Press Releases

Generating Electricity and Redevelopment in Woonsocket

(Woonsocket, R.I.) Jeffrey Emidy, Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, announced that the National Park Service has clarified the boundaries of the Woonsocket Company/Bernon Mills Historic District and added information to the National Register of Historic Places nomination for this Woonsocket property. ...

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Exterior Restoration Complete, $1.5 Million Accessibility Project Tees Up at Old State House

(Providence, R.I.) The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC), the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), and elected officials gathered to celebrate the completion of the exterior restoration of the Old State House in Providence. Governor Daniel J. McKee, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, and State Senator Samuel D. Zurier joined to recognize the top-notch preservation project completed by Rhode Island contractors earlier this year.  ...

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Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Awareness and Preservation Weeks will feature dozens of free outdoor programs over the course of April and May. The public is invited to participate in tours, clean-ups, gravestone conservation demonstrations, open houses, and other programs at historic cemeteries throughout the state. The event is organized by the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries (RIACHC) and Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) in collaboration with many individual and organizational partners. ...

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Recipe for Success: Miss Lorraine Diner Listed in National Register of Historic Places

(Pawtucket, R.I.) A diner in Pawtucket has received federal recognition for its significance to the history of architecture, commerce, and industry. Jeffrey Emidy, Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, announced that the National Park Service has added Miss Lorraine Diner (formerly known as Donwell’s Diner) to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the Federal Government’s official list of properties throughout the United States whose historical and architectural significance makes them worthy of preservation. Recently restored, the Miss Lorraine Diner is a rare surviving example of a “semi-streamliner” diner, an important building type that influenced the design of American fast-food restaurants. ...

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Richmond's Beaver River Road Historic District Listed in National Register

(Providence, R.I.) A cluster of historic farmsteads in Richmond has received federal recognition for its architectural and agricultural significance. Jeffrey Emidy, Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, announced that the National Park Service has added the Beaver River Road Historic District in Richmond to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the Federal Government’s official list of properties throughout the United States whose historical and architectural significance makes them worthy of preservation. The district’s three farms transitioned from 19th-century subsistence farming to 20th-century market farms, typical of agricultural trends in Rhode Island. The district includes 19th-century vernacular dwellings and agricultural outbuildings. Together with the surrounding fields and  landscape features, the farms form a compelling cultural landscape. ...

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