Gaspee Days 2021 by Beacon Communications

Gaspee Days 2021

Celebrate History. Celebrate Community.

May 2021 | A Special Supplement from Beacon Communications

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Gaspee Days • May 2021 • 2

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Steady and steadfast, the hunt for the Gaspee marches on By ETHAN HARTLEY There is something uniquely exciting about the hunt for some hitherto undiscovered piece of history – particularly when the event connected with that piece of history occurred right in your backyard, and even more so when that event generated the ripples of a wave that would eventually culminate in the American Revolution. Many Rhode Islanders, particularly those in Warwick, may possess a surface understanding of “The Gaspee Affair” – when Providence colonists boarded the HMS Gaspee and then set it on fire, burning it to the water line during the late evening and early morning hours of June 9 and 10, 1772. The full story of the Gaspee is worthy of its own article, as it contains all the trappings of a classically American drama. There’s a slow, rising tension courtesy of an arrogant antagonist – a British officer who, by historical accounts immortalized through a series of letters, took his authority beyond the powers ascribed to him, harassed colonists’ ships and seized their cargo as he saw fit. There’s a harrowing boat chase that ends with the aid of a geological trap set by clever locals who knew the terrain better. There’s a violent clash, complete with gunfire and the antagonist being shot. And of course, there is the marquee crescendo of a bested enemy vessel illuminating the dark waters of Narragansett Bay in a fireball of defeat. It was the earliest and most decisive victory for what was then a small band of underdogs – some of who were members of the notorious Sons of Liberty – against an oppressive, overseas regime. It is one of those events, one of those most important moments in time, that helped set off a chain reaction that ultimately changed the world. “The Gaspee event has been overlooked by the early publishers of history, which were primarily out of the city of Boston,” said state Rep. Joseph McNamara, who has spearheaded local volunteerism efforts to search for remnants of the Gaspee. “That is why the vandalism event called the Boston Tea Party gets more recognition in the history books than the first blow for freedom, where we took on a British warship, shot the captain and burnt the ship to the water line – which in any measure would be considered an act of war, rather than an act of vandalism.” This is why, as the 250th anniversary of the ship’s burning rapidly approaches in 2022, a team of enthusiastic, experienced and professionally trained volunteers – led by a nationally acclaimed marine archeologist – are so excited to continue the preliminary work that will eventually lead them to go much deeper than the surface and uncover whether any physical remnants of that historical event, and the ship at the center of it all, survive to this day.

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NOT FLASHY, BUT EFFECTIVE: Roger Hudson, a long-time volunteer on the Gaspee team, prepares a photo shoot during archival work at the RIMAP lab in Bristol. The all unpaid, volunteer team has been conditioned to put hard work above any individual egos. Scientific process slow, but diligent This will be the seventh upcoming summer that the Gaspee research team – comprised of around a dozen consistent volunteers, some of whom (like McNamara) reside in the area near where the Gaspee ran aground – works toward uncovering more information about the British vessel’s final resting place. For those who might have grown up reading stories of finding a lost shipwreck, complete with buried treasure and priceless artifacts, you may be disappointed to learn that the reality of searching for the lost remnants of a nearly 250-year-old shipwreck is much less sexy and much more scientific, as the no-nonsense, renowned marine archeologist leading the research group will gladly point out. “We now have a really experienced team that understands this is a process that we follow,” said Dr. Kathy Abbass, executive director of the Rhode Island Marine Archeology Project (RIMAP). “What you find is these people are really eager to do it right. They’re not some 18-year-old starry-eyed kids who think they’re going to be Bob Ballard when they grow up. These are people who understand that this is a process that needs to be done properly.” ■

