Rhode Island

(Middletown, R.I.) A historic church and churchyard in Middletown have received federal recognition for their contributions to the history of architecture, art, and community development. Jeffrey Emidy, Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, announced that the National Park Service has listed St. Columba’s, the Berkeley Memorial Chapel, in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the Federal Government’s official list of properties throughout the United States whose historical and architectural significance makes them worthy of preservation. Constructed in 1884-86, St. Columba’s Chapel is an excellent example of the English Gothic Revival style, and the building and cemetery showcase the work of prominent architects and designers. The property is also significant for its role in Middletown’s development as a summer resort community at the turn of the century.
Middletown’s bucolic landscape began to attract summer residents as early as the 18th century. By the mid-19th century, several country estates had been established in the eastern part of town, known as “Paradise.” Eugene Sturtevant of Boston rented a home in the area in 1871 and saw a development opportunity. He purchased local farmland, laid out Indian Avenue, and platted 100 house lots.
By the early 1880s, summer residents were working with the Episcopal Diocese on plans for a mission church in Paradise. Sturtevant and his wife, Mary Clark Sturtevant (daughter of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island) provided a 1.4-acre lot at the intersection of Vaucluse Avenue and Indian Avenue. Members of the Indian Avenue community and a number of Newporters provided funding towards the project and several local farmers made their contribution by digging the chapel’s foundation. The first services were held at the chapel in June 1885, one year before construction was complete.
St. Columba’s, the Berkeley Memorial Chapel, drew its name from two sources. The building was dedicated to St. Columba, an Irish missionary credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland. And it honors the memory of Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley (also known as Bishop Berkeley) who lived in a farmhouse two miles east of St. Columba’s between 1729 and 1731.
The chapel has exterior walls of rough-cut schist and granite and a steeply-pitched, slate-shingled, gable roof. A series of stone buttresses are situated along the window bays and at the corners of the chapel. The principal entry is located in a gable-roof porch. The interior walls are also of stone, floors are wood plank, and the vaulted ceiling is supported by decorative trusses and finished in tongue-and-groove wood sheathing.
The design of St. Columba’s was an early commission for architect Wilson Eyre, Jr. (1858-1944). Born in Florence, Italy and raised in Philadelphia, Eyre had ties to Newport, where his family spent summers and he attended boarding school. Eyre trained for one year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining a Philadelphia architectural firm in 1877. ‘His only other surviving Rhode Island project is a summer home known as “Anchorage” in Watch Hill (1913-14).
The chapel features a number of memorial stained-glass windows designed by noted artist D. Maitland Armstrong (1836-1918). A former summer resident of Newport and Paradise Valley, he practiced law before becoming a painter and then a stained-glass designer in the 1880s. The 14 windows he designed for St. Columba’s in 1885-86 were manufactured by the Tiffany Company of New York. The design and manufacture of the large stained-glass window in the west elevation (installed in 1885) is attributed to the Belcher Mosaic Glass Company of New York City and Newark.
The property also includes a historic burying ground with many stones carved by John Howard Benson, John Everett Benson, and Nicholas Benson of the John Stevens Shop in Newport. Another notable work of funerary art is the Art Moderne-style marker for the grave of filmmaker Varick Frissell (1903-1931) by sculptor Gerome Brush. The perimeter of the property is encircled by stone walls with a cypress-and-stone, Gothic Revival-style lych gate south of the chapel entrance. Common in England, lych gates provide a sheltered spot for the priest to receive the casket before a funeral service. Designed by Boston architect Henry Vaughan (1845-1917), this structure was dedicated in memory of Indian Avenue summer residents Reverend Henry A. Coit and his wife, Mary in 1897.
“St Columba’s is a living, evolving community of faith, a 21st-century congregation with enormous respect for its history, and I’m proud of the way that generations of hard-working parishioners have cared for this beautiful chapel and churchyard,” said Rev. Anne Bolles-Beaven, the rector of St. Columba’s. “It is an honor to have this property placed on the National Register, and we are grateful to the RIHPHC and Architectural Historian Joanna Doherty for making that possible. The recognition comes at an important moment in our efforts to preserve this legacy for future generations.”
