Did You Know? Fun Facts About Cumberland RI

In this edition of "Did you know", we will discuss some fun facts about Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Fun Fact #1

If you're a history enthusiast, you may be interested to know that Cumberland was named after Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and was founded in 1635 by William Blackstone. Blackstone lived on a farm where he cultivated apples and the site of his home is where Ann & Hope sits today.

Personally, I have great memories of Ann & Hope from when I was a kid. My mom would go there often to shop. I liked sitting in the carriage while she pushed me up and down the little ramps on the lower level. I also like watching the carriages ride the lift between floors. After we shopped, I would go play video games at the little arcade they had next to the food court, while my mom waited in line at the checkout. Sometimes, my dad would take me there to rent a movie.

Fun Fact #2

Cumberland has a long history of mining. Anyone who lives in the northern part of the town is familiar with the sound of loud or muffled booms and the little tremors that happen when they blast at the granite quarry.

But did you know that several years ago, there was controversy in Valley Falls because of an old coal mine? State Representative James McLaughlin fought the proposed site of a new elementary school. He argued that the site might have been unsafe due to past sinkholes and collapses from old, coal mine shafts running underneath the neighborhood. Today, Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary School stands at the site. I guess the town felt the location was safe.

Maybe Mr. McLaughlin's argument stemmed from the fact that in 1979, a sink hole appeared in the backyard of a Macondray St. resident, just a few blocks from where the school stands today.

Not only did the town allow the elementary school to be built, they also allowed BVP High School and athletic fields to be built, just down the street from the site of this sink hole, at the old Fair Hardware store properties.

Personally, I never saw or heard of any sink holes in the area. I spent a lot of time in Valley Falls over the years. I would go to the Lusitania Club in that neighborhood for the annual Portuguese feasts and periodic dinner events. The Lusitania Club is still standing today and has existed for over 100 years. I don't know exactly where the mining tunnels run, but the area is surrounded by commercial buildings and a residential neighborhood.

Leave a comment down below if you have any knowledge of other sink holes or the coal mines from the area.

Not So Fun Fact #2

Nine Men's Misery is a burial site where 9 military men were ambushed and killed by Narragansett Indians during King Phillip's War. There is a monument at the site, off of Diamond Hill Rd., where the Cumberland Monastery and Library are today.

Fun Fact #3

Cumberland Farms is named from a small dairy business that originated in Cumberland in 1939. Today, Cumberland Farms has evolved into a convenience store empire with self serve gas pumps and has 566 locations.

Fun Fact #4

It was reported in June of 2022 that a company called Hartford Holdings LLC, had purchased the historic Ann & Hope building earlier in that year. Plans had been submitted to the town for an extensive redevelopment, which would include 241 rental units with 48 of those being billed as affordable housing. It also calls for the ground floor to be utilized as commercial space, which may include a food market and a café.

As I said earlier, I have lot of memories from Ann & Hope and it's sad to see the building in the condition it is in today, but I look forward to seeing if this redevelopment plan gets approved. It would be a major improvement for the area and would fill a need for additional housing.

Real Estate Fun Fact

The average sale price for home in Cumberland for 2022 was $453,166. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Cumberland, Contact Me for a free consultation.

If there are any other fun facts about Cumberland you would like to add, leave a comment and click here to see more blogs from the "Did You Know?" Series.