Our Story

Founding Story

North Kingstown has always been more than one place. Wickford, Davisville, Saunderstown, Hamilton, Lafayette, Quidnessett, Allenton, Slocum — eight villages, each with its own character, its own landmarks, its own way of remembering. For years, individual organizations did their part to protect pieces of that history. But no single effort was stitching it all together.

In 2023, a group of about twenty North Kingstown residents decided to change that. The idea was simple: create one organization that could speak for all of the town’s villages — collecting artifacts, documenting stories, and finding a permanent home for the history at risk of being forgotten.

“North Kingstown is full of history, and each of the eight villages has a rich and unique story that needs to be preserved and told.”

Rather than anchor themselves to one location, the founding group made a deliberate choice — they would go to the people. Early meetings rotated across the villages: a private home in Wickford, the Quonset Museum in Quidnessett, the Willett Free Library in Saunderstown, the Davisville Free Library. Each gathering drew new voices and surfaced new ideas about what a town-wide historical organization could be.

By 2024, Historic North Kingstown had moved from concept to organization. A board of directors was installed, bylaws were signed, and 501(c)(3) status was approved. The work of collecting artifacts, building community relationships, and developing a long-range plan had begun in earnest.

Today, HNK continues to grow — in membership, in reach, and in ambition. The search for a permanent home continues. The archive expands. And the villages of North Kingstown are, one story at a time, being heard.