We attended Hearthside's Friends meeting last night and were encouraged to hear about all of the planning for upcoming events. Make sure you get to Lincoln for their Antique Fair on August 9th - if you know of any antique dealers who might want to rent a booth for a great rate, you can contact John Scanlon at john.scanlon@hearthsidehouse.org.

Also note that Hearthside is hosting the annual Civil War Reenactment this year at Chase Farm Park on September 12-13th. It is two full days of entertainment, history and concessions! There will also be activities at Hearthside - potential ideas are a Civil War fashion show and kids activities. Abe Lincoln will be on hand to give a first hand account of his memories so make sure you don't miss it!

Congrats to Hearthside for what has already been a successful first membership mailing - we have learned that a 1% return on any appeal is a success so they are already there with a 3% return rate since they were mailed in early June. Keep 'em coming!

We had the chance to visit Hale House this week and were thoroughly blown away by the renovations that have been completed. Having just looked at "before" photos before our visit, the exterior renovations were really striking. One can imagine the Hales sitting on the porches, reading, painting, and chatting. The photos below show a side-view of the house and the amazing view from the back of the home.

First Impressions: Smith's Castle

Smith's Castle in Wickford, RI is a lovely 17th century historic house museum and surrounding grounds overlooking Narragansett Bay. The house and grounds represent four centuries of Rhode Island history, a fact you just can't escape when you arrive on the property and see the docents in their period costumes!

After exploring Wickford (including a stop for ice cream) we visited Smith's Castle for the first time on Thursday. Smith's Castle is owned and cared for by the Cocumscussoc Association and we met with the Association's past President, Neil, the Assistant President, Maggie, and the Office Administrator, Melissa. The Cocumscussoc Association is clearly made up of passionate and dedicated volunteers and their enthusiasm was contagious. All in all, we had a great afternoon at Smith's Castle, a beautiful site with a lot of fascinating history and an interesting story to tell. We can't wait to go back for the Strawberry Festival on June 20th!

Interns taking a break at The Inside Scoop in Wickford

First Impressions: Linden Place

Our grand finale for the three days of site visits was Linden Place in Bristol, RI. This beautiful, old house was initially owned by General George DeWolf. While there we learned all about the family exploits from privateering to the slave trade to the family's midnight escape to Cuba. We were also introduced to the cinematic past of the house (it was featured in Gone with the Wind) as well as its connections to the ancestors of Drew Barrymore. In its current incarnation, Linden Place is a vibrant community resource playing host to everything from weddings to summer arts camps. Linden Place truly is the "crown jewel" of Bristol. The house presides over the historic waterfront district and sits right on the parade route for Bristol's famous Fourth of July parade. We'll be sure to experience this beauty in all her patriotic glory!

First Impressions: Pettaquamscutt Historical Society

The Pettaquamscutt Historical Society (PHS) is in the unique position of operating a regional organization with several properties--including the newly acquired Hale House! PHS was founded in 1958, and is headquarted in the Old Washington County Jail. The Ernest Hamlin Baker Mural housed at the PHS is a shining example of the types of art and artifacts with special significance for South County that are preserved through PHS.

With several towns to work with and the University of Rhode Island located just across the street, PHS has amazing opportunities for collaboration and innovative programming. More to come soon. . .

First Impressions: Hearthside

Hearthside is located in Lincoln, RI along the historic Great Road scenic byway. It has a commanding presence with its field stone exterior and tall front columns. Managed by the Friends of Hearthside, this property is distinctly unique in that the Town of Lincoln owns the property. There is a collaboration amongst the town and association to keep the house running as an historic house museum and property. Hearthside has the opportunity to be part of a collective group of historic properties with the Hannaway Forge and Blacksmith Shop, the Chase Farm House and Moffett Mill all along a quarter mile stretch of Great Road. Together, the properties represent how industry has progressed and evolved over a two hundred year period. There is a strong consensus to re-brand the properties into one cohesive group to appeal to tourists, local school groups and the Lincoln community. We have already had a full day of meetings with the Town Administrator, President of Friends of Hearthside and a FOH Board Member. We look forward to speaking further with the town and local schools to ensure that Hearthside and the surrounding properties are able to sustain themselves for many generations to come.

First Impressions: Babcock-Smith House

It's a Rhode Island joke that anything beyond 15 minutes away is too far to travel. Well, for our first site visit last week we drove a whole hour to the Babcock-Smith House in Westerly, and we all concluded it was worth it! A Georgian-style home built circa 1734, the Babcock-Smith House was witness to the importance of Westerly's granite industry. Its architecture and furnishings reflect the lifestyles of the families who lived here until 1972.

Babcock-Smith is also an excellent resource for historians and researchers, both in the incredible amount of knowledge its volunteers possess and in its invaluable collection of record books from the granite quarry down the street, which are beautifully illustrated and well-preserved. With creative programming like gorgeous candlelight dinners, themed school tours, and a recently opened vintage bridal gown exhibit, the Babcock-Smith House opens its doors to its local residents as well.

No dust here - this house museum sparkles, and the dedication of the docents, board, and caretaker makes it feel like a home. We're all looking forward to working with such committed, organized, and enthusiastic volunteers soon!