Hunt - PAGE 14

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By JOHN HOWELL This year’s Gaspee Day parade promises to be unlike any other. It has a lot to do with the pandemic. For starters, it didn’t look like there would be a parade for a second year in a row. Then it looked like there would be a scaled-back parade. And now, not only will there be a parade, but it is going to include some new participants. Karen Kenney, parade chair, can’t be more excited by what has shaped up to be a parade featuring 30 patriotic groups and an equal number of community groups. The parade steps off from the intersection of Spring Green Drive and Narragansett Parkway in Warwick on Saturday, June 12, at 10 a.m. and proceeds down the parkway to Pawtuxet Village, where it crosses the bridge before ending at the Masonic Hall on Board Street in Cranston. The route offers multiple viewing locations. “It’s amazing how the community pulled together for this,” says Kenney. Gaspee Days Committee chair Gina Dooley is equally awed by community support. Not knowing what restrictions the pandemic may impose, yet hopeful that things would open up in June, the committee voted for an abbreviated parade. A major consideration was that the committee had canceled the Arts & Crafts Festival traditionally held on Memorial Day weekend, which raises a good portion of the $50,000 needed to run the parade. The committee budgeted $35,000 and set forth an ambitious GoFundMe campaign to raise the money. Initial donations were encouraging, but after that spurt, it looked like the goal was beyond reach. Dooley made a public plea, and not only did contributions pick up, but the committee set out to raise $50,000. That goal was surpassed by $500 in the second week of May. Now, Dooley is blaming herself for canceling the in-person 5K road race the morning of the parade. There is a virtual race and registration is online. Of the money raised, $5,000 will go toward painting the red, white and blue strip that runs down the center of the parkway. While the stripe is still visible, and there was some discussion of saving the money, the committee chose to repaint the stripe. “It’s a big psychological boost,” Dooley said. The early painting of the stripe is a public declaration the parade is coming. For Kenney, the community outpouring has her thinking, “I feel like we never should have doubted [holding the parade] in the first place.” In reaching out for participants, Kenney found people excited to learn the parade hadn’t been canceled and anxious to be a part of it. One drawback and an effect of the pandemic is the lack of high school marching bands. With remote learning or hybrid in-school and online classes, the bands haven’t been able to get in a lot of practice. She has found other groups. One of the first timers is the You Rock School of Music from Cranston, which she said is planning a float featuring “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and songs from the time. She said Carolyn Dutra’s Dance Studio would feature a Radio City Rockettes style of performance. The Veterans Center will have a group, and there will be a motorcycle club, at least four antique fire trucks and many of the favorites, including the Pawtuxet Rangers, the Shriners and the Mummers. ■

Parade - PAGE 8

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More than 50 groups signed up to march in June 12 parade

Gaspee Days • May 2021 • 8

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Parade (Continued from page 7)

As of earlier this month, Kenney provided the following list of participants: Community groups American Legion Riders, RI State Chapter Bow Chika Wow Town Clarke Costume Charactors Kent County Marine Corp League/RI Young Kittery Antique Fire Truck Providence Vet Center RI Comic Con Richard Quetta – Antique Fire Truck Save Sand Pond You Rock School of Music Epic Movie Cars Rhode Island Antique Tractor Club tugs – 2 Rhode Island Yacht Club Hoxsie Elementary School Pawtuxet Baptist Church Boy Scout Troop 1 and Cub Scout Pack 1 GP A.B. Munroe Dairy Boy Scouts – Pack 4, Troop 3, Troop 4 and Crew 5 William Shields Jr. Post, 40 and 8 Train Warwick Citizens Police Academy Alumni Warwick PAL Cheerleading Metropet Dog Center, Inc. Greenwood Vol. Fire Co. #1 and Museum The Pawtuxet River Authority Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 of Pawtuxet, RI American Red Cross RI Chapter Chapter 273 Vietnam Veterans of America

Patriotic/performing groups Pawtuxet Rangers RIM, Militia and Fife & Drum Artillery Company of Newport Cannon & Militia Gloucester Light Infantry RIM 1774 Moodus Drum & Fife Bristol Train of Artillery, RIM (Truck/Cannon) Westbrook Fife & Drum Corps Colonial Navy of Massachusetts Marquis of Granby Jr. Ancient F&D Connecticut Patriots Senior Ancient F&D Corps Windsor Fife & Drum Corps Uptown String Band (the Mummers) Toll Gate High School Band Lexington Minute Men Varnum Continentals Night Life Party Band Rehoboth Minutemen, 13th Continental Regiment Menotomy Minuteman Stony Creek Fife & Drum Corps Kentish Guards, RI Militia Bristol County Fife & Drum Corps Free Men of the Sea His Majesty’s 9th Regiment of Foot Colonial Pipers Bagpipe Band Stow Minutemen Company William Diamond Jr. Fife & Drum Corps Chester Fife & Drum Corps Grand Republic Fife & Drum Corps Rhode Island Professional Firefighters Pipes & Drum Stevens Independent Artillery (Cannon) Le Regiment Bourbonnais His Majesty’s 54th Regiment of Foot Ancient Mariners 2nd RI Volunteers Civil War Reenactors Hallamore Horses

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credit: Beth Hurd for Warwick Post

