Celebration of the Completion of the Great Road Heritage Campus Marked by Artist Mural Installation

Lincoln, RI---On Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10 a.m., the dedication of an artist mural, “Great Road in the 19th Century,” will be held at Chase Farm Park. This occasion is not only for the recent installation of the 10-foot-long pen and ink mural, but it also represents the completion of the development of the Great Road Heritage Campus. 

The event features the unveiling of the 10-foot illustrated mural created by Jason Eckhardt. The outdoor mural installed at the Visitors Center depicts multiple scenes along this section of Great Road as it would have appeared during the 19th century. Some 30 buildings are included in the mural, many of which still stand today, but many others that are no longer part of the landscape. Eckhardt spent months researching the history of Great Road to fully understand what took place there, imagine what the buildings might have looked like, and to put himself into the scene in order to create it. As a result, the intricately illustrated piece contains small vignettes which help to bring it to life. It also serves as a “scavenger hunt” for all ages in attempting to find the smallest details, such as a bumblebee on a flower, a frog sitting on a rock, a gentleman tipping his hat to a young lady. 

“The mural is the ideal piece to capture just how special Great Road is, and continues to be” states Kathy Chase Hartley, president and founder of the Friends of Hearthside and direct descendant of Benjamin Chase who started Chase Farm in 1867. “We are most fortunate in Lincoln to have such rare relics of our past, and to enjoy one of the most picturesque spots in the state, to remind us daily of our rich heritage here. It is especially gratifying to realize so much support for preserving our past.” 

The funding for the mural came from the Community Grant program at the Rhode Island Foundation. The Rhode Island Foundation had also awarded a Community Grant of $10,000 in 2017 for the interior restoration and furnishing of the Pullen’s Corner one-room schoolhouse at Chase Farm. The schoolhouse had been relocated to Chase Farm from its original location on Angell Road by the town in an effort to preserve Lincoln’s last operating one-room schoolhouse, which closed in 1922. Since the opening of the schoolhouse in 2018, it has hosted dozens of school tours and an ambitious calendar of family-oriented events based on the types of activities that were held during the 19th century. 

“We are proud to work with generous donors and dedicated partners like Hearthside to support work that brings people together to celebrate and contribute to their community,” said Jenny Pereira, the Foundation’s vice president of grants and community investments. 

Interpretive signage about the history behind each of the sites has been created as well as about the Moshassuck River District and the Blackstone Valley. The final interpretive sign has recently been installed at the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop. With the installation of both the Great Road Mural and the Hannaway sign, the development of the Great Road Heritage Campus is now completed and has become another reason for celebration at the dedication event. 

Since the Town of Lincoln took ownership of Chase Farm in 1979, there has continued to be significant investments made in the historic properties as well as the park to preserve this unique cultural landscape. Among the many agencies and organizations that have joined with the town to support the creation of this preserved area have been the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, The Champlin Foundation, the RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, Preserve Rhode Island, the 1772 Foundation, the RI Council for the Humanities, RI Department of Transportation, RI Department of Environmental Management, and Commerce RI. In addition, federal funds were awarded for the restoration of the Moffett Mill from the US Department of Transportation and Green Space funds from the EPA for the purchase of Chase Farm. 

“We are extremely excited at the unveiling of the Great Road in the 19th Century Mural. Lincoln is very proud of its rich history and the mural does a great job illustrating so many of the things that make Lincoln special. This project is just one more example of how important community partnerships truly are. Over the past several years there have been so many groups who have worked with Friends of Hearthside and the Town of Lincoln to preserve and protect the historic Great Road Corridor,” states town administrator Phil Gould. 

The development of the Great Road Heritage Campus began when the Town of Lincoln purchased the historic Chase Farm to preserve the open space of the former dairy farm. Over the years, the land has been mostly used for passive recreation, with the town also hosting outdoor concerts during the summer months. 

It was the initiative of the all-volunteer Friends of Hearthside, which has preserved the historic house and operates Hearthside as a museum, that the other town-owned historic properties at Chase Farm Park also began to get new life breathed into them. These other sites include the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, the Moffett Mill, and the Pullen’s Corner Schoolhouse. The proximity and distinctiveness of each site offers ideal programming opportunities and a destination for visitors, schools, and tour groups alike, telling the Rhode Island and Blackstone Valley story, one with equal importance to local residents and those from afar. Around the rim of this hub at Chase Farm are other historically significant properties which enhance the visitor destination even more, the Saylesville Quaker Meeting House, the Eleazer Arnold House, the Lime Rock Grange and North Gate of the Louisquissett Pike, Mt. Moriah Masonic Lodge, and the Captain Wilbur Kelly House along the Blackstone Canal. Together, the sites throughout the Great Road area have created a synergy of preservation of our heritage.