RIHPHC’s Interim Executive Director Jeffrey Emidy added, “St. Columba’s is a beautiful property with an important place in the history of Middletown. The congregation has done a wonderful job preserving the church, cemetery, and grounds for over 140 years and we congratulate and thank them for their dedication.”
The National Register documentation was prepared by RIHPHC Architectural Historian Joanna Doherty. In addition to honoring a property for its contribution to local, state, or national history, listing on the National Register provides additional benefits. It results in special consideration during the planning of Federal or federally assisted projects and makes properties eligible for Federal and Rhode Island tax benefits for historic rehabilitation projects. Owners of private property listed on the National Register are free to maintain, manage, or dispose of their property as they choose. As the state office for historic preservation, the RIHPHC is responsible for reviewing and submitting Rhode Island nominations to the National Register. The nomination for St. Columba’s is available on the RIHPHC website, www.preservation.ri.gov.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea is reminding Rhode Islanders that they have until Tuesday, August 23, to submit a mail ballot application to their local board of canvassers for the statewide primary election on September 13.
Mail ballot applications must be received by Tuesday, August 23, not postmarked. Voters may place applications in the mail or drop them off in person at their local board of canvassers. Addresses for all boards of canvassers can be found on the back of the mail ballot application.
“Voting by mail is a safe and secure option for casting your ballot,” said Secretary Gorbea. “I strongly encourage all Rhode Islanders that wish to vote from home with a mail ballot to put their applications in the mail at least a week before the deadline to ensure they are received in time. If you are not able to do that, take it to your city or town hall.”
The Department of State has partnered with public libraries throughout Rhode Island to make mail ballot applications available. Registered voters may also access a mail ballot application by visiting vote.ri.gov or by contacting the Department of State’s Elections Division at 401-222-2340 or elections@sos.ri.gov.
Voters who do not return their mail ballot application by the August 23 deadline, or those who prefer to vote in person can still vote in person, either early or on Election Day. Early voting will be available during regular municipal business hours from August 24 through 4:00 p.m. on September 12. Voters may contact their local board of canvassers for details on early voting. Voters choosing to vote on Election Day should go to vote.ri.gov to check their polling place information.
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PROVIDENCE, RI – La Secretaria de Estado, Nellie M. Gorbea, les recuerda a los habitantes de Rhode Island que tienen hasta el martes, 23 de agosto, para presentar sus solicitudes para votar por correo a sus juntas locales de elecciones para las Elecciones Primarias estatales del 13 de septiembre.
Las solicitudes para votar por correo deben ser recibidas a más tardar el martes, 23 de agosto y no llevar matasellos. Los votantes pueden enviar sus solicitudes por correo o entregarlas personalmente a su junta local de elecciones. Las direcciones se encuentran en la parte posterior de la solicitud.
“Votar por correo es una forma segura de emitir su voto”, dijo la Secretaria Gorbea. “Yo le recomiendo encarecidamente a todos los habitantes de Rhode Island elegibles para votar que envíen sus solicitudes para votar por correo antes de este fin de semana, para así asegurar que sean recibidas a tiempo. Si es que no pueden hacerlo, llévelas a su ciudad o ayuntamiento”.
El Departamento de Estado se ha unido con las bibliotecas públicas alrededor de Rhode Island para poner a su disposición las solicitudes para votar por correo. Los votantes inscritos también pueden solicitar sus papeletas de votación por correo, visitando vote.ri.gov o comunicándose con la División de Elecciones del Departamento de Estado al 401-222-2340 o a elections@sos.ri.gov.
Aquellos votantes que no presenten sus solicitudes para votar por correo antes de la fecha límite del 23 de agosto o aquellos votantes que prefieren votar en persona, pueden votar por adelantado o el Día de las Elecciones. La votación por adelantado estará disponible durante el horario regular laboral municipal desde el 24 de agosto, hasta el 12 de septiembre a las 4:00 p.m. Los votantes pueden comunicarse con su junta local de elecciones para obtener más detalles sobre la votación adelantada. Los votantes que deseen votar en el Día de las Elecciones pueden visitar vote.ri.gov para tener más información sobre sus lugares de votación.
