Rhode Island Historic Resources Archive Crystal
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RHODE ISLAND HISTORIC RESOURCES ARCHIVE CRYSTAL ICE AND COLD STORAGE COMPANY, INC. RIHRA No. TIVR-0001 Location: 164-168 Riverside Drive Tiverton, Rhode Island Date of Construction: ca. 1900 Architect: Unknown Builder: Unknown Present Owner(s): Rhode Island Department ofTransportation Present Occupant: None Present Usc: Vacant Significance: The Crystal Ice and Cold Storage Company, Inc. (Crystal Ice) complex is significant for its association with Tiverton's fish packing and cold storage industry that played an integral role in the maritime history of the town. The history of the three-building complex spans more than a century of commercial use beginning in the early twentieth century when it was associated with the tourism industry on Tiverton's waterfront and continuing into the century with maritime industrial uses. The design, materials, and construction of the complex are representative of the utilitarian maritime industrial and commercial buildings of Tiverton's waterfront during the twentieth century. Crystal Ice is a contributing resource in the Riverside Drive Historic District which was determined eligible for listing in the National Register ofHistoric Places, PART 1. HISTORICAL INFORMATION (Note: Tiverton general history was condensed from PAL's Technical Memorandum - Historic and Architectural Resources Intensive Survey: Sakonnet River Bridge/Routes 24 and 138 Environmental Impact Statement Project [Doherty and Adams 2001] and National Register ofHistoric Places Consensus Determination ofEligibility: Riverside Drive Historic District [2002]) Tiverton (1629-1900) Crystal Ice and Cold Storage Company, Inc. (Crystal Ice; most recently Shearman Oil Co.) is a surviving example ofthe early- to mid-twentieth-century maritime-related industries in the town ofTiverton, Rhode Island. Cold storage and fish packing concerns such as this provided employment and allowed Tiverton to benefit commercially from its waterfront location. The Crystal Ice title is one of several names used CRYSTAL ICE AND COLD STORAGE COMPANY, INC. RIHRA No, TIVR~OOOl (Page 2) for the property during its history. The Crystal Ice name highlights the property's function at a time of historic significance for Tiverton village, the waterfront community ofTiverton. Tiverton was included in the original Plymouth Colony established by English Charter in 1606, but was not settled until 1629 when William Bradford obtained a charter specifically for the Tiverton area. In 1691 Plymouth Colony, of which Tiverton was a part, was united with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and in 1694 the town of Tiverton was incorporated (Nebiker 1983:7-8). Tiverton remained a part of Massachusetts until 1746 at which time it was transferred, along with Little Compton and three other towns, to the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and became part of Newport County (Bayles 1888:903). Over the course of the eighteenth century, Tiverton evolved into a "moderately prosperous agricultural community," with the densest areas ofdevelopment located in the western part oftown, near the Sakonnet River (Nebiker 1983:8-9). In the First Settlement and Colonial periods, the economy of Tiverton was based primarily on agriculture, though maritime pursuits provided secondary or alternative occupations for residents. Tiverton's economy remained focused on agriculture and maritime activities well into the nineteenth century (Nebiker 1983: 12). The 1819 publication A Gazetteer ofthe States ofConnecticut and Rhode Island lists the principal agricultural products of Tiverton as barley, Indian corn, hay, and dairy products, typical ofthe region. Fisheries were also active by the 181Os (Pease and Niles 1819:360). At the beginning of the Federal Period, Tiverton's settlements were concentrated along the waterfront. An important event in the development of the area took place shortly after the Revolutionary War when the first bridge between Tiverton and Portsmouth was constructed. The bridge was located south of the current-day Sakonnet River Bridge just beyond the intersection of Main Road and present-day Lawton Avenue. The construction ofthe Stone Bridge next to Howland's ferry did much to stabilize that area as a major settlement. Stone Bridge Village soon became one of the largest villages in the town (Nebiker 1983:15). Over the course of the Late Industrial and Modern periods, Tiverton evolved from an agricultural and maritime-focused community to a summer resort and residential suburb. Beginning in the mid-1800s, the town's population began to steadily increase and new construction kept pace. Summer colonies sprang up along the shores of the Sakonnet River, while year-round suburban residences were built in other areas, including the Highland Road section of Tiverton. This process was initiated by the arrival ofthe train in the 1860s. At this time, Riverside Drive had been laid though no development had taken place (Beers 1870). As of 1880, near the start of the Late Industrial Period, Tiverton's population was 2,505 (Tiepke 1898). A