The Block Island Historical Society is celebrating two major wins this year. First, we are marking the eightieth anniversary of our founders chartering the organization in 1942. It will be celebrated with a Gala on Saturday August 20 (visit our website for more information). The founders, who included such island residents as Gladys Steadman, Lester Dodge and Paul Hodge, all attended the signing of the founding document. After the signing, these three and a host of others, worked for decades in the gathering and protecting of the history of Block Island.Second, the Historical Society is in the midst of a significant digitization campaign. I would like to thank the Annenberg Foundation for the two years of funding to begin this quest of digitizing our entire collection of paper-based materials, including photographs, land deeds, hotel ledgers, postcards, and personal correspondence. To date, we have cataloged over 1,700 photographs, including the fantastic image above, from the summer of 1942 (which happens to be the year of our founding).Six figures stand dressed in impressive clothing. Five are connected to long-standing families in the history of Block Island. From left to right, these include George Sheffield, Frank Payne (Sr.), Robert Champlin, Adrian
