From the Charlestown Historical Society

 

FALL 2024 Dear Members & Friends,   As summer turns to fall, we look back at a busy season for the CHS museum and schoolhouse. Visitors from around the states and folks looking to trace their family ancestry back to Charlestown's earliest days provided us with a constant flow of research and networking and opened new doors for the sharing of local historical information. We'd like to thank all of our CHS community for your ongoing patronage and participation, and please remember that we are open all year long at the museum and 1838 schoolhouse by appointment. The Talking Diary Project Simeon Perry's Life in Late 18th Century Charlestown The Perry family has over 300 years of presence here in South County, and this summer we were visited by one of its dedicated descendants to not only learn more of their ancestor's life, but to also introduce us to an incredible project of theirs which will allow us to communicate with Simeon through the amazing power of artificial intelligence. Between 1789 and his death in 1802, Simeon Perry kept a detailed diary of Charlestown's weather and daily happenings. Along with this information, which creates a clear picture of his family, social, spiritual and work life, there is also a database containing a diverse collection of local historical information that can be accessed to explain the world in which he lives. Simeon and AI will partner to answer your questions along with the help of a laptop, microphone and speakers. He'll tell you that he was a Quaker and frequently attended Quaker meetings. He'll give you the names of the people he met there, who his neighbors were, the name of the boat he took into Newport for supplies and the new schoolhouse which was being built that spring and even the death of his wife. Simeon and his world will come to life and transport you back in time. More to come on the presentation of the project and many thanks to this remarkable member for sharing her years of expertise in computer science that will enable this project to come to fruition.              CHS Cemetery Team Restores Church/Perry Burying Ground CH023 along Old Post Road, Cross' Mills  This year the ambitious CHS Cemetery Committee took on one of the most difficult projects of its existence. Not only was this small cemetery completely overgrown with trees and shrubs, but almost all of its beautiful headstones were lying on the ground from the effects of weather and age. With the help of a new tripod and dedicated community, these stones were repaired and reset, bringing this sacred place back to its almost original presence. Although most of our cemetery events require far less work, the undertaking of this project exemplifies the respect and passion for historic preservation. View the transformations below. We'd like to thank our Chair, Susan Angelo, Alan Angelo and Jeff Burns, and all of our dedicated volunteers for their commitment and perseverance! Charlestown Holiday Ramble Please join us on Friday, December 6th, for this annual holiday tradition along the Old Post Road. Throw on your hats and scarves and share an evening of community fun and festivity. CHS will be open from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. Hope to see you then! The Charlestown Historical Society is open year-round by appointment at: info@charlestownhistorical.org. Thank You for your patronage! Visit our website Email Us

Charlestown Historical Society | P.O. Box 100 | Charlestown, RI 02813