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Angelica Penta, who stepped into the national spotlight in 2019 when she took on the Warwick School department for “shaming” students who failed to pay for their lunches by giving them sun butter sandwiches, has been named the Grand Marshal of the Gaspee Days Parade to be held June 12. Karen Kenney, Chairperson of the 56th annual Gaspee Days Parade made the announcement this week. Angelica and Mike Penta are the owners of Gel’s Kitchen in West Warwick and Gel’s II in Warwick. Angelica’s longtime passion to cook and bake for those she loves is the motivation behind her success in the restaurant business. Angelica points out she “lost sleep and money trying to make her dream come true.” Angelica’s businesses have been able to weather the challenges COIVD 19 presented this year. Angelica recognized her community was in need during the pandemic and she knew she had the skills to help. The same drive and determination Angelica used to create two Rhode Island businesses she used to support Rhode Islanders. In January 2019, when the Warwick Public Schools faced national outcry over the student lunch debt, Angelica and Mike initiated an effort to provide funding

for those unable to afford school lunches. Angelica was able to raise $4,000, however, school administration refused the money, because of concerns about being able to distribute the money that was legally acceptable and equitable among the over 1,600 students that had ac-

crued debt. Angelica helped turn the initial donation into more than $50,000, after she took to Facebook to air her grievances. Her post attracted nationwide attention and resulted in thousands of dollars in donations through online campaigns. She worked alongside local families to ensure students had something to eat during the day, channeling her love of cooking into an act of goodwill. “Angelica has shown what is good about Rhode Island, by being a giver in the most trying of times. She has shown us what community means by putting others before herself,” said Parade Chair Karen Kenney. Angelica, a mother and navigating two businesses, began to organize relief for her community. In the past year, Angelica started food pantries in both her restaurants, baked for families who lost loved ones, raised funds for students in need at local schools as well as created raffles for local business to support Rhode Islanders in need. “Angelica’s sheer will and determination made a difference in RI. She only wants to give back to her the community,” points out Gaspee Parade Chair Karen Kenney. The 56th annual Gaspee Days Parade with Angelica Penta as Grand Marshal will be held on Saturday June 12th at 10:00 am.

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Activist owner of Gel’s Kitchen named Grand Marshal of Gaspee Parade

Gaspee Days • May 2021 • 12

Editor’s note: The following story appeared on the front page of the Friday, June 3, 1966, edition of the Warwick Beacon.

Warwick will mark first annual Gaspee Day celebration today One of the most colorful commemorative events in Rhode Island will be launched in Warwick today – the Gaspee Day celebration. Tourists and parade units from throughout New England began arriving last night to participate in the three-day cel-

ebration, according to members of the Gaspee Day Committee. The first annual Marine Historical Symposium will initiate activities today from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Warwick Historical Society, 23 Roger Williams Avenue, Pawtuxet. Tonight at 8 o’clock,

the Gaspee GoGetters will offer a dance exhibition at Rhodes Annex. Fireworks displays will herald the end of the first day of the celebration tonight at wick Downs.

10 o’clock at War-

First Battle Gaspee Day commemorates the burning of the “Gaspee” in 1772 when a party of Rhode Island men in eight longboats captured and burned the British customs schooner, wounding her captain and taking her crew prisoner. Three years before Concord and Lexington, the event is considered the first armed conflict of the American Revolution. The incident took place off Warwick shore in Narragansett Bay. Tomorrow’s Gaspee Day activities will begin with the dedication of the Gaspee Overlook on Narragansett Parkway at 10 a.m. At the dedication ceremony, Congressman Fogarty will present to the city a flag which has flown over the nation’s capitol and a memorial plaque will be placed at the site by the Daughters of the American Revolution in memory of the Gaspee Raiders. A 35-foot flagpole will also be erected at the site, a gift from the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. Open House

Paid for by friends of Christopher Paplauskas - Treasurer Joseph Agresti

Throughout the observance, an open house will be held at the Gaspee House,

209 Williams Street, Providence. The Gaspee House contains a reconstructed room from the old Sabin Tavern in which the plot to capture the “Gaspee” was mapped. Bullets used by the Raiders were molded in this room. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow, an historical exhibition will be held at Pawtuxet Baptist Church, with a memorial service to be held at 11 a.m. at the church. A flagpole, donated by the Warwick Jaycees, will be dedicated at the bridge in Pawtuxet at 11:45 a.m. tomorrow. Colonial Food Colonial food will be served in all leading Warwick restaurants, according to the Gaspee Day Committee. Cannons will be sounded throughout the three days, drum cadence will be sounded in various parts of the city by the Varnum Continentals and church bells will ring tomorrow from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday’s activities will be highlighted by motor boat races off Gaspee Point from noon to 3 p.m. Spectators are welcomed, committee members said. Trophies will be awarded to winners on the beach in the vicinity of the Gaspee Outlook. Walter Whipple, 92, of Warwick, will serve as grand marshall of the Gaspee Day parade. He is a direct descendent of Commander Abraham Whipple who led the raid on the “Gaspee.”

