Ralph Guild has been instrumental in the restoration of Gray’s Grist Mill, one of the oldest continuously operating mills and many other projects preserving local history, including most recently the Longfield House east of Adamsville Pond.
Hundreds of people from Westport gathered at Adamsville Pond Saturday to say thank you Ralph Guild, owner of Gray’s Grist Mill and the indefatigable force behind the dredging and restoration of the pond. Mr. Guild spent 15 years shepherding the process through state and federal agencies, the final permit nailed down in August 2006. Mr. Guild was presented awards from the Westport Historical Society, the Westport River Watershed Alliance, and commemorative plates from his wife Calla and from Tom and Sally Freestone with whom Guild consulted over the years about mill reconstruction.
Excavator Don Lemonde reopens Adamsville Pond to water from the creek. Before dredging, it was estimated that the pond surface was a paltry 40 percent of its size in 1929. Up to 5000 cubic yards of mud and silt was removed from the pond. The project needed approval from the MA Department of Environmental Protection, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the Westport Conservation Commission.
Excavator Don Lemonde and young Daniel Pratt, son of Eddie Pratt, one of carpenters rebuilding the dam leading from the pond, moments after reopening pond to water from the creek (bottom left). Before dredging, it was estimated that the pond surface was a paltry 40 percent of its size in 1929. Up to 5000 cubic yards of mud and silt was removed from the pond.
Restoration expert “Pete” Baker escorts Ralph Guild to a shady spot adjacent to the Longview House at Adamsville Pond, where Guild was honored by the Westport River Watershed Alliance, the Westport Historical Society, and by his wife and friends. Well over two hundred people celebrated Mr. Guild’s commitment to the community.
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