THE BAY PATH – ROGER WILLIAMS – MISTER POTATO HEAD
BY DON DOUCETTE
While on the subject of Christmas, remembered on the Thurber Farm in Attleboro as kids…one year we received an original MR. POTATO HEAD.
The brightly colored plastic body parts are considered today as choke hazards.
The HASBRO TOY COMPANY has kindly reconfigured the present style of MR. POTATO HEAD as safe to use.
It is probably better recognized as the POTATO HEAD character associated with the TOY STORY film series.
A bigger than life MR. POTATO HEAD is a long-standing and respected resident of the Ten Mile River Watershed greeting visitors to the HASBRO firm situated along Newport Avenue in Pawtucket, Rhode Island today.
About one year ago, I collaborated with my Pawtucket friend, Ben Cote, a former Oswald Street resident, regarding the location of the western bound of the Ten Mile River Watershed in East Pawtucket or…formerly known during the King Phillip War as the Rehoboth Plain and in more recent years, the Darlington Plain.
Newport Avenue as close as we can figure is at this point the geographic dividing line between the Ten Mile River Watershed (east) and the Bucklin Brook Watershed (west.)
The actual existence of the Bucklin Brook Watershed is ignored and discounted by the powers that be and lumped in as a southern portion of the Blackstone River Watershed due to political quick sands in the State of Rhode Island.
Newport Avenue, or thereabouts, was the original Boston to Newport trail in the 1600’s when East Pawtucket was a western portion of the Plymouth Colony.
Roger Williams carried the first Rhode Island Charter along that trail (Bay Path) upon his return to Providence from an extended and dangerous visit to the British Parliament.
Full circle. Our original MR. POTATO HEAD moved with us from the Thurber Farm to Franklin Street in Attleboro and as kids are wired, lost piece by piece during the passage of time and finally, forgotten until this writing.
If present-day MR. POTATO HEAD were able to talk – is close enough to have audibly greeted Roger Williams passing by during his historic homeward journey along the old Boston to Newport, Bay Path.
Happy New Year.
Don Doucette
“Ten Mile River Rambles”
Friends of the Ten Mile and Bucklin Brook