potterville School (Scituate)
Archaeology Month Open House at Old Slater Mill (Pawtucket)
Archaeology of Glocester
Behind the Scenes: Engaging the Americas at the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology Mellon Grant Project (Providence)
History and Archaeology of the URI Campus Landscape (South Kingstown)
Preservation After Dark Open Lab at Salve Regina University (Newport)
The HMS Gaspee Archaeology Study: An Exhibit Opening (Warwick)
Uncover Archaeology: Community Archaeology Day at the Joukowsky Institute (Providence)

Check the website for all the events--including hands-on activities, walks, talks, exhibits, and open houses--and full details. Rhode Island Archaeology Month is organized by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission in collaboration with individual and organizational partners.

A Semiquincentennial Grant for the Old State House

The State of Rhode Island was awarded a $750,000 federal grant to preserve the Old State House and Parade (1762+) in Providence, headquarters of the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. The research and restoration project is being supported by a Semiquincentennial Grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Who built the Old State House?

In-depth primary research is expected to reveal new information about the construction of the Old State House and Parade and will inform the preparation of an updated nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation activities focused on the building’s public, interior spaces include plaster repair, painting and flooring. The Parade’s historic landscape features will be restored, including the ashlar retaining wall, brownstone stairs, wrought-iron fence and cobblestone-lined gutters. From procurement of consultants to final inspection of the work, the project is expected to be completed by fall 2025.

It's the law

Training for historic district commission members

Annual training of Historic District Commission (HDC) members is required by Rhode Island law. All HDC members are required to:

complete a 3-hour training program one time within two years of June 22, 2022 or within one year of a new appointment
complete a 1-hour update each year

HDC members, if you haven't attended an approved training program since June 2022, you have options:

attend in-person Commission Assistance and Mentoring Program (CAMP®) in Warwick on Saturday, October 28
attend virtual CAMP® training (date tbd)
attend virtual "Conducting Effective Public Meetings" training led by Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program (dates tbd)

Registration for the October 28 CAMP® opens in mid-September.

The Messaging Guide for Local Preservation Programs (2023) is a helpful resource for anyone looking to improve communications about historic preservation. Look for this and other resources on the National Alliance for Preservation Commissions website.

Recent appointments to State Review Board

Introducing four appointments to the Rhode Island State Historical Review Board--otherwise known as the State Review Board (SRB). The SRB provides professional guidance and advice to the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Commission. Led by Chair Ronald J. Onorato, Ph.D., the SRB holds regular public meetings to review National Register and State Register nominations and confer on other issues. New appointees provide expertise in preservation planning, historic landscapes, architectural history, and Rhode Island history.

Shantia Anderheggen is the owner of Preservation Strategies, a consulting firm that works with historic property owners to protect historic buildings, landscapes, and structures.
Karst Hoogeboom is a landscape architect who has worked at Cape Cod National Seashore and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation.
Itohan Osayimwese, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of History of Art & Architecture at Brown University, where she is also an affiliate faculty in Africana Studies, Urban Studies, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Kate Wells is the Curator of Rhode Island Collections in the Special Collections department at Providence Public Library where she facilitates communication, inclusion, and connections to history by supporting community archives as well as outreach and creative use of library collections.

Great State properties

Bridges, courthouses, lighthouses, train stations, state offices. . .what other historic State properties are there? Let's not forget the monuments.

In Bristol's North Burial Ground, it's easy to spot the Rhode Island Soldiers Home monument (Soldiers Monument), dedicated by the State of Rhode Island in 1902. It is a towering column surmounted by a Union solider holding a furled flag at his left side. Carved in Westerly granite, the design is attributed to Danish-American sculptor Edward Ludwig Albert Pausch (1856-1931) and executed by the Smith Granite Company. Rhode Island sent 25,236 soldiers to fight for the Union, and this flag-bearer stands guard above the graves of Civil War veterans.

Learn more about Outdoor Sculpture of Rhode Island, State-owned Historic Properties, and RIHPHC’s regulatory review.