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The first Portuguese arrived in Jamestown during the late 1800s, bringing with them their traditions, language, and customs. Most of these people, who were from the Azores, specifically Fayal, were drawn to Jamestown because it was much like the Azores with farms and cliffs. They were able to use their skills in Jamestown as farmers, masons, landscapers, fishermen and gardeners.
Traditions brought from the Azores included the Holy Ghost Society and the Crown. The Jamestown chapter of the Holy Ghost Society was founded in 1924 and incorporated in 1927. The society purchased land along Narragansett Avenue and began building the Holy Ghost Hall in 1925. Materials were bought, but the labor was done by members of the society.
The Holy Ghost Society, a worldwide society requiring Portuguese heritage for membership, is dedicated to maintaining and celebrating the traditions associated with the Holy Ghost festivals.
The festivals started in Jamestown in the early 1920s in tents and continued until 1941. The festival featured a procession with marching bands and participants dressed in traditional Portuguese attire, carrying symbolic items such as crowns and banners. Besides the church, the Holy Ghost Hall served as the focal point the festival. Here, the community gathered after the procession for a feast of traditional Portuguese dishes, followed by dancing.
The Crown, an important part of the festival, was borrowed from families in earlier festivals. In 1927, about $300 was raised through donations and fundraisers to purchase one from Portugal. The importance of the crown goes back to the story of Queen Santa Isabel of Portugal (1271–1336). According to legend, she held a feast for the poorest peasants. During the feast, she allowed one of the peasants to wear her crown. The Crown still serves as a tangible representation of the community’s devotion and faith. Though the festival has been revived only a few years since 1941, the Crown has remained in Jamestown in the home of the keeper of the crown.
Beyond the feast, the Holy Ghost Hall had served as a venue for an array of community events, from weddings to social dances, basketball games, meetings and a restaurant. In 2016, the hall was sold and demolished to make way for a sixteen-unit condominium complex.
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