To the editor:

The Tiverton Historical Preservation Advisory Board is pleased to announce that some of the plaques ordered by historic property owners have been completed and are in Tiverton Town Hall for pick up. Those that have been completed (i.e., physical plaque made and property documented) have had notices sent to the owners stating such and to pick up their plaques at the town clerk's office.

For those owners who have ordered plaques and have not yet been notified, please be patient; I am researching as fast as I can as time allows. Information on some of the original owners is not easily found, nor are some of the deeds. It takes me hours just to research even a handful of deeds in the land records vault, and I have also been spending time in both Tiverton and Union libraries (as well as online) trying to research original owners. It has been especially hard when so many descendants are named after the original father, and when so many have the same name as others in neighboring communities - or even the same town. My last resort is to contact the RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, the original author of the survey book upon which we have based our plaque program. I have not quite reached that last resort yet, but may on a few of these properties shortly if I can't find anything in the Tiverton land records or the libraries.

We just notified some of the old churches and Union Public Library in town, as I had been asked by some of them if they could also participate in the program. We have not opened our program to historic houses not listed in the state survey conducted by RIHPHC, as I am still trying to research those we have orders for that are on the state survey listing. Once I get a handle on those, then we will inform the public of the criteria used to receive a plaque for their historic property.

We publicized this program in October in the local papers as part of our charge per the Comprehensive Community Plan: educating the public of the town’s historic structures, documenting their history, and providing plaques for them. The plaques are about nine inches tall by 12 inches wide, with black lettering on a white background, constructed of a maintenance-free TREX-type material. They are pre-drilled and given to the property owner with appropriate mounting hardware and a brief summary of the history of the house and/or original occupants taken from state and local sources. The plaque should be mounted on the front of the house so it is visible from the street.

Any further questions pertaining to this project may be directed to the HPAB Chair at 625-1352 or susan@tivertonhistorical.org. Also, if anyone has any information on Arnold Smith, Almy (William), Manchester (Captain Abel), Carr (George Washington), Crandall (Stephen), Simmons (Amasa and Captain), or Hart (William G.) families in Tiverton, please contact me.

Thank you and please be patient!

Susan Anderson

Chairwoman, Tiverton Historical Preservation Advisory Board