Gaspee Days Comeback Event/live music Saturday May 29th | 1pm – 5 pm

Gaspee Days Parade Saturday June 12, 2021 | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Narragansett Parkway | Warwick, RI

Gaspee Days makes its comeback, gathering the community together once again in Pawtuxet Park with music, food & drinks. This is an event for the whole family where all can enjoy tunes performed by 'Sundance' and those 21+ can enjoy adult refreshments. Admission is $5 per adult and free for children 6 and under. Drinks $5 each cash only. All proceeds benefit Gaspee Days. Tickets sold only in advance and will not be available at the door.

Since 1965, the Gaspee Days Committee has continued its efforts to preserve, promote, and share Rhode Island’s revolutionary history with the community – and there's no better way to do that than by celebrating over 50 years of the Gaspee Days Parade. Combining colonial groups from all over with our modern and vibrant community, this is truly a show not to miss! Each year, friends, and neighbors crowd along a two-mile stretch of Narragansett Parkway anxiously awaiting the march of the parade.

Ecumenical Service

Burning of the Gaspee

Saturday June 12, 2021 | 8:00 am - 9:30 am Trinity Episcopal Church | Cranston, RI

Saturday June 12, 2021 | precisely at 3:00 pm Pawtuxet Park, Narragansett Parkway |Warwick, RI

Parade day isn't all hustle and bustle - we kick off our largest celebration day with a solemn, non-denominational gathering at Trinity Church and take just a few moments to honor all the things that have allowed us to turn Gaspee Days into what it is today. Please join us for an outside ceremony in the heart of Pawtuxet Village in one of its oldest edifices. In addition to several readings, the West Bay Chorale accompanies the service with their harmonious blend of dozens of voices

As our last event in the celebration of Gaspee Days, we reenact the event that started it all with a symbolic burning of the ship that sparked the American Revolution – come celebrate it with us!

Fireworks Extravaganza Saturday June 5, 2021|9:00pm Salters Grove, Narragansett Parkway | Warwick, RI Every year, this display is set above the picturesque horizon of Narragansett Bay just off the coast of Salter's Grove in Warwick. For about 30 minutes, you'll enjoy a colorful show that lights up the nighttime sky. This display is graciously provided by the City of Warwick

Gaspee Days Virtual 5k Race 2021 Saturday, June 12, 2021| anywhere anytime Run, walk, bike, or kayak your virtual race anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Visit Gaspee.com to register

The popular Art and Crafts Festival and Block Party will be held in September Visit Gaspee.com for details.

HHHHHHHHHHHHH The Gaspee Days Committee is a civic-minded nonprofit organization that operates many community events in and around Pawtuxet Village, including the famous Gaspee Days Parade each June. These events are all designed to commemorate the burning of the hated British revenue schooner, HMS Gaspee, by Rhode Island patriots in 1772 as America's

‘First Blow for Freedom' ™

HHHHHHHHHHHHH

13 • May 2021 • Gaspee Days

Gaspee Days 2021 Events

Gaspee Days • May 2021 • 14

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Hunt (Continued from page 5)

No matter how enthusiastic a Gaspee-hunting volunteer may be, Abbass has insisted on proper training being the first step of that process. Each volunteer on the team has gone through extensive RIMAP training on how to properly inspect, identify and catalogue potential artifacts – from pieces of structural timber to anything else that might have come off an old ship. Tremendous care must be taken to not damage these fragile sites, so there is no room for ego trips or glory-seekers on the team. As the leader (the undisputed “captain of the ship,” chides long-time volunteer and

