HERITAGE OF PAWTUCKET

 As the Pawtucket Preservation society has re-named itself as the Pawtucket Heritage Society I am inspired to think about what Pawtucket Heritage might include.

1. Beautification--

 this can mean many things.  Natural beauty is gained by planting blossoming trees along the streets.  Begin at the entrances to the city : Newport Avenue, Main Street, Prospect Street and Broadway and Pawtucket Ave should be the first  streets to be planted.

Beauty could be increased in the neighborhoods. So many of the little  local parks and playgrounds have been  decreased in size or built over entirely. One good example of this would be  what was once Novelty Park in Pawtucket, There are other examples. Another thing would be to identify any still existing local space that is open in Pawtucket. Concentrate on the area that borders the Blackstone River especially around the Division St Bridge.

Another effort could center around improving neighborhoods. With an emphasis on  improving house exteriors and yards and gardens. There could be a series of contests with  prizes .

2. Commemoration  

This would include and require a  serious historical understanding of how Pawtucket was settled and built. I would like to see  Neighborhood History  investigations that would enable us to characterize and identify the key Neighborhoods and also to  discover symbolic  house types and styles that are connected to each neighborhoods.  I am thinking of  Neighborhoods like Fairlawn and Woodlawn and Darlington  and Quality Hill. Create a map of the neighborhoods and  find a style for each. This would allow for distinctive and different items like signage and  street lights etc. Don't forget often forgotten neighborhoods like Pinecrest and Bishop's Bend.

3 Recognition and Appreciation of the Demographics of Pawtucket

There has been an increase of  Hispanic residents in Pawtucket. There should be some  recognition and appreciation of this. Use of Spanish language and Hispanic restaurants .Learn more of the style of the countries of origin like Colombia and Guatemala.

Also celebrate the people who have improved and  gained fame from Pawtucket.

I am thinking of founders like Joseph Jenks, more about his foundry and also Samuel Slater. What about the Dunnells and millionaires like Joseph Ott? But what about those who served in the Revolution from Pawtucket and those in the Civil War.  Oak Grove Cemetery has many graves that date from the Civil war era and so does the Mineral Spring Ave Cemetery.  Do some historical research into these figures. Include artistic figures.  writers like poet Galway Kinnell. Make it a high school project and give prizes to the best historical figure essays written. Give scholarships.

4.     Place greater emphasis on  education 

Can we induce an institution of higher ed. to locate in Pawtucket? Perhaps Salve Regina  could open a program here. Education should be improved as the school buildings themselves are improved.  This could be a 20 year project. Also schools should encourage the acquisition of Spanish as a second language. Need more stress on history and the living history that remains of Pawtucket's past.

 5.Preserve what we do still have.

Think again about preserving Memorial Hospital. So much of Pawtucket was lost in the building of Route 95. And perhaps create something exotic like a Chinese  Garden and Tea room on the Apex and riverside sites.   Should make a serious inventory of all mill buildings in Pawtucket and try to see how they could be used now. Lorraine Mills come to mind but there are other large complexes like Darlington Fabrics on Central Avenue and the   mills on the Riverfront near the YMCA  on the river that was once the Reserve Station.

MAKE PAWTUCKET A DESTINATION!