FROED One Government Center Fall River, MA 02722-7700 Tel 508-324-2620 Fax 508-677-2840 info@froed.org		QUEQUECHAN’S HISTORY EXPOSED The Heald News, Friday, September 18, 2009 - Page A1 FALL RIVER - The seventh and final installment in the series commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts Superior Court was held at Bristol Community College Thursday night. “The Hidden Divide - The Struggle for the Quequechan Watercourse: Private Rights Versus the Public Interest” chronicled the 300-plus-year history of the Quequechan River and its significance in Fall River. Attorney William Kenney served as the moderator for the event, which included a slideshow of the river and a panel of speakers. Alfred Lima, author of “A River and its City: The Influence of the Quequechan River” highlighted the early history of the Quequechan dating back to the colonial days. He detailed Fall River’s boom period, when 22 mills were built in a 13-month period of the early 1870’s. Lima referred to the Quequechan River as “Fall River’s front door”. Attorney Jay Lambert, a member of the board of directors for the Fall River Historical Society, covered the rights, priviledges and legal issues pertaining to the river up to 1920. John Friar, a chemical engineer who has been involved with the Fall River Water Department since 1968, detailed the more recent history of the Quequechan. Friar chronicled decades of neglect followed by a resurgence over the last decade. The $185 million combined sewer overflow project has shown marked improvement in the cleanup of the river. “There has been major progress over the last 10 years on the banks of the Quequechan,” said Friar. John Grovesnor and Donald Leighton of Newport Collaborative Architects closed out the speaking portion of the program by detailing their vision for the future of Fall River, which involves renewable energy, promoting public and private development and regaining access to the waterfront. “The Massachusetts Superior Court is one of the oldest trial courts in the country,” said Barbara Rouse, chief justice of the Superior Court. “This series was a great opportunity to connect with the community on issues that are a important to them.” Other topics covered in the symposium series included the last public hanging in Bristol County, The Great Mill Fire of 1874, The Big Dan’s Trial, Lizzie Borden case and the New Bedford teacher strikes of 1969 and 1975. Back