The effort to create the Sowams National Heritage Area received a lot of support and a little bit of push-back during the Barrington Town Council meeting earlier this month. 

The majority of people who spoke about the issue shared their appreciation for the effort to create a new land designation for nine area towns, including Barrington, that would recognize the region's important role in the country's development and “celebrate its contributions to American history and culture.” 

The Sowams National Heritage Area request coincided with a presentation about a recent archeological survey of the land at Nockum Hill on George Street in Barrington. Preservation officials said the survey revealed dozens of musket balls and other evidence that shows the property played a crucial role in American history, serving as the location for the start of King Philip’s War.

During the Dec. 1 council meeting, Jacob Brier, Arnold Robinson, Joelle Adams and others encouraged the town council to approve a resolution supporting the effort to create a Sowams National Heritage Area. Sachem Tracy Dancing Star of Pokanoket Nation also endorsed the measure.

Janine Wolf offered a much different opinion. The Barrington resident cautioned the council against the approving the resolution. Wolf called the National Heritage Area program a despicable land grab. Wolf said the program is sold to residents as a way to preserve the past and build tourism, but is, in fact, politically motivated and places restrictions on private land. Wolf asked the Barrington Town Council to do more homework on the National Heritage Area program.

Barrington Town Council Vice President Kate Berard said the information cited by Wolf was outdated, and that she was not concerned that property rights were going to be challenged.  

In the end, the council sided with Brier, Robinson, Adams and other supporters and adopted the resolution, 4-0. U.S. Congress will make the final determination on the designation. 

One of nine

Andrea Rounds, a Bristol resident and project advisor for the Sowams National Heritage Area Steering Committee, made the request to the council. She said officials were filing similar requests in Bristol, Warren, East Providence, Providence, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset and Swansea. (Warren and Swansea officials have already approved the resolution, Rounds said.)

Rounds said Barrington is rich in history, and cited the ongoing archeological work taking place at Nockum Hill. Berard asked Rounds if creating the Sowams National Heritage Area designation would create additional building and development restrictions for properties within the area. 

Rounds said it would not, adding that private land would remain private and public land would remain public. She said there would be no transfer of land in any way. 

“It’s more like a good housekeeping seal of approval,” Rounds said. 

Councilor Kerry O’Neill asked about other National Heritage Areas. Rounds said there were 64 in the United States, and that the closest one to Barrington is the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, which is where the American Industrial Revolution started. It runs from Worcester, Mass. to Providence. Rounds said there were 22 National Heritage sites in the northeast. 

Heather Kilmartin, a member of the Barrington Planning Board and Open Space Committee, said the latter group voted to endorse the Sowams National Heritage Area project. Kilmartin said the committee was excited to leverage the designation in an effort to improve the public spaces and open land in Barrington. She said the committee would like to see the resources better promoted to the community and to visitors. Kilmartin said an additional benefit would be leveraging the designation for more grant money. 

Tom Rimoshytus, a member of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission, questioned the need for the designation. He suggested town councilors do a bit more digging before approving the request. 

Brier voiced support for the effort and reminded people that Rounds and the Sowams National Heritage Area Steering Committee had already completed an abundance of homework on the issue. 

Adams said she had visited the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and noticed the helpful information signs throughout. She said she was excited to support the effort. Robinson said he had been involved with the Blackstone River Valley effort and said the program allows communities the opportunity to tell their own local or regional story. He said that bringing the towns together in the Sowams National Heritage Area would allow them to amplify the effort. 

Councilors shared their support for the effort also. Jordan Jancosek said she reached out to the groups who were involved in establishing a different National Heritage Area to learn more. She said the effort could benefit Barrington and the other towns. O’Neill referenced a letter of support from Rhode Island Commerce Corporation President and CEO Jim Bennett.