Rhode Island

Warwick Downs Remembered: Memories of Salter Grove’s Past

/ Jason Major / 1 Comment
The Warwick Athletic Club, purchased by the Brehanys in 1936 as a summer cottage. (Credit: The Bridge)

The Warwick Athletic Club in 1918, purchased by the Brehanys in 1936 as a summer cottage. (Credit: The Bridge)

Before it was called George B. Salter Memorial Grove it was known as Warwick Downs—a place where residents enjoyed swimming, boating, picnicking, and all sorts of outdoor activities amongst a community of small summer cottages along Narragansett Parkway. In 1993 one former Warwick resident, Margie Degnan, shared some of her summertime memories from Warwick Downs in an article printed in The Bridge, a local newspaper published by the Pawtuxet Village Association. Margie’s memories from the Grove recall a bygone time that seems all the more sweeter for its simplicity and focus on family and friends, and it’s wonderful to envision the area seeing so much use and enjoyment.

You can view a PDF of the article here or click the image below to see it full-screen.

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How Clean is Narragansett Bay? A R.I. Monthly article by our own Mary Grady

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Harbor Seal providence

Harbor seals can be found sharing the water with container ships near the busy docks of the Port of Providence. Photo by Jason Major, Nov. 2015.

Narragansett Bay and the inflowing waters of the Providence River weren’t always as clean as they might appear today. It wasn’t very long ago at all that discharge from RI’s many industrial companies flowed directly into the Bay, polluting the waters and inciting the growth of harmful algae and bacteria—not to mention creating some interesting smells around many of the Bay’s inlets and coves.

Thanks to the efforts of organizations like Save the Bay, forward-thinking city planners, and environmental regulations like the 1972 Clean Water Act, Narragansett Bay is in better shape than it has been in ages, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. FoSG charter member Mary Grady has covered this ongoing story in a recent article for R.I. Monthly—read the full article here.

Warwick Rep. McNamara Seeks to Restore Salter Grove Bridge

/ Jason Major / 1 Comment
The eastern causeway bridge at Salter Grove during low tide, Feb. 2016. (Credit: Jason Major)

The eastern causeway bridge at Salter Grove during low tide, Feb. 2016. (Credit: Jason Major)

One of the key proponents of improvements to Salter Grove and the efforts of FoSG is Warwick Representative Joseph McNamara, who for safety and access concerns ” is pressing to find the funds to repair a foot bridge that has been impassable since Super Storm Sandy.”

The bridge in question once spanned a gap in the eastern end of the causeway that leads from the parking area of the park to a rock breakwater that runs along upper Narragansett Bay/Providence River and connects Rock Island at the south with Marsh Island to the north.

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