An Inventory of Historical Resources in Pawtuxet Village
Pawtuxet Village is fortunate to have a number of community historians; that is, individuals and families who have become caretakers of both their own and Pawtuxet's history. These community historians have closets and attics filled with historic photographs, documents and artifacts that depict life in the Village during its long history,which they have generously shared informally over the years. We want to ensure that these invaluable resources are preserved, as our Village elders pass on in the future.
In partnership with the Cranston Public Library, Voices and Visions of Village Life received a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities to support a research program to identify historic materials and begin the process of establishing an archive. The objectives of this project are to identify and inventory existing collections of historical materials held by individuals and families in Pawtuxet Village; formalize procedures for access, use, duplication and acknowledgement; begin the process of selecting and duplicating materials from these collections; establish a special collection devoted to Pawtuxet Village materials at the William H. Hall Free Library; and create an online collection of materials at the Voices and Visions Web site (www.voicesandvisions.org).