Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society

06/11/2026

Looking for volunteers to help clean cemetery #89 on Sunday, June 14th at 8:00 am. It's located in the woods off Hill Road. If you'd like to help, call or text me at 401-500-0433 for directions. Please bring rakes, brush loppers, leaf-blower, weed-whacker, brush cutter. If there's any fallen trees, we might need a chain saw. Bring gloves and water to drink. There's lots of mountain laurel in this cemetery. It is in bloom now and should be quite pretty. To get to the cemetery we have to walk on a path in the woods maybe about 2/10 mile.

06/11/2026

Join us for a tour of historic places in Burrillville this Saturday, June 13th at 10:00 AM - a Burrillville 250 event. We will meet at the Callahan School and then drive through 5 villages in Burrillville stopping periodically for historical information. Some of the sites include the site of the Peregrine Mathewson sawmill, Oakland train station, Re*****on Mansion, Sweet's Hill, Burrill monument, Levy gravesite, Hopkins Machine Shop, Potter Bridgeway and others. Please call or send text to 401-500-0433 if you'd like to attend. The photo below shows the Re*****on Mansion in Harrisville (the post office is there now). Hope you can join us.

06/02/2026

Only one week left to sign up for the European Christmas Markets tour with Collette through the Burrillville Historical Society. This is a unique opportunity to experience all the magic of Christmas in a unique way. This 9-day trip is $3,799 per person double occupancy. We will visit Dresden, Prague, Vienna and Budapest and more. Click on this link for details about the tour. You'll love it!

Set out on a holiday adventure through the iconic capital cities of Central Europe – Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Along the way, immerse yourself in festive Christmas markets, experience cultural traditions, sample local cuisine, and glimpse this region’s rich history.

05/19/2026

Reminder! Collette presentation on European Christmas Markets is Wed, May 20 at 6 PM at Uncle Ronnies. We will be downstairs. You are welcome to come to the free travel presentation to learn about this exciting tour during the Christmas season. The dates of the tour are Dec 9-17th so you will be back in plenty of time to celebrate Christmas here. We will visit the European cities of Dresden, Prague, Vienna and Budapest and will see them all lit up and brightly decorated for the Christmas season. Besides the Christmas Markets, the trip has city tours, visiting the Prague Castle, candy making, classical music performance, local artisans, and lots more as well as Christmas cheer everywhere you go! The cost is $3,799 per person double occupancy. Ask for the single price. You can order dinner at Uncle Ronnies or just enjoy the travel presentation. No obligation! Deposits for this tour are due June 3, 2026.

Please call 401-500-0433 if you would like to attend the travel presentation. Make this a most memorable Christmas!

05/16/2026

Today I visited the Riverside Cemetery in Harrisville (opposite the Harrisville Fire Station) and was sickened at what I saw. Five large heavy monuments had been toppled. Three of them are big heavy granite monuments and 2 of them are marble. The marble stones are more fragile and broke when they fell. I immediately contacted the Burrillville police. Sergeant Carvalho arrived and I showed her the damage. I do not know when this vandalism occurred but it probably happened within the last few weeks. On April 4th a large group of volunteers cleaned this entire cemetery and we cleaned and reset two monuments. It is heart breaking to see this type of blatant and senseless damage. One of the lots damaged is the Smith Wood lot. His wife, Nancy and son Emor were knocked over. Smith Wood is the man who built the Stillwater House in Harrisville. Two stones were knocked over in the Aaron White lot: his son George and daughter Erminie. Erminie was heavily involved with the First Universalist Church. The 5th stone was that of Amos Griffith. These historic stones mark the graves of people who helped shape our town's history and it is very disturbing to see this damage. We will be repairing the broken stones and resetting them with our tripod. This will be a lot of slow, tedious work because the stones are so heavy.
If anyone saw any strange activity in this cemetery or if you heard anything that may help lead to the arrest of the people responsible, please contact Sergeant Rebecca Carvalho at 568-6255 or send an email to [email protected]. You can also contact me, Betty at 401-500-0433. Please share this. Thank you.

05/14/2026

Come to free Collette travel presentation
Uncle Ronnie’s Red Tavern, Burrillville
Wed. May 20, 2026 – 6:00 pm

RSVP: 401-500-0433 or [email protected]. Request color brochure.

Discover European Christmas Markets
Dec 9-17, 2026 – PPDO - $3,799
Celebrate the Christmas season with a visit to the Christmas Markets in Prague, Dresden, Vienna and Budapest. Visit the Prague Castle, the Royal Palace in Dresden, candy workshop and Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, and explore Budapest’s musical history and learn how to make strudel. These cities will be lit up and magically decorated for the holidays.
Sponsored by the Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society

04/27/2026

The next meeting of the Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society will be Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00 pm.

Our President Betty is on vacation, so our Treasurer Kerry Hopkins will lead the meeting to provide updates on various projects and upcoming events.

After our regular business we will have a "show and share". Bring something old or historic, or just something you find really interesting. Everyone will have a chance to talk about whatever they bring in. An object, a picture, anything you have!

All are welcome (members and non-members), hope to see you there!

04/21/2026

Discover European Christmas Markets
Dec 9-17, 2026 – PPDO - $3,799

Celebrate the Christmas season with a visit to the Christmas Markets in Prague, Dresden, Vienna and Budapest. Visit the Prague Castle, the Royal Palace in Dresden, candy workshop and Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, and explore Budapest’s musical history and learn how to make strudel. These cities will be lit up and magically decorated for the holidays.

Come to free Collette travel presentation
Uncle Ronnie’s Red Tavern, Burrillville
Wed. May 20, 2026 – 6:00 pm
RSVP: 401-500-0433 or [email protected]. Request color brochure.
Sponsored by the Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society

04/17/2026

The Burrillville 250 Commission invites you to a tour of Revolutionary War gravesites in Burrillville. Meet in the rear of the Callahan School Saturday, April 18th by 10:00 am. The tour will visit 5 sites. Learn how our Revolutionary War soldiers fought and died for freedom.

04/09/2026

Volunteers needed to help the Burrillville Historical Society clean the Harris/Rhodes Cemetery behind the Austin T. Levy School on Saturday, April 11th at 8:00 am. Please bring rakes, leaf blower, gloves, water to drink and trash bag. We also need a chain saw to cut up a few fallen limbs. For info on how to get there and where to park, please send a text to 401-500-0433.