APRIL 1, 2026: 6 - 7 PM
LECTURE
EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN URBAN FOREST
Wednesday, April 1st from 6-7 PM
Chris Fletcher
Arborist & Superintendant at Juniper Hill Cemetery
Before 1800, Bristol was a town without trees. By the middle of the 19th century, Americans had cut down approximately 50% of their forests. Europeans complained about our treeless towns and cities. In response, a nationwide back to nature movement swept across the United States, and Americans with the wealth and power delivered by the Industrial Revolution began to join Europeans in world wide tree collecting expeditions.
Bristol was an active participant in these efforts, to the extent that some of the first Asian trees that came to the Western Hemisphere were imported by Dr. George Rogers Hall of Bristol and planted at his estate at North Farm. In part due to Dr. Hall's efforts, Bristolians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries took steps to plant the beautiful urban forest that characterizes our town today.
This event is the second in a program series entitled Deep Roots: Bristol’s Historic Trees. The series is jointly presented by The Lombard J. Pozzi Center for Historic Preservation Education at the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society, Blithewold Manor, and the Rogers Free Library.
FREE and open to the public.
Meet at Rogers Free Library, Herreshoff Community Room
525 Hope Street, Bristol
Pre-registration is required.
APRIL 4, 2026: 9 - 11 AM
REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION WORKSHOP
April 4th from 9 to 11 AM
As part of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Allison Horrocks, a Park Ranger with the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, will lead a unique program on how to access and transcribe Revolutionary War pension files.
The National Archives holds more than 80,000 of these files documenting America’s first veterans and their widows. Participants will learn how to efficiently search through more than two million documents—now available online—that contain valuable details about these individuals and their families, including rank, unit, period of service, age, residence, dates and places of marriage, and information on spouses’ deaths. In many cases, the files also include personal materials such as letters, diaries, and even family trees.
Whether you have a general interest in American history or personally have ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War, this program offers a opportunity to explore and access these records. Attendees will gain insight into the significance of wartime pension records and hear compelling stories of patriots from 250 years ago.
This program also provides an opportunity to become a "citizen archivist" with the National Archives and the National Park Service. Volunteers help unlock the stories within these records by transcribing them for broader public access. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop (optional) and will receive guidance on how to begin contributing to this important work.
The session will also introduce ways to explore the National Archives independently.
Free and open to the public— no pre-registration required.
Meet at BH&PS Headquarters, 48 Court Street, Bristol
Sponsored by the BH&PS Genealogy Club
Bringing a laptop or iPad is encouraged but not required.
APRIL 16, 2026: 6 - 8 PM
RUM & CHEESE TASTING:
AN O'BRIEN & BROUGH 250 CELEBRATION
Thursday, April 16th from 6 -8 PM
Join us for a sneak peek of Bristol's historic new rum! Created by O'Brien & Brough Distillery and produced entirely in Bristol, RI, this is your chance to taste the very first batch of rum created in Bristol since the 1830's. Enjoy cocktails, a cheese pairing from Wedge Cheese, two types of rum, and music by Failte. You'll also have a chance to pre-order the first batch of Bristol Rum, bottled to commemorate the 250th celebrations happening this year.
$75 for BH&PS members| $80 non-members
Meet at the Barn at Mount Hope Farm
Sponsored by the BH&PS, the Bristol 250 Commission, Mount Hope Farm, O'Brien & Brough, and Wedge Cheese.
APRIL 18, 2026: 9:30 - 11:30 AM
WORKSHOP
Know your Options: New Materials for Your Old House
Saturday, April 18th from 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Architect and preservation expert Vincent
Pacifico will lead this exploration into which modern materials are appropriate for use on historic buildings and how they can be best used in ways that maintain historic character, and are also functional and sustainable. The event will start with a conversational show-and-tell of modern materials that have been recently approved by the Bristol Historic District Commission and then take participants on a walking tour of their use on buildings right here in town.
A Worcester native and now Bristol resident, Vincent has always had a strong connection to the New England cultural heritage and its historical buildings. His passion for preserving the historic landscape has led him to open his own architectural office in Bristol called Pacific-Visions Studio LLC which is a full service architectural studio where he focuses much of his time working on historic structures. Vincent earned his Masters of Architecture from Roger Williams University and is a licensed Architect in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Outside of the studio he enjoys carpentry, growing vegetables, antiquing and exploring nature.
$15 for BH&PS members | $20 for non-members
Meet at the BH&PS Headquarters, 48 Court Street, Bristol
A Lombard J. Pozzi Center for Historic Preservation and Education Event