‘Pack rats’ helped Cloud’s Hill gain historic designation

John Howell
Posted 2/12/15

There’s a lot to be said for pack rats.

Anne D. Holst knows. She told the mayor last week that she comes from a family of human pack rats. Rarely was anything thrown out and, in proper Yankee …

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‘Pack rats’ helped Cloud’s Hill gain historic designation

Posted

There’s a lot to be said for pack rats.

Anne D. Holst knows. She told the mayor last week that she comes from a family of human pack rats. Rarely was anything thrown out and, in proper Yankee fashion, there was no need to replace or update something if it worked perfectly fine.

That explains why, in the corner of one of the ornately decorated rooms of Cloud’s Hill Victorian House Museum in Cowesett, there’s a device that appears to be a Gutenberg press. It’s made of dark wood, probably walnut, and has a spindle that cranks down a large flat surface.

Was this used to squeeze grapes or juice from some other fruit?

The answer is no. Made in Holland, before Columbus discovered America, this device is a linen press. It probably was put to that purpose when William Smith Slater of Slatersville built the Gothic Victorian granite mansion for his daughter, Elizabeth, on her marriage to Alfred Augustus Reed Jr. in 1872. Of course, the iron and eventually the electric iron replaced the press. But the linen press, now more a conversation piece than of any practical use, is still part of the dining room.

There’s a lot more to Cloud’s Hill that hasn’t changed in all these years. The house has remained in the family, with Anne D. Holst being the latest in a family line that can be traced back to Roger Williams.

Holst is doing what she can to preserve the property. That’s why she established a nonprofit organization in 2004, making the property a museum, and why she pursued having the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That designation was made on Dec. 22, 2014.

Last Wednesday Mayor Scott Avedisian, representatives from the Rhode Island Central Chamber of Commerce and the city’s department of tourism gathered to recognize this development.

Holst said the designation would be valuable when it comes to seeking grants. Also, it is a step toward having the house achieve National Landmark status. If that were to happen, Cloud’s Hill would be ranked alongside Newport’s Chateau-sur-Mer, Marble House and the John N.A. Griswold House.

She believes that’s within the range of possibility because, as she points out, everything is just the way it was more than 120 years ago. It’s all there, from the drapes to the carpets, the furniture, the giant vases that were gifts from the King of Siam, to the paintings and the bureau knickknacks and combs and brushes neatly positioned for the master and mistress of the house. From generation to generation owners of the property – all women – saw to it that things stayed with the house.

“Everything is here; everyone was a pack rat,” Holst said.

Holst says the people who run the Antique Road Show said that Cloud’s Hill is the most complete Victorian house in the country. It’s no wonder then that the house is on the top of places to visit by Victorian aficionados.

In brief remarks, Avedisian noted that, as a councilman 23 or 24 years ago, he introduced legislation to grant stonewalls historic designation to preserve them from being dismantled for development. Anne’s mother, Nancy Allen Holst, was interested in what Avedisian hoped to accomplish and “summoned” him to a meeting. It was one of many meetings Avedisian had with Nancy Allen, who keenly followed community developments and frequently expressed her opinion in letters to the Warwick Beacon and other newspapers. She deserved the attention. Among many achievements, Allen was this country’s first female fire chief.

Avedisian applauded Anne for making the property a museum and her “foresight in protecting a building like this.”

As Anne pointed out, there’s more than the house. She said the property is referred to as the West Bay Arboretum because it has more than 70 varieties of trees and shrubs, including three trees noted for size by the Rhode Island Tree Council. The property also includes the Henry A.L. Brown Agricultural Collection of antique farming equipment. Brown, the city’s historian, was among those attending Wednesday’s event.

Cloud’s Hill is open by appointment seven days a week. General admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for military and college students and $5 for children 12 and under. Additional information is available from the website www.cloudshill.org or by calling 884-9490. The museum also conducts educational programs for children and adults.

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