South County’s Heritage and Cultural Sites
The William C. O’Neill Bike Path is located on the former Narragansett Pier Railroad, which connected a collection of villages in South Kingstown, going from Kingston, south through Peace Dale, Wakefield, and into Narragansett Pier which is now the town of Narragansett. Today the bike path links a series of cultural resources that connect us to the heritage of these villages and life in different eras. Buildings of architectural distinction that served one purpose have been recycled to new uses like: the historic 1802 Helme house which became the South County Art Association in 1929; the Kingston jail is now the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society; the Washington County Court House is now the Courthouse Center for the Art; the Kingston Train Station is now an Amtrak station and houses a railroad museum for the Friends of Kingston Station; the historic Tefft cemetery is now the Tefft Historical Park which is owned by the South Kingstown Land Trust; an historic Peace Dale stone commercial building now is the home of South County’s oldest Museum, the Museum of Primitive Art and Culture; the Saugatucket River, with adjacent mills, is the watershed managed by the Saugatucket River Heritage Corridor Coalition; a 1950’s laundromat has been the Hera Gallery for 27 years; and the former Canonchet Farm in Narragansett is the South County Museum. These are shown on the map, conveniently located on or near the path, and awaiting your use. Contact the following for information:
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South County Art Association Helme House, 2587 Kingstown Road Kingston, RI 02881 401.783.2195 South County Art Association Website |
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Petasquamcut Historical Society 2636 Kingstown Road Kingston, R.I. 02881 401.783.1328 www.pettaquamscutt.org |
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Courthouse Center for the Arts 3481 Kingstown Road W. Kingston, RI 02892 401.782.1018 www.courthousearts.org |
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Kingston Station – R.I. Railroad Museum PO Box 191 West Kingston, RI, 02892 R.I. Railroad Museum |
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Historic Tefft Cemetery – Tefft Historical Park South Kingstown Land Trust 313 Main Street, Suite C Wakefield, RI, 02879 401.789.0962 South Kingstown Land Trust Website |
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Museum of Primitive Art and Culture 1058 Kingstown Road, Suite 5 Peace Dale, RI 02883 401.783.5711 www.primitiveartmuseum.org |
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Saugatucket River Heritage Corridor 313 Main Street PO Box 209 South Kingstown, RI 02880 401.782.0149 Saugatucket River Heritage Corridor Coalition |
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Hera Gallery 23 North Road Lily Pads Office Complex Bldg A, Suite 24 Peace Dale, RI 02879 401.789.1488 www.heragallery.org |
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South County Museum 100 Anne Hoxsie Lane PO Box 709 Narragansett, RI 02882 (401) 783-5400 www.southcountymuseum.org |
