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Janet Hudon-Hartman knows every creak in the floors of her 250-year-old Fair Street home—knowledge earned through a lifetime of watching her father bring it back to life, one room at a time, holding boards steady as a girl, before she ultimately became its guardian. Now, she's working to ensure other historic treasures in Pawtuxet Village will be preserved and protected.

Through the Hudon-Hartman Pawtuxet Preservation Trust at the Rhode Island Foundation, Janet is creating a permanent resource to support historic preservation throughout Pawtuxet Village's National Historic District, which encompasses sections of Warwick and Cranston. The field of interest fund will provide critical support for preservation projects—from architectural assistance to window restoration to storefront rehabilitation—helping property owners protect the structures that tell the story of Rhode Island's colonial heritage and Revolutionary past.

"We don't have enough 1700s houses left in this country; somebody has to worry about that," explains Janet, a founding member of the Pawtuxet Village Association (PVA) for over 50 years. "There's nowhere for the average person to get help with funding for preservation."

Her fund will support the kind of vital work she's witnessed firsthand through the PVA. The volunteer-run nonprofit, incorporated in 1976, serves as the eyes on the ground for the National Historic District. The organization works to protect historic structures from demolition, advocates for appropriate development, and encourages proper management of period architecture. On the Cranston side of Pawtuxet, which lacks local historic district protections, the PVA has been crucial in preventing federal funds from being used in ways that would destroy the character of the historic area.

Pawtuxet Village holds extraordinary historical significance as the site where colonists burned the HMS Gaspee in 1772—the first overt action of the American Revolution. Today, the village's remarkable collection of colonial and Victorian-era homes spans nearly three centuries of American history. Yet preservation is costly, and even property owners with means are often surprised by the expense of proper restoration.

Janet is fundraising during her lifetime to build the fund's impact. Eventually, the Fair Street house itself will be gifted to the Foundation, with proceeds from its sale flowing directly into the fund - transforming her family's legacy into lasting support for this work and ensuring the past continues creating opportunities for the future. As her daughter Susan, who serves alongside her mother on the PVA board, observes, "My mom seeks to continue breathing life into these older homes. Through her support, in conjunction with our community organizations and the residents of Pawtuxet, we hope to maintain our history for future generations.”