Exhibit to Reveal Barrington's Industrial Past

Barrington has an industrial past, and some big chunks of it will be revealed starting this Sunday, Dec. 1, with an exhibit in the Town Museum. 

“A lot of people don’t know that Barrington has an industrial history,” said Carole Villucci, director of the museum operated by the Barrington Preservation Society in the lower level of the library. “Immigrants from Italy and Canada came here to work in the factories and stayed.”

Many of the names on a list of workers at the former O’Bannon cotton mill, for instance, now Barrington Cove Apartments, are common in Barrington, said Villucci.

“I recognize many of the names,” she said, starting at a photograph that will be part of the exhibit.

Titled “Barrington’s Industrial Past,” the exhibit opens from 2 to 4 pm on Sunday. It will include a one-of-a-kind textile installation by renowned textile artist Debra Baronas, who has completed other installations in Warren, Woonsocket and Lowell, Mass.

The exhibit will focus in particular on those companies that shaped Barrington historically and culturally: the Barrington Brick Works (1861-1940), Rhode Island Lace Works (1903-1990), and O’Bannon Cotton Mill (1900-1951). But it also will look at industries from before the Civil War, such as a blacksmith shop, a coal dealership that was located at the end of Ferry Lane, and a shoreline salt works pumping station that dates back to the 1700s.

“Our waterfront location supported businesses which included oyster farms, an ice house and included many wharves and warehouses,” she said. “The railroad line, now the East Bay Bike Path, added to Barrington’s industrial development.”

More than a year’s worth of research has gone into the exhibit, she said. It also includes work done by two Roger Williams University classes through the college’s community partnership center.

“This has been a voyage of discovery,” said Villucci. “It tells the story of early Barrington and the people that changed the face of the town.”

The exhibit includes photographs and artifacts, many culled from the museum’s own collection, said Villucci. You might be surprised to discover that the Newth Rubber Company operated a plant where the Barrington Shopping Plaza now sits. 

During the exhibition, the museum also will be collecting oral histories by workers and family members who are descendents of workers, Villucci said. She expects their stories to become an important part of the museum’s archives.