Goodies at Goodie's

If you drive down Route 101 towards Connecticut, over the hilly landscape of northwestern Rhode Island, you will eventually find yourself 812 feet above sea level at the top of Jerimoth Hill, Rhode Island’s highest peak. There, at the crest of the hill, sits a boarded-up brick building set back in the trees a bit. In the summer, one might miss it completely, as the structure is easily lost in the thick foliage. As a youngster growing up in Foster, I would often ride the school bus past this place. I seem to remember it being a weather station at one point, but besides that, it’s always been a desolate area marked with “no trespassing” signs. To be honest, I forgot it was even there until I came across this postcard from a place called “Goodie’s Lunch.” I initially thought this spot must have been closer to Scituate, but after close inspection, I recognized it as the old abandoned building on top of Jerimoth Hill. I couldn’t find much information about Goodie’s Lunch, except that they were known locally for their pie. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever stopping here to grab a slice, but I suppose the highest point in the state is as good of a place as any for dessert!

Same Old Home Day

The Elder Hammond Meeting House was built in 1796 by the Second Baptist Church of Foster with funds from the Rhode Island General Assembly. It was used as a place of worship as well as a venue for public meetings; the first Foster town meeting was held there in 1801. Foster has held its town meetings in the building ever since, making Elder Hammond Meeting House the oldest continuously used governmental assembly building in the United States.

In 1904, the town of Foster celebrated its first “Old Home Day,” in order to raise funds for repairs to the Meeting House, or, as it is called today, the Foster Town House. In true Rhode Island fashion, the celebration was a traditional clam bake and included chowder cooked in massive iron cauldrons, which are still on display today at the Foster Preservation Society. Many Fosterites brought dishes and silverware from their own homes for use at the celebration and local sawmills provided native timber boards for makeshift tables. In attendance was United States Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, who was born in Foster. Today, the Old Home Days celebration is still a time for the people of Foster to come together and celebrate their town’s heritage.

An interesting side note: I believe the sapling in the top image is the very same majestic maple tree featured in the bottom image (although there’s no way to be sure).

A Bridge Too Far

The "old" in Old Danielson Pike alludes to the fact that this stretch of road, which runs directly through the heart of the Hopkins Mills section of Foster, was once the "new" Danielson Pike.  This mile stretch of road was at one time the center of economic activity in the town. The Providence & Danielson Stagecoach carried product from the mills in the village and surrounding area across the Ponagansett River, and the Hopkins Mills Bridge was a vital piece of infrastructure to every business on the route between Danielson and Providence.

With the advent of the automobile, the bridge received a much needed update: in 1913, a new Hopkins Mills Bridge was completed. Only 15 years later, however, the construction of Route 6 bypassed Hopkins Mills completely, and the bridge was no longer a vital thruway. Over time, the mills, along with the amenities in the village that supported them, such as general stores, taverns and inns, shut their doors.

Despite the closed factories, Hopkins Mills remained a close-knit community that flourished into the 1990s.  The Hopkins Mills Bridge stood for over one hundred years until RIDOT deemed the bridge unsafe for public use.  It was demolished in 2014, effectively splitting the village of Hopkins Mills in half. Today, while it remains a National Historic District, the village is a shadow of its former self.  Vegetation has taken over much of the street, not only near the bridge but all along Old Danielson Pike.  The condition of the road is poor at best, and without a thruway, these issues are likely at the bottom of Foster DPW's list.  

Still, Hopkins Mills is an important historical landmark.  It is a prime example of one of New England’s rural industrial villages, many of which have been replaced by strip malls and condominiums.  An autumn walk down Old Danielson Pike provides picturesque views of Colonial, Federal and Greek Revival architecture, babbling brooks and waterfalls, a one-room schoolhouse and (with a little imagination) a glimpse into the way life used to be.

Before photographs: Foster Preservation Society