List of the oldest buildings in Rhode Island

Last updated

This article attempts to list the oldest buildings in the state of Rhode Island in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in Rhode Island and any other surviving structures. Some dates are approximate and based on architectural studies and historical records, other dates are based on dendrochronology All entries should include citation with reference to: architectural features; a report by an architectural historian; or dendrochronology

Contents

Very few Rhode Island buildings have been tested yet using dendrochronology (less than a dozen houses as of 2019), [1] and most buildings outside of Aquidneck Island were burned in King Philip's War in the 1670s. The oldest building in Rhode Island tested using dendrochronology was the Clemence-Irons House (1691) in Johnston, although the Lucas–Johnston House in Newport holds some timbers which were felled prior to 1650, but likely reused from an earlier building. [2]

List

BuildingImageLocationFirst BuiltNotes
Governor Peleg Sanford House Governor Peleg Sanford House, before 1700 - Newport, Rhode Island - DSC04029.jpg Newport 41°29′27″N71°18′47″W / 41.49077°N 71.31315°W / 41.49077; -71.31315 c.1640s–1701
  • One of the oldest buildings in Newport
  • Constructed before the death of Gov. Sanford in 1701 [3]
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
White Horse Tavern The White Horse Tavern Newport Rhode Island est. 1673.jpg Newport 41°29′30″N71°18′51″W / 41.491667°N 71.314167°W / 41.491667; -71.314167 1652; 1673
  • Oldest tavern in America, originally built in 1652 as a residence and expanded into a tavern in 1673, likely including parts of the original structure [4]
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Stephen Northup House Stephen Northrup House North Kingstown RI.jpg North Kingstown 41°33′05″N71°26′52″W / 41.551389°N 71.447778°W / 41.551389; -71.447778 c.1660–1661 (possibly rebuilt in 1670s)
  • Possibly burned during King Philip's War in the 1670s and rebuilt, later modifications 1712, 1850, 2004
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Newport Tower Newport Tower - Newport, RI (51488606239).jpg Newport 41°29′09″N71°18′36″W / 41.4858°N 71.3099°W / 41.4858; -71.3099 c.1670
  • Purported to be a Viking structure; [5] likely the remains of a colonial windmill [6]
  • No roof or floors since the mid-18th century
  • Radiocarbon dating tests of the tower's mortar suggest a probable date of production of the mortar between 1635 and 1698. [7]
Philip Sherman House Sherman.Philip.House.jpg Portsmouth 41°35′00″N71°14′45″W / 41.58340°N 71.24577°W / 41.58340; -71.24577 c.1670
  • House of Philip Sherman, one of the founders of Portsmouth, RI
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Thomas Fenner House CranstonRI ThomasFennerHouse.jpg Cranston 41°47′27″N71°29′19″W / 41.790833°N 71.488611°W / 41.790833; -71.488611 1677
  • Early stone ender
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Edward Searle House Searle.Edward.House.Oaklawn.RI.20110721.jpg Cranston 41°44′54″N71°28′56″W / 41.748333°N 71.482222°W / 41.748333; -71.482222 1670–1720
  • Early stone ender
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Capt. John Mawdsley House John Mawdsley House Newport RI.jpg Newport 41°29′03″N71°18′44″W / 41.484167°N 71.312222°W / 41.484167; -71.312222 c.1677–1680
Smith's Castle Smith's castle 2018.jpg Wickford 41°35′00″N71°27′16″W / 41.583333°N 71.454444°W / 41.583333; -71.454444 1678
Clement Weaver House Clement Weaver House Daniel Howland House in East Greenwich RI.jpg East