Warwick resident Stanley “Swede” Johnson), Abbass has overseen work in the past few years inspecting two separate shipwrecks in the area surrounding Gaspee Point, near Greene Island. To hammer home the point and prevent any false advertising, they named the project for inspecting and documenting these sites, “Not the Gaspee.” In Abbass’s world, determining what something is not is just as important as determining what it is, or could be. But this summer, specifically in July when the tide is lowest, the first preliminary step toward finding evidence of the presence – or the absence of evidence, which Abbass again points out is just as valuable to the scientific process – will be taken in the form of a Phase 1 Survey of the area directly to the south of Gaspee Point, on a spit of land that could have been where the Gaspee got wedged when chasing the packet ship Hannah during its historic last voyage. “This is the first phase – just to know what’s out there and in this environment,” Abbass said. “To know what is in the context of the area around that spit.” This slow and steady approach is crucial to ensuring quality results going forward in the hunt for the Gaspee. For example, Abbass points out that the team discovered during previous research trips that timber pieces from one of the Greene Island “Not the Gaspee” sites had been disintegrating and floating elsewhere – which could have resulted in misidentification and wasted time if they found those types of artifacts in the current target area. “That’s really the critical issue, isn’t it?” Abbass said. “How do you know it’s from [the Gaspee] or from something else? You have to look at the bigger picture.” Forming that bigger picture involves a lot of studious bookwork, such as studying archival information about ships that were active or lost in the area around the time period in question. It’s something that Warwick volunteer Pegee Malcolm has dived into headfirst, as she’s been tasked with scouring the State Archives for any information available on more than a dozen different wrecks that have occurred in the area over the past 200 years. “To find any relic of the Gaspee would be fantastic,” Malcolm said, adding that working with Dr. Abbass has been a great experience. “To know that we may find even a small piece of what we in Rhode Island, or at least Warwick and Cranston, consider the prelude to the Boston Tea Party and the first act of independence against the Stamp Act and the king would bring it all to life.” High hopes, measured expectations

TEAM EFFORT: Sheila Kramer, a Gaspee volunteer, was logging various samples from shipwrecks during a day at the RIMAP lab.

Even if the stars align and the team happens to find themselves right on top of where a partial hull from the Gaspee sits, Abbass says it would most likely not visible from a surface area inspection. “Unless we’re really lucky, whatever is left is probably under the silt out there. It’s not going to be exposed,” she said. “We’re starting this coming year with a more modest approach because we really need to know more about that environment before we decide exactly how we approach that study.” As with any archeological effort, a lack of adequate funding can be as forceful a barrier to discovery as even the unrelenting process of decomposition brought on by the passage of time. Nobody at RIMAP is paid for their efforts, and unless there emerges an enthusiastic donor with deep pockets who latches onto the expedition, it is unlikely that any dedicated, consistent funding will materialize. “I think funding is always a challenge, but when you speak with people – especially Rhode Islanders, who are very enthusiastic – once we have formalized our plan this summer, I think that we will continually be exploring mechanisms for funding, including grants from the Rhode Island Foundation and historic grants, and possibly the state,” McNamara said on the hopes to find dollars for the search. Still, this isn’t to say that those inspired by the thrill of the hunt aren’t hoping for the best, even if their expectations are realistic. “That would mean everything,” said Roger Hudson, another Warwick volunteer, when asked how it would feel to find something they could ultimately connect with the Gaspee. “It would be a super find.” “I’m very optimistic with the team that we’ve assembled,” McNamara said. “Through the process of elimination of the wreck sites that we’ve examined, we’ve learned quite a bit. So we’re moving down the coast and I am very optimistic – and this is just me, there’s no proof – that there may be part of a hull there. Any artifacts that we find that can reflect on the history would not only be very interesting, but also help paint the picture of what exactly happened.” Dr. Abbass is no stranger to being on the cutting edge of history. She taught for a decade at an all-black college during the tumultuous period of national desegrega-

15 • May 2021 • Gaspee Days

tion, became the first woman in America to apprentice as a marine surveyor in 1985 and was the marine archeologist charged with overseeing the surveying of the oldest intact shipwreck in American history. For nearly 30 years, she has been leading the expedition to unearth facts about the fate of the historic Endeavour, which was scuttled with a dozen other ships in Newport Harbor in 1778. So, it is only fitting that she may be the one to discover more about the fate of the Gaspee. However, she’s not making any promises. “It is more likely that we could tell you where she is not. Because we’re not quite sure where she actually went,” she said, cautioning that the ship hypothetically could have been lifted by a rising tide after being burned and carried elsewhere along the shore. “The spit could have moved, too. These features along the shore do change. So, is the spit in the same place it was 250 years ago?” But as with any scientific process, Abbass urged those interested in this ongoing saga to not be discouraged if you don’t see any flashy headlines about the Gaspee’s ghostly apparatus being unearthed from the depths of Gaspee Point in the next year or so. “Don’t confuse being disappointed with being unsuccessful,” she said.

