Woodbury Union Church/ Conimicut Volunteer Fire Department
During the early 20th century, Conimicut evolved into a lovely
village with a great deal of community activity centered around
the Woodbury Union Church, the Conimicut Volunteer Fire Department,
the train station, the school and the Conimicut Casino. All worked
to make the seaside village an important segment of Warwick’s
development.
The Woodbury Union Church
The church, built in 1907, was interdenominational and its members
included a number of Methodists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians
as well as others of differing religious affiliation. All enjoyed
the services and the sense of belonging and cooperation in both
religious and secular events. One of Conimicut’s main attractions
in the first two decades of the twentieth century was the fall bazaar
sponsored by the Woodbury Union Church. In typical New England fashion,
the consuming of large amounts of clamcakes and chowder was part
of the festivities. In addition a variety of other food was available
and the women of the church provided baked goods. In a 1982 interview,
Mrs. Lily Tarring recalled how hard the women worked to make the
event a success. She remembered how her mother would use Lily’s
brother’s red wagon to traverse the neighborhood to collect
the cakes and pies the women made for the church supper. In time,
the church bazaars and other fund raising activities became so popular
that the little 1907 church building could not accommodate the large
crowds. As a result, the women held their events at the Conimicut
Volunteer Fire Company hall at Ocean Avenue (now called Ardway Avenue).
The Woodbury Union Church continues to be an integral part of the community life in Conimicut today as it has for nearly 100 years. |
As the church congregation grew, it became desirous to have a regular
pastor. This was not accomplished until 1925, when the Reverend
A. Gordon Batstone, a student at Gordon College in Boston, came
to the church. During the next twelve years, the church witnessed
a large growth in membership, four pastors, a disastrous fire and
rebuilding. In 1927, the church opened its doors to new members
and 95 persons joined. The large congregation was shocked on January
11, 1933, when a fire broke out near the front of the church. Thomas
F. Silva, the proprietor of a nearby drugstore in the village, saw
the blaze and reported it around 3 a.m. Despite the efforts of four
Warwick Volunteer Fire companies, the blaze destroyed the organ,
piano, pulpit, altar furniture, Sunday School room, and part of
the main room. Undaunted, pastor Arthur H. Wilde called for the
Sunday School to meet at the Conimicut Volunteer Fire Company hall
and held church services at Stinson’s Funeral Chapel. Within
a very short time, rebuilding began. In 1935, a basement was constructed
at the front of the church to serve as a Sunday School and assembly
room. The old organ, which had short circuited and caused the 1933
fire, was replaced by the lovely pipe-organ that is in use today.
Renovations and improvements were made and the church continued
to serve its parishioners as usual.
In 1938, disaster struck Conimicut in the form of a hurricane and
tidal wave. The Woodbury Union Church aided the many victims in
the area and allowed the building to be used by the National Guard
as a headquarters for 10 days during the period following the devastating
storm. During World War II, the church was again used by outside
agencies such as the Red Cross, and was used as a canteen.
In February of 1948, the Woodbury Union Church, which had been interdenominational
since its founding in 1907, became the Woodbury Union Church, Presbyterian.
The choice to become united with a major denomination came as a
result of the difficulties the church had in getting ministers to
leave their chosen denomination to become pastor of a Union Church.
The Church became part of the Congregation of Presbyterian Churches,
U.S.A., but retained the word “Union,” as it was still
an ecumenical congregation and that point was emphasized.
Since that time, the church continued to be very active in community
affairs and has taken part in many community enterprises such as
Meals on Wheels, Elizabeth Buffum Chase House, and the Conimicut
Village Association. Its building has been opened to many organizations
from Boy Scouts to a Well-Baby clinic. The Woodbury Union Church,
Presbyerian, today, serves as a vital part of the community as it
did in 1907, when it was first organized.
Conimicut Volunteer Fire Company
As the volume of passengers on the trolley lines continued to grow
and more houses were being built, it became necessary to increase
the fire protection in the village. One of the most important and
colorful of all the volunteer fire companies in Warwick during the
early twentieth century was the one in Conimicut. Fortunately, much
of its early history has been recorded and from it we get an excellent
reminder of the trials and tribulations of the volunteer fire companies.
The old Volunteer fire station in Conimicut was once on this site. For a number of years now, this house has occupied the fire station lot. |
According to an excellent history of the Conimicut Volunteer Fire
Company taken from the records of Everett G. Scott, who served as
chief from 1938-1941, a serious fire on Beach Avenue in Conimicut
prompted a move to get an organized fire company. Not long after
the devastating blaze, on January 11, 1911, a meeting of the Conimicut
Rural Improvement Society put a plan in action for a fire company.
Thirty-six men signed the rolls as volunteers at that time. They
represented nearly all the permanent resident families in the village
in the first decade of the twentieth century. Arthur W. Coffin was
selected as the First Foreman or Chief and a hand drawn truck was
purchased to carry brooms, shovels, fire-extinguishers, and other
pieces of equipment.
According to a 1960 report on Volunteer Fire Companies, the Conimicut
Volunteer Fire Company had a horse drawn wagon. The report goes
on to say, "In these days it is said that the first man to
arrive at the fire barn with a horse to pull the apparatus was paid
$1.00 for each fire." When the alarm was sounded, the rush
was on as one-dollar represented a tidy sum at the time.
In 1913, the Conimicut Volunteer Fire Company used buildings on
West Shore Road near Grace Avenue as headquarters for the company.
This lasted for a few years until the company purchased land for
an Engine House on Ocean Avenue (now Ardway Avenue). A fire house
was erected and in 1915, the station on Ardway Avenue was occupied.
During the early period, money to heat the firehouse was scarce.
We are told that very often the volunteer firemen went in the woods
behind the station to chop wood to "get a little heat in a
pot bellied stove for an evening's get-together.... "
Hurricanes
In addition to facing the many problems that beset other volunteer
companies, Conimicut’s proximity to the Bay added the danger
of high winds and hurricanes. The company was really put to the
test of all its abilities with the Hurricane of 1938. Conimicut
was severely damaged by the storm as 123 houses were destroyed and
22 persons lost their lives. The Conimicut Volunteer Fire Company
provided prestigious and continuous service for 23 days. In addition
to providing fire protection, more than 42 members of the company
assisted in relocating residents to shelter and aided the police
in maintaining order. In 1954, when three hurricanes hit the village,
the company was able to get all residents evacuated and, as a result,
there was no loss of life.
In 1956, the Conimicut Volunteer Fire Company became part of the
Warwick Fire Department and, since that time, the old firehouse
has been remodeled into a private home.
The contributions of the Woodbury Union church and the Volunteer
Fire Company are still evident in Conimicut today.