Joseph Curwen's Stomping Grounds
Before we left Providence, we were treated to a quick tour of some of Joseph Curwen's stomping grounds by Donovan Loucks, the curator of the H. P. Lovecraft Archive and expert in all local Lovecraft sites. Donovan took us to Namquit Point, the shell-encrusted spot on the west side of Narragensett Bay where Curwen smuggled occult contraband ashore, and which is now used as a popular fishing spot.
As the sun set we hiked the trails near the canoe house at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, near the site of Curwen's farm. The sound of the crickets and frogs was actually quite peaceful, but we could imagine the fear of the raiders approaching Curwen's farm as they heard chanting in the distance.
Finally, we took a look at the "falls" on the Pawtuxet river, over which some of Curwen's horrible experiments tumbled. They might also have been the inspiration for the falls on the fictional Manuxet River that Lovecraft describes in "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". Maybe the river is running lower today than it was back in Lovecraft's time....
Our thanks to Donovan for showing us around in style. There's never enough time to see all the things we'd like. We'll just have to keep going back!