West Warwick
John F. Horgan Elementary School
Villages of West Warwick
Follow the link below to skip to the villages of West Warwick
I. Location
West Warwick is located in the middle of Rhode
Island. It is fifteen minutes or twelve miles from Providence, the capital
of RI. We are located in Kent County which is in the Pawtuxet Valley. You
will know when you are in our town when you hit the towering textile mills
that look like medieval castles. These granite structures are scattered
across West Warwick.
II. Place
West Warwick sits between two major landforms, the lowlands along the Atlantic
ocean and the uplands in the middle of the state. One village is named Natick
which is an Indian name for a place of many hills. We are located in the
middle of a valley. The Pawtuxet
River runs through our little valley.
Pawtuxet is an Indian name that means river of little falls. The Pawtuxet
River is formed by two branches or smaller rivers known as the North and
South Branches. The South Branch is also known as Flat River. These branches
come together at Riverpoint village to form the Pawtuxet River, which is
one of the state's largest rivers. The Pawtuxet River runs through Natick
into Warwick and empties into Narragansett Bay.
III. Human Interaction
The Pawtuxet Rver formed our town. The early settlers built dams to use
the power of the river to run the machines in the textile mills. The mills
were made out of granite rock, which came from the fields. The farmers had
to clear the land of rocks so they could plant crops. Each village was built
around a mill. The corporations built houses, libraries, stores, churches,
farms, and schools.
The men did not want to work spinning in the mills because they thought
it was for women and children. That's why the owners had to build houses.
They had to get men from other places to work in the textile mills. Men
and their families came from all over the world just to work in the valley.
The villages were separated by different ethnic groups: Polish, French Canadians,
Portuguese, Italian, English, and Irish.
The mills of West Warwick produced textiles for clothing. They made some
of the world's best velvet, corduroy, and lace. Today, the Valley Queen
Mill is one of the world's largest producers of private label soaps. The
Original Bradford Soap Works is in the mill that was built in 1834.
They make Dove, Lever, Zest, Ponds, and many more.
Bradford Soap is one of the few mills that is still running today. Some
of the mills were shut down when the southern states built their own textile
mills. Many of the mills burnt
down after they were deserted. The floors of the mills were saturated with
oil from the machines. The oil acted like fuel to make the flames more intense.
The mills that are still standing are in danger of burning. The sprinkler
systems in the Royal Mill have been shut off to prevent the pipes from bursting
in the winter. If there is a fire there will be no way to save the mills.
The Arctic mill is the only mill that still uses the power from the Pawtuxet
River. The water runs through a hydroelectric generator to produce energy.
West Warwick is not the same as it was before the mills shut down. Our town
used to be one of the most popular places to visit or shop. Today, West
Warwick is struggling to regain its popularity and industry. We have a lot
of financial problems. We are having the same problems as other New England
mill towns.
IV. Movement
West Warwick used to be a major transportation center. Highways and railroad
tracks ran through West Warwick connecting Boston to New York City. The
trains also connected every village. Every mill had a train track leading
to it. They imported cotton from the south and exported the textiles or
finished products to the rest of the world. The trains also carried people
to other parts of the east coast. Today, the trains only carry freight.
The people of West Warwick depend on roads to travel, send merchandise,
and shop. Route 95 runs along the southern border of our town. It is the
state's largest highway. Bald Hill Road also known as Route 2 and Quaker
Lane is also an important road in West Warwick. It runs along our eastern
border. It is one of the busiest roads for shopping in R.I.
V. Region
West Warwick became a town in 1913. It split with Warwick because of political
reasons. Eastern Warwick was mainly a farm area. Western Warwick was a heavily
populated mill area. Western Warwick was democrat and the eastern part of
town was republican. The people in eastern Warwick were often out voted
and were tired of losing. They wanted to split with the western part of
town because the voting usually benefited the western side.
West
Warwick's coat of arms is almost the same as the town of Warwick. Warwick
has a spread eagle and West
Warwick has a setting sun to show that it's in the west. The borders of
West Warwick are: Cranston to the north, Coventry to the west, Warwick to
the east, and East Greenwich to the south. West Warwick is made up of many
villages. Each early village had its own ethnic group. Many of the ethnic
groups had their own language. The Portuguese people lived in Phenix
and many are still living there today. During the summer a visitor could
attend the Portuguese celebration for the Holy Ghost. Natick
was a village full of Italian residents. French Canadians moved into Centreville.
Polish people lived in Crompton on streets like
Pulaski Street. The other villages are:
Riverpoint, Arctic, Clyde, Lippitt, and Westcott.
Other Links that deal with Historical Preservation
The Historical
Society Homepage
National Archives
and Records Administration
Horgan Elementary School's Homepage