Warwick Historical Society takes part in Smithsonian Museum Day

Posted 9/24/15

Mayor Scott Avedisian has encouraged residents and others with a love of history to visit the John Waterman Arnold House, home to the Warwick Historical Society (WHS), Saturday, Sept. 26 between 10 …

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Warwick Historical Society takes part in Smithsonian Museum Day

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Mayor Scott Avedisian has encouraged residents and others with a love of history to visit the John Waterman Arnold House, home to the Warwick Historical Society (WHS), Saturday, Sept. 26 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The house, which has recently undergone renovations, has been approved to participate in the Smithsonian Museum Day this year.

Free tours will be offered at the house, which is located at 25 Roger Williams Circle, that day. According to Smithsonian Day guidelines, those attending must present tickets obtained online. Visit www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ to obtain tickets.

“I applaud the Warwick Historical Society for their ongoing efforts to preserve, promote and celebrate our city’s rich and vibrant history, and thank them for their continued willingness to make the home and their collection available for the public to enjoy,” Avedisian said in a statement. “The Smithsonian Museum Day helps to bring attention to museums all across the country. The John Waterman Arnold House is a tangible link to our past and present and certainly a community treasure. I encourage people to stop by and visit on the 26th.”

The Warwick Historical Society was established in 1932 and until 1965 met periodically in libraries, grange halls and private homes. At that time they learned that the John Waterman Arnold House (c1785) was scheduled to be demolished by the city due in part to its rundown condition. The members approached the owners of the property and were granted the deed of ownership. As a condition of ownership the Society is charged with the maintenance and upkeep of the property; therefore between 1965 and 2007 the Arnold House underwent a number of restoration projects that has brought it to its present state.

In 1972 the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been the headquarters of the Warwick Historical Society continuously since then. In 1965 the house was completely empty so the Society asked for donations of furnishings suitable to an 18th century house and the community responded. The majority of the furnishings present in the house today were donated at that time.

The John Waterman Arnold House is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month.

For more information about Museum Day or general information about the Warwick Historical Society, call 467-7647, email: warwickhistoricalsocietyri@gmail.com or visit www.whsri.org.

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