First Baptist Church Carries On Century-Old Clambake Tradition

It is an historic fact that the Pilgrims were not fond of clams, but the settlement’s proximity to the sea made them a staple.

In 1680, Plymouth Pilgrim John Cooke established in Tiverton, and little did he know that more than three centuries later, his parish would be renowned for their clambakes.

Old Stone clambakes are a delightful Tiverton tradition and the site of many happy reunions, and last Saturday’s gathering was no exception.

A descendant of Myles Standish and Elizabeth Peabody, the first English child born in New England, Richard Rounds did not inherit his forebears’ aversion to clams. The moderator of Old Stone Church had no reservations about sampling the delicacy.  

“I’ve been here since 10 a.m., and I was only going to come down for an hour,” said Rounds, who also traces his lineage back to the fourth pastor of the church in the early 1700s.

Seven hours later, he was still having a good time, making sure all the guests were enjoying themselves. Rounds serves as the moderator of Old Stone Church.

According to Pastor Patrick Crough, the first clambake was held in 1864.

“Before that the church was holding ice cream socials, and they wanted to try something different,” he said.

He added that in the early 1900s the Old Stone clambakes attracted about 1,500 people.

“But they were discontinued in the early 1940s because of the war and rations,” he said. “They started back up again in 1976.”

A lifelong member and the secretary of the church for the past 20 years, Marian Warren remembered one of the clambakes before the war.

“My mother helped, and I remember table after table, way in the woods between the cemetery and parsonage,” she said. “In my mind, about halfway down, they had a table, where they were selling pastries and aprons, things that they made. I was about five or six.”

Professional restauranteur and trustee of the church Philip Medeiros was bakemaster of this year’s successful event.

“I had never done this before,” said Medeiros, who is skilled at crowd-size entertaining but had to teach himself the fine art of the New England clambake, trading a state-of-the-art commercial stove for a roaring outdoor fire, hot stones and a fresh, wet covering of seaweed.

Medeiro’s shopping list included 70 pounds of clams, 18 pounds of white potatoes, 10 pounds of sweet potatoes, 15 pounds of chourico, 12 pounds of sausage, 10 pounds of fish, and 5 dozen corn on the cob, along with the ingredients for Old Stone Church’s famous clambake dressing and the brown bread.

Medeiros constructed his own wooden boxes or trays to hold the food. He also built a little raft that he launched at the bottom of Taylor’s Lane in Little Compton, where he collected the rockweed.

“It’s smarter to go out deeper in the water,” he said. “You don’t have to bend over, and there was plenty there. It weighed at least a couple of hundred pounds.”

Medeiros loaded his catch in the back of a trailer. He kept the wet mound covered overnight.

The Medeiros family – Philip, Tammy and Emily – assisted the 30 dinner guests at the table heaping with foodstuffs.

Rose Bentley and Burt Chace travelled from Rumford to enjoy the clambake.

Although Bentley said she was concerned about the long drive, she said it was worth the worry.”

“It’s very good,” she said smiling.

Clam connoisseur George Metayer of Tiverton was digging into the succulent clams, along with his sister Faith Metayer Hennessey who resides in Leesburg, FL.

This was their first-time at an Old Stone clambake, having been lured by the signs around town announcing the event.

“We love it – this clambake is so good,” said Metayer. “It smelled wonderful when we pulled up.”

He learned how to prepare clams working at his father’s restaurant, Town & Country on East Main Road.

“It’s kind of something I just picked up and kept doing,” said Metayer. “Clambakes make a nice family get-together in the summertime.”

“That’s his specialty,” added Hennessey. “When my oldest daughter married, her wedding reception was a clambake in our backyard in Little Compton.”

Church members Charlene and Elliott Hoffman were sampling their first Old Stone clambake.

“I’ve been to other suppers, but this is the first clambake I’ve been to,” Charlene said.

For Lisa Jackson of Pittsburgh, PA, the clambake was a novelty.

“This is such a beautiful area,” she said. “I have never been to a clambake. I had to ask how to eat clams.”

Peter and Patricia Cady of Sewickley, PA, were carrying on a family tradition.

“My grandfather was born in Adamsville at the end of the 1800s,” Mr. Cady said.