The Smithville Seminary

Russell Warren built the Smithville Seminary in 1839 on the land where it stands now on Institute Lane in Scituate. It is a Greek revival building that has an “Ionic order temple front” with four columns. In the main building called Franklin Hall, there were the principal’s office, apartments, and rooms for storage. This main building had two wings where there were student rooms and classrooms. Franklin Hall had three stories. The wings were two stories tall.

The Smithville Seminary opened in 1840. The school was for children to attend during the day and some lived at the school, too. Boys and girls went to this school. The Smithville Seminary was an institution of learning that was used for the older grades before college. Smithville Seminary was the first Rhode Island teachers’ institute where Henry Barnard taught. In 1863 the school was sold due to financial difficulties.

The school became the Lapham Institute and was named after the owner Benedict Lapham. The Lapham Institute still struggled to get enough money to stay open. The Lapham Institute closed because there was not enough money to keep it open.

After the Lapham Institute closed in the late 1890’s, it was bought by Henry S. Turner. He turned it into the Moswansicut Hotel. It was a hotel until 1901.

From 1901 to 1919 the building was used by the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. The Pentecostal Collegiate Institute last 18 years but then closed.

The Watchman Industrial School was opened in 1920. The school was a trade school for African American children and youth. The school and a yearly summer camp was under direction of Rev. Dr. William S. Holland. Over the years, the school had some disasters. Both wings burned down and the school also suffered from the 1938 hurricane. When Rev. Holland died in 1958 the school ended and the summer camp was held until 1974.

The Institute was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

This beautiful Institute was the Smithville Seminary, Lapham Institute, Pentecostal Collegiate Institute, Moswansicut Hotel, and then finally the Watchman Industrial School. In the 1970’s the Institute was bought by Ronald J. Whitford and the Kilduff brothers. They restored the outside of the building and converted the school to an apartment building. It is now known as the Scituate Commons and is still apartments.

This postcard is over 100 years old! It shows the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute. The back of the postcard is dated 1909 in the postmark below.

Also from the postcard era of 1900 to 1915, you can see where

this card was published and mailed in the photo below.

Inside Watchman Industrial School

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© 2017 Paula DiLuglio