There will be a new hardware store in Jamestown for the new year, The Jamestown Press reported Jan. 10, 1991.
Ray Dunleavy and his two brothers-in-law, George Hule and Steve Sherman, will open their business, Jamestown Hardware Limited, on Narragansett Avenue at the site of the former Hammond Hardware store.
“We’re going to be working as fast and as hard as possible to open our doors,” Dunleavy said.
100 years ago — Jan. 6, 1923
(Newport Mercury)
The passengers and crew of a launch from the destroyer Osborne had a narrow escape from death in the East Passage.
Five men, including three chief petty officers, had started for Newport in the launch to get the mail when the engine became disabled. After drifting for some time, the launch ran aground on a rock near Fort Adams. Efforts to attract assistance were unsuccessful, and the men were obliged to plunge into the icy water and swim to shore, reaching the fort in an exhausted condition.
They were given prompt medical treatment, and are now no worse for their thrilling adventure, although they suffered greatly for a time due to the exposure.
75 years ago — Jan. 9, 1948
(Newport Mercury and Weekly News)
Encouraged by the endorsement from Gov. John Pastore in his annual message to the General Assembly, advocates for a new bridge connecting Newport and Jamestown called for a meeting to discuss further plans.
The governor approved “in principle” the bridge erection by private funds, and said the span could eventually become the property of the state. The Newport Jamestown Bridge Association, which has been actively working on the project for a year, is the driving force behind the movement.
Since the failure of legislation in 1947 to build a bridge connecting the islands of Conanicut and Aquidneck, interests in Newport and South counties have been redoubling their efforts. Newport’s state’s senator, Republican John Fitzgerald, already has reintroduced the bill for the 1948 session. The estimate to build the bridge is roughly $10 million.
50 years ago — Jan. 5, 1973
(Newport Mercury)
The new 100-foot water tower in Jamestown will be painted checker-board red and white, for daytime visibility, and will have three lights on top for nighttime protection from aircraft per the Federal Aeronautics Administration.
25 years ago — Jan. 8, 1998
(The Jamestown Press)
The first baby born in 1998 at South County Hospital was a girl from Jamestown.
David and Andrea Brayman welcomed their daughter, Alexis Wagner, into the world at 11:59 a.m. on New Year’s Day. She was delivered by Dr. Sheila Connery. Alexis and her parents were presented with a dozen roses and a stuffed teddy bear from the hospital’s administration. The newborn also was presented with a savings bond.
10 years ago — Jan. 10, 2013
(The Jamestown Press)
A bald eagle was among the record-breaking 77 species tallied during the 30th winter bird count, which also set a high mark for the number of birders participating.
Twenty-five birders counted 69 species by noon — seven short of the record set in 2011 — but following lunch, they discovered eight more. Among them was a rufous hummingbird, which is considered the feistiest hummingbird. It is typical of the western United States, but rare to the East Coast.
The group also spotted a white-winged crossbill, a finch that frequents the Northeast but was absent from last year’s count, and a bald eagle. The country’s national bird, which was seen flying over the reservoir, was removed from the endangered species list in 2007.
Other species of note included a Barrow’s goldeneye, seen at both the north and south ends of Conanicut Island’s east coast, razorbills at Beavertail and a spotted sandpiper at Mackerel Cove. Absent this year was the purple sandpiper (23 were spotted last year) and eastern bluebirds recently seen at Godena Farm.