century later, Tiverton's residents numbered 13,848 (Nebiker 1979:12) At the beginning ofthe Late Industrial Period, agricultural and maritime activities continued to dominate Tiverton's economy, though recreation was beginning to play a role. A guide published in 1886 described Tiverton as "chiefly an agricultural town, though it has ever given some attention to fishing, and of late years is largely interested in the menhaden oil and guano interests. A portion ofthe town on the Seaconnet [sic] shore is of late becoming favorably known as a summer resort" (Greene 1886:449). Menhaden, an inedible fish, was harvested primarily for its oil. After the oil was extracted, the scraps of fish could be used to produce fertilizer. The menhaden industry began in Maine in the mid-nineteenth century. The Church family was largely responsible for bringing it to Tiverton, where it became a significant economic force (Nebiker 1983: 19). CRYSTAL ICE AND COLD STORAGE COMPANY, INC. RIHRA No. TIVRriOOOl (Page 3) The Church family has been called "one of the oldest settled and most prominent families in New England." The Tiverton branch of the family helped build the town's fishing industry into "one of the largest and most extensive food processing industries" in the United States (Beers 1908:194). Captain Joseph Church (1809-1887) and Jemima Boomer Church (1811-1888) had seven sons, all of whom pursued maritime careers, and one daughter, who was also active in the fishing business. In 1870, Captain Church, six of his sons, and Job Hathaway organized Joseph Church & Co., manufacturers of menhaden oil, guano, and fertilizers. They initially established their factory in Bristol, Maine. Because of a decrease in the availability of fish off the Maine coast, however, the business was moved to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in 1878. The business expanded greatly after its relocation, eventually employing 250 men and operating with a capacity of4,000 barrels of fish per day. The company was the first to use steam vessels for fishing, and at one point operated seven fishing steamers. In addition to producing fish oil and fertilizer, the company also caught fish for the food markets (Beers 1908:194-197; Tiverton Historical Society 1976:100-101). For many years, the fish oil and fertilizer business constituted the only industry in Portsmouth, and it was dominated by Joseph Church & Co. In 1888, Richard M. Bayles noted that: This finn not only carryon here the work of manufacturing, but own outfits of fishing vessels and apparatus, operating by steam and sail. They employ a large number of men, and their vessels are cruising in the waters of this and neighboring states and out on the ocean . .. To the enterprise of these gentlemen many of the people of this town and Tiverton are indebted for employment ... (Bayles 1888:676). The company was sold to the American Fisheries Company in 1897 (Beers 1908:196-197). The menhaden industry continued to playa role in the local economy until around 1909 (WPA 1937:415). At this time Tiverton and Portsmouth were being discovered for their recreational potential. This development was fueled largely by the arrival of the Old Colony and Newport Railroad in 1864, which made the towns easily accessible to a large and diverse population. By the early 1870s, at least 20 summer cottages had been built in Tiverton, four were under construction, and several other lots had been purchased for development. The majority of summer residents hailed from Fall River and Taunton, Massachusetts, now connected to the shores of the Sakonnet River by the train (Nebiker 1983:18). Promotional materials from the late-1800s emphasized the convenience and comfort of a summer vacation in Tiverton. A brochure advertising the amenities of Stone Bridge Village, located on Tiverton's waterfront north of Bridgeport, declared "no place from Cape May to Nova Scotia presents the attractions for comfort and pleasure that are to be found at Stone Bridge," and noted the short distance of the village from metropolitan areas like Boston, Providence, Taunton, and Fall River (Daily Evening News 1888:4, 16). The owners of the Old Colony and Newport Railroad actively promoted the development of Tiverton's and Portsmouth's summer colonies as a means of increasing the revenue on its passenger rail service. In her 1893 book, Pleasant Places in Rhode Island, and How to Reach Them, Mariana M. Tallman noted that the majority of the summer cottages that had been built along the Tiverton shore and across the river in the Hummocks were on railroad property. Summer residents leased the land for five dollars a year, and were permitted to build wherever they desired (Tallman 1893:84). CRYSTAL ICE AND COLD STORAGE COMPANY, INC. RIHRA No. TIVR-OOOl (Page 4) Unlike exclusive Newport to the south, Tiverton became a travel destination for the lower and middle classes as well as for the wealthy. Several factors encouraged this development. At the turn of the twentieth century, a summer cottage on the Sakonnet River could be had relatively cheaply, particularly along Riverside Drive in Tiverton where inexpensive leases were available.