The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-02-02
OUR 0LNEYvILLE NEWS.
The Famous Roger Williams Spring
OF 0lden Time
And How IL Has Seen Buried for
Years I'm Olneyyiilc Square--A Bit
of Remi nisccnce for the Old.
THE News BuREAu.


OLNEYvIILE, Room l, LIBRARY BUILDING,
Telephone 39l3
One OF the sights OF Olneyville should be
Roger Williams Spring
Probably outside of Oneyville there are
few people that ever heard of it. Even
here the younger generation will ask
where it Is, though they have walked over
II hundreds of times, but mention it TO
the old inhabitants who have lived here 40
or 90 years and they remember it
and their eyes sparkle as they in
s.st that there has never besn
such water since the day that spring was
covered up and they tell how pure and
cold the water was in a real "Old oaken
bucket STYLE" Perhaps they are right
too. for IL tradition may be
believed the immortal Roger Williams
himself enjoyed many hearty pull from
this spring This was when he had just
landed and was exploring the country,
that he came up the Woonasquatucket
river, and probably noticing the little
brook from the spring, he followed it up,
for situated as it was at the foot of
Solitary Hill he knew it must be near, and
saw it bubbling and laughing a. him in
its native purity and GOODNESS. How good
that draught must have tasted, for he re-
Solitary Hill sloped up almost from the
river in those days, but as n road was laid
out it was cut away gradually until now
there is no trace OF the hill that once tow
cred to a greater height than
Waterman's Block. Men who ara
now in middle life can remember when
they went chestnutting on the Hill and
drank at the spring which lies almost in
the middle of Olneyville square. The
spring was down in little hollow and
as time went on and the people objected
TO having horses and cattle drinking
from il railing was built about il.
II was walled up and few steps
built leading down to the water so the
passer by could dip up a drink from
the dipper that hung there. The
spr ng flowed constantly and with such a
stream that the fire engines of that day
could not drain it. The overflow passed
to the river, but as time passed on and
houses were built up the open spring in
the middle of the square, beside the stage
road, became in the way, and it was de-
cided to cover IL up. But the water must
not be lost, so well was dug near the
sidewalk connected with the spring and
the latter was covered over.
That was about 40 years ago and the old
log pump that was put in lasted for many
year, and every teamster knew where
to water his horses. A trough was pro-
vided and as the old pump wore out some
10 years ago, the present one was put in
and il i'll in fair condition. 1t is pump
of old design cut from solid log, while
a covered trough OF stone stands in front.
The pump stands Immediately before
the Methodist Tabernacle and the water
must have retained its virtue for the con-
slant creaking of its plunge disturbed the
services and led TO on effort for its removal.
This brought on bitter fight and though
an order had been passed TO remove it, 1T
was countermanded and a new lease of
life given the cid. pump. OF late
years, however, the water has lost
its sweetness, probably from drain
-fFeH-stables- and-the -pump
is out of order, although that could be
easily fixed. A younger generation is
springing up that does not have the same
feeling of affection for the old pump that
their fathers Rad, and many think the old
relic.is no ornament TO the square. The
old spring deserves some monument
though, and none could be better than he
old pump and it should be kept as marking
a point of interest. The water i'm the well
is not SO high "a formerly, as i'm laying gas
and sewer pipes the vein of water was cut
through, but still good stream could be
supplied. In the old days an enormous
elm stood right in front OF the Library
building and shaded the spring aud half