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PROVIDENCE, RI – Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea is reminding Rhode Islanders that they have until Sunday, August 14, to register to vote or update their voter information for the September 13 statewide primary election. Rhode Islanders should check their voter registration status by using the Department of State’s Voter Information Center at vote.ri.gov.
Eligible residents can register to vote in three ways:
1. Go online to vote.ri.gov
2. Download a voter registration form and submit it to your local board of canvassers by August 14
3. Drop off a voter registration form at one of the locations designated by your community (please contact your local board of canvassers for these locations)
“I am committed to engaging and empowering all Rhode Islanders to play an active role in our state’s future, and the first step is being registered to vote,” said Secretary Gorbea. “Go to vote.ri.gov to register to vote or make sure your information is up to date.”
Another important date for voters to be aware of is Monday, August 15, which is the deadline for registered voters to disaffiliate from their political party if they wish to vote in a different party primary election on September 13.
If you are affiliated with a specific political party, you may only vote in that party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters—also known as independent voters—may vote in either party primary. However, by casting a vote in a party primary, voters automatically become affiliated with that party under Rhode Island law.
There are two ways to disaffiliate before the statewide primaries:
1. Update your voter record at vote.ri.gov to change your party.
2. Download a voter registration form and submit it to your local board of canvassers by August 15th at 4:00p.m.
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La Secretaria Gorbea les Recuerda a los Habitantes de Rhode Island Sobre las Próximas Fechas Límites para las Inscripciones y Desafiliaciones de los Votantes
Providence, RI – La Secretaria de Estado Nellie M. Gorbea les recuerda a los habitantes de Rhode Island que tienen plazo hasta el domingo, 14 de agosto para inscribirse para votar o actualizar su información electoral para las Elecciones Primarias Estatales. Los habitantes de Rhode Island deben revisar el estado de sus registros electorales utilizando el Centro de Información del Votante del Departamento de Estado en vote.ri.gov.
Los habitantes elegibles para votar pueden inscribirse de las siguientes tres formas:
1. De forma virtual en vote.sos.ri.gov
2. Descargando un Formulario de Inscripción de Votante y entregándolo a su Junta Local de Elecciones a más tardar el 14 de agosto.
3. Depositando el Formulario de Inscripción de Votante en el lugar designado en su comunidad (comuníquese con su junta local de elecciones para localizar estos lugares).
“Estoy comprometida en involucrar y empoderar a todos los habitantes de Rhode Island a desempeñar un papel activo en el futuro de nuestro estado y el primer paso es votando”, dijo la Secretaria Gorbea. “Visite vote.ri.gov para inscribirse para votar y asegurar que su información se encuentre actualizada”.
Otra fecha importante que los votantes deben estar atentos es el día lunes 15 de agosto, la cual es la fecha límite para que los votantes registrados con un partido político puedan desafiliarse de ese partido político si es que desean votar por un partido político diferente en las Elecciones Primarias Estatales del 13 de septiembre.
Si usted está afiliado con un partido político, solo puede votar en las Elecciones Primarias de ese partido. Los votantes no afiliados – también conocidos como votantes independientes—pueden votar en las Elecciones Primarias de cualquier partido político. Sin embargo, votar por algún partido político en las Elecciones Primarias Estatales, los votantes serán automáticamente afiliados en dicho partido político de acuerdo a las Leyes de Rhode Island.
Existen dos formas para desafiliarse antes de las Elecciones Primarias Estatales:
1. Actualizando su registro de votantes en vote.ri.gov y cambiar su partido político.
2. Descargando un Formulario de Inscripción de Votante y entregarlo a su Junta Local de Elecciones con el cambio de partido político a más tardar el 15 de agosto a las 4:00 p.m.
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