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP: Dr. Kathy Abbass oversees the Gaspee volunteer team – from training them to use proper archeological techniques during their expeditions to ensuring that they effectively use that training in the field. (Warwick Beacon photos by Ethan Hartley)

Gaspee Days • May 2021 • 16

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Background of Gaspee Day is rich in history Word this week that the Gaspee Day celebration in Warwick has been nominated for a Freedoms Foundation award from the national Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, adds a feather to the collective cap of the Gaspee Day Committee; but many area residents are unaware of the historical background of the annual observance. Gaspee Day, to be observed here June 3, 4, and 5, is rich in local historical facts. On the night of June 9-10, 1772, three years before Concord and Lexington, a part of Rhode Island men in eight longboats captured and burned the British customs schooner, “Gaspee,” wounding her captain and taking her crew prisoners in the first armed conflict of the American Revolution. The incident took place off the Warwick shore in Narragansett Bay, where the “Gaspee” had run aground that afternoon on Namquit Point, since called Gaspee Point. The Americans from Providence, Warwick, Bristol and East Greenwich landed at Pawtuxet Village before dawn the following morning, about one mile north of the sunken vessel. The “Gaspee Affair” eliminated the last of the hated vessels that had harassed Rhode Island shipping for eight long years, ever since the passage of the Stamp Act. Although everybody knew the prominent men who led the Gaspee Raid, no name was ever revealed to the King’s Commission that was promptly sent over to investigate. However, as a direct result of the Burning of the Gaspee, the colonies organized the famous Committees of Correspondence that first drew them together to act as one against the common danger. Gaspee Day, proclaimed by the Governor, will be observed June 4, the first Saturday of the month, with services and dedications suited to the occasion. Highlight of the day will be the afternoon parade, starting at 2 o’clock, sponsored by all of the civic, patriotic, business, and fraternal groups in Warwick and nearby Cranston. Besides distinguished visitors, there will be an assemblage of civilians and the military, including many of the oldest, historic Chartered Commands and Musical Organizations from all over New England, Rhode Island has ever brought together.

A pageant of men, women, and children in colonial garb will depict the taking of the British prisoners, drums will beat in the streets, historic flags will fly from the 24 houses still standing in Pawtuxet that looked down on the Gaspee raiders, and many direct descendants of those men will be in line of march. First class bands and fife, drum, and bugle corps will sound the ancient marching rhythms, as an 18th century cannon booms out over Pawtuxet Cove.

That evening, there will be a colonial costume ball at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, with a ballet and nautical show, featuring fifes and drums in Revolutionary military music with fireworks afterward and a twelve-piece orchestra. There will be an historic exhibit in Pawtuxet, and the 1791 home of the Warwick Historical Society will be open for public inspection. It is hoped that the marine divers now searching in the Bay for remains of the actual Gaspee may have discovered something by that time to put on exhibition. The Daughters of the American Revolution will dedicate a plaque and a grove of trees at the Gaspee Overlook, there will be a memorial service in Pawtuxet Baptist Chruch, and dedication of a flagpole flying the 1775 Grand Union flag and the 1776 Rhode Island flag, at Pawtuxet Bridge – starting at 10 o’clock that morning. During the noon hour, colonial foods will be served at all the restaurants in the area, including bear steak, venison, johnnycakes, hastypudding, Indian pudding, and pompion pie. Colonial drinks will be available too – sillabub, flip, blackstrap and others. Friday, June 3, will bring experts together for the First Annual Marine Historical Symposium, an all-day meeting being held as part of the annual Gaspee Day celebration. In the evening, square dancing at the Rhodes State Room, Pawtuxet, with the Gaspee Go-Getters. On Sunday, June 5, the public will see a marathon three-hour race for outboard motor boats on upper Narragansett Bay, running a triangle from Gaspee Point across the Bay to Bullocks Point and back along Pawtuxet Neck. Sponsored by the United States Power Squadron, the Navy League, the Gaspee Point, Rhode Island, and Edgewood Yacht Clubs. Maps and lists of historic places to visit, hotels, motels and restaurants will be available upon request. Centering around Pawtuxet at the mouth of the Pawtuxet River, between Warwick and Cranston, the threeday observance will be a statewide celebration of Rhode Island’s historical past. Tourists and natives alike at invited to attend and to participate in this great pageant of Rhode Island history.

17 • May 2021 • Gaspee Days

Editor’s note: The following story appeared on the front page of the Friday, May 6, 1966, edition of the Warwick Beacon.

Gaspee Days • May 2021 • 18

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