In the fall of 1976 a small group of Valley residents gathered to form the Pawtuxet Valley Preservation and Historical Society. Meeting in members' homes or offices, the organization gradually attracted more interest, eventually meeting in local church halls to accommodate the increasing membership, and to present programs of historic interest.
When the Society decided to rent office space on Weaver Street in Arctic, donations of books, photographs and a wide variety of other memorabilia soon crowded the limited space.
In 1993, the Society negotiated a lease with the town of West Warwick for the use of the old Crompton Library built in 1876 by the Crompton Company as a library for the "Velvet Village".
"The Library" is not only home to the Society but now houses hundreds of artifacts and memorabilia relating to life in the Pawtuxet Valley, including texitle manufacturing, military, fire, police, and sports.
The Society has made major repairs and improvements to the building and in 1999 received a prestigious award from the R.I. Historical Preservation Commission for its preservation efforts.
Our Society Store, which currenly features a variety of items, provide us with the funds we need to operate each year. These fund raising items features the very popular "Vintage Valley Views" Calendar, PVPHS Ornaments, Reproduction of Village Lithographs, the Pawtuxet Valley Afghan, and Pawtuxet Valley Tote Bag. We also conduct special events like our Lantern-Led Historic Cemetery Walk or our Ghost Walk.