The Westerly Historical Society

 

Prominent Westerly Personalities

 

We Preserve Memories of the Past

Copyright © The Westerly Historical Society, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Web master:  Susan Cline

William H. Ewen

 

On August 19, 2003 Mr. William H. Ewen, a first vice president (1978-1980) and later a president (1980-1982) of the Westerly Historical Society, died at the age of 90.  A native of New York, a graduate of Yale University, and an executive for the Borden Company, he retired to Westerly in 1976.

 

With an avid interest in maritime history and a fervent love of steamships, he was a life member of the Steamship Historical Society, a founder and president of the Hastings-on-Hudson Historical Society, a treasurer of Scenic Hudson, Inc. and authored “Days of the Steamboats”.  Our Dwight Brown, when asked, simply said ‘He was “Mr. Steamboat” the expert who could answer anything.’

 

Under his leadership, several trips on The Sabino, billed as the only hand fed coal burning passenger steamboat still operating in America, were taken and “Life’s Little Pleasures”, by Lido Mochetti, was published. Using the newly created Internal Revenue Code of 1980, we were recognized as a tax-exempt organization.  Our Ed Carroll remembered that President Ewen was ‘a parliamentarian, very precise, and business-like’.

 

When The League of Rhode Island Historical Societies met in Westerly on October 25, 1980, Mr. Stanton Saunders described “How Westerly Saved Rhode Island “ and Mr. Isaac Smith explained Westerly’s granite industry.  President Ewen spoke on “Having a Wonderful Time…Wish You Were Here” described as ”A look at summer days of long ago in Westerly and Watch Hill, with slides featuring the grand hotels, trolley cars, steamboats, and “bathing” in the sea.”

 

He kept comprehensive files on the published activities of local historical societies that he and his ad hoc committee used to develop a five-year plan for our society. Their adopted ideas, in part, follow:

  …to define its area of interest….to southern Washington Country from Charlestown to the Pawcatuck River and Southeastern Connecticut to New London… 

 …to enlarge membership…increase participation…

 …active liaison with nearly historical societies…

 …to issue regular publications…

 …to encourage original research projects…which would result in papers suitable for publication…

Although this document was completed over twenty years ago, it is obvious that he not only used them in his tenure, but his committee’s ideas continue to serve and guide us today.

                         

Finally, he wrote several tributes to members and friends who died during his term.  One, to John Cecil Holm (1904-1981), ended with:

 

 The wind breathes low; the withering leaf

    Scarce whispers from the tree;

 So gently flows the parting breath

    When good men cease to be.

 

     William Peabody