Scituate - Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage ...

filled a void left by the destruction of the first Roman Catholic
church in Scituate, established at Rockland in 1905 and lost to the
reservoir project.
Changes: Buildings and Population
Other changes were gradually taking place throughout the town.
during the early twentieth century. The town replaced its one-room
schools with three new consolidated schools in the three principal
villages--Clayville, Hope, and North Scituate. Along with improved
highways came several picnic areas to provide rest for travelers. A
small summer camp was established along the North Branch of the
Pawtuxet and several old farmhouses were converted to summer homes.
Many newcomers, however, came to stay, building houses along the
town’s roads. Scituate’s clean air also attracted Frank Seagrave,
who built an observatory 1/101 on Peeptoad Road to study the night
sky. In 1936, the old Captain Rhodes House on Danielson Pike became
the headquarters of the State Police.
Growth continued unabated after World War II. Several housing
developments were built, including the Rice Plat in the northeastern
part of town and Ring Rock Acres in the southeast. The eastern part
of town, closest to Providence, received the heaviest influx of people.
Most new houses were built by individuals on large, newly created lots
along existing roads. Some of the best examples occur along Rocky
Hill Road and the eastern part of Quaker Lane. In thirty years, the popu
lation of Scituate more than doubled; 7,400 people lived within its
borders in 1970. A high school, the first ever built in Scituate, was
built in 1956 on Trimtown Road. In 1974, a shopping center--seven
stores and a bank--was established in North Scituate, moving the com
mercial center of the village eastward.
SUMMARY
Scituate today is essentially a suburban community in a rural
setting. It has few industries and little commercial space. Most
residents travel to work outside of town and use Scituate primarily as
a place of residence. The town has changed considerably. Agriculture,
once the mainstay of the economy, is now a minor occupation at best.
In 1975, only 500 acres were cultivated. The most important crop today
is apples, an activity now oriented to tourists and out-of-towners.
The land, much of it owned by the city of Providence, is a pleasant
area of wooded hills and winding roads, except for busy Route 6. Al
though the town is no longer agricultural, the legacy of the past is
preserved in the town’s surviving farm complexes, some of which con
tain handsome and well preserved buildings, enhancing and contributing
to the beauty of the natural landscape.
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