Warwick’s living landmark, Henry A.L. Brown, has been recognized by Preserve Rhode Island as the winner of the Antoinette F. Downing Award for Volunteer Service.

The annual Rhody Awards honor individuals, organizations, and projects for their contributions to the preservation of Rhode Island’s historic places.

Brown, a historian, writer, advocate, and community leader has dedicated his entire life to the preservation and celebration of Warwick’s history, first learning about the city’s history in an elementary school class in 1939. In the over eighty years that followed, Brown has been intimately involved in the development of the Pawtuxet Village Association, the Gaspee Days Committee and Parade, the Warwick Historical Society, and The Bridge newspaper. Brown has collected extensive historical documents and artifacts about all aspects of

Warwick history, including the Brown family and their Spring Green Farm, where Brown still lives today.

His research and collection form a large part of the Warwick Historical Society’s collections. Brown has also published extensively on Warwick history. A beloved figure in the city, Brown is a Warwick institution unto himself, according to those at Preserve Rhode Island who selected Brown for the award.

Other Rhody Award winners include the Hopkins Hollow Church in Coventry, Block Island’s Southeast Lighthouse, Edward King House Senior Center in Newport, Miss Lorraine Diner in Pawtucket, Church Hill Grammar School in Pawtucket, the Legislative Chambers of the Rhode Island State House, Sunnyside in Newport, Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, and Mary Anthony, the first executive director of the 1772 Foundation and instrumental figure in preservation partnerships across the state.

For more information about the award winners and to watch the award ceremony, visit preserveri.org/winners-2020.