[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 125 (Friday, September 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING WEST WARWICK'S CENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 20, 2013

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of West Warwick's incorporation on September 23, 1913. 
Although it is the youngest of Rhode Island's municipalities, it has a 
rich and vibrant history, and it has played a great role in shaping our 
state.
  While we are celebrating West Warwick's 100th birthday this year, 
2013 is also the 340th anniversary of its settlement. In 1673, Warwick 
divided among five families a parcel of land around what is today the 
village of Natick and opened it for settlement. The new residents 
quickly discovered that, in addition to rich stocks of timber, fish, 
and farmland found in West Warwick, the area also boasted enormous 
potential in its waterways. Within the town's eventual boundaries, the 
branches of the Pawtuxet River enter at an elevation of 150 feet before 
joining up and dropping to a mere fifty feet above sea level on the 
eastern border. This natural resource, combined with a good dose of 
Rhode Island ingenuity, was to prove vital to the growth of the 
community.
  As early as 1737, the force of the river was harnessed in the form of 
a saw and flour mill. The citizens of West Warwick remained mostly 
subsistence farmers, however, until the community's first textile mill 
opened in 1794. Following closely on the heels of Samuel Slater's 
famous mill in Pawtucket, the Centerville Mill would usher in enormous 
changes in the town. By 1810, five of the seven largest mills in the 
state were located in West Warwick.
  This rapid industrialization fundamentally altered the way of life in 
town. Rather than living on relatively isolated farmsteads, mill 
workers moved into factory housing near their workplaces. This swiftly 
increasing population density led to a greater demand for services, and 
soon, taverns, shops, churches and schools were springing up around 
these factory hubs. In fact, all of the villages that make up West 
Warwick--Natick, Centerville, Arctic, Clyde, Riverpoint, Wescott, 
Phenix, and Crompton--grew up around a mill of some sort.
  In post-war West Warwick, the industrial base, until then rapidly 
expanding, exploded. Driven first by the Civil War and then by the 
vastly improved transportation infrastructure that permeated the state, 
West Warwick's textile production increased by orders of magnitude. 
Commercial developments sprang up to serve the thousands of factory 
workers, and cultural and civic institutions were strengthened. A 
housing expansion tied to the mills' desire for labor also served to 
bring the villages together as the fields and forests separating them 
were given over to homes.
  By the late nineteenth century, the citizens of West Warwick were 
clamoring for better representation. Their political views diverged 
significantly from the more agrarian and coastal residents of Warwick 
proper; in fact, they were so divergent that the Republican-controlled 
General Assembly refused to consider any split of the municipality for 
fear that Democrats would gain power. In 1912, however, the town held a 
referendum through which division passed, and the General Assembly 
granted the town its charter in 1913.
  The century since has seen both dramatic change and stability. The 
change centered on the collapse of the Rhode Island textile industry 
beginning in the 1920s. As textile jobs moved south, the town struggled 
to adapt to new economic realities. And yet, despite this traumatic 
shock, citizens of West Warwick retain the same industriousness they 
displayed 340 years ago, a spirit that will continue to lead them to 
future success.
  As we celebrate that spirit this year, I must acknowledge and thank 
the fine work of the West Warwick Centennial Committee. Led by its 
President, Council Member Edward A. Giroux, the Committee has developed 
a wonderful program to celebrate the town's religious, industrial and 
cultural development.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have the people of West Warwick as my 
constituents, and I am honored to join them in celebrating the town's 
100th birthday.

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