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Dear Members,
Happy New Year!!
I hope you all had a great holiday season and are staying warm now that winter has truly arrived. Those of us who attended the holiday party in December had a wonderful evening and truly enjoyed the entertainment provided by Tony the Dancing Cop. Some of our own members showed off their dancing skills as well!!
The Board has decided to open the John Hunt House Museum on the second Sunday of every month from 1-4 p.m. We have gone back and forth on what is the best schedule and this is what we have settled on. Ginny Berwick is always looking for volunteers to be host/hostesses when the museum is open. No experience necessary! Please call her, 434-0998, if you are willing to help out.
If you have taken a walk or ride through Hunts Mills lately you will have noticed the changes in the area. The city has continued to clear the area near the river and the falls and by spring it will be a lovely spot to sit, walk, picnic and enjoy.
The Caleb/Williams Cottage next to the John Hunt House Museum, has been empty since the end of October. The city has boarded it up recently to secure it against vandalism, but we are asking our members to keep an eye on the property if/when you are in the area. If you see anything amiss, please call the police.
I hope to see you at the members meeting on January 26. In addition to a Pot-Luck Supper, the program will be provided by the Rehoboth Minute Company: 13th Continental Regiment.
Stay warm!!
Kris Rose
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George Newman Bliss
By Edna Anness
Does the name Bliss sound familiar? It should! The former Bliss School on Orlo Avenue was named for him in 1924. It has since been replaced. Bliss was
a veteran of the Civil War and as a Major was taken prisoner by the
Confederates after he charged through the Black Horse Troop squadron line
"saboring" many men and leaving them wounded. He received three stab
wounds from a sword, had his horse shot out from under him and was taken to
Libby Prison. As a result of his valor he was awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
Born in Tiverton, he graduated from Brown University and Albany Law School and moved to East Providence after the War. He became a prominent attorney,
a state legislator and town solicitor of East Providence, also serving on
the School Committee for twenty-five years. He was superintendent of schools
for thirteen years. He helped found the Soldiers' and Sailors' Historical
Society of Rhode Island and was the first Grand Master of the Rising Son
Lodge of Masons on Taunton Avenue. The Watchemoket Public Library owed its
beginning to his efforts as did the United Congregational Church of East
Providence. He was also chairman of theRI Public Utilities Commission.
I was invited to the Old Benefit Street Armory to accept a certificate of membership awarded to him by the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame on
last November 16th. I was asked to say a few words about him. And so I told
a story told by Major Bliss to my husband's grandfather who served with him
on the School Committee. It seems Major Bliss always believed his life was
spared because, as he was surrounded by all the enemy, he thought, "I've
got to think of a way to save my life. Some of these men may be Masons and
if they knew I was too, they would probably spare my life." He was right.
After showing the enemy the Masonic hand signal of distress, the officer in
charge had him spared and taken for medical help behind enemy lines. As
Captain Payne of the Fourth Virginia Cavalry wrote later, he saw from the
signal that he was "a widowed mother's
son." *
After the presentations at the Armory a man approached me and introduced himself as the Grand Master of all Rhode Island Masonic Lodges. He had seen
publicity about the event and had come to tell the story during the program.
He was quite taken back when he heard the story being told to him instead.
Major Bliss' army jacket was on display with a sword hole through the back
of the left shoulder. Major Bliss (later known as Judge Bliss) died in 1928
at the age of 92.
The certificate is being framed because the East Providence Historical Society was requested to have it on display. It can be seen in the parlor
of the John Hunt House Museum along with other Civil War artifacts.
*From the book "House Undivided" by Allen E. Roberts, Macoy Pub., P.225
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From the President's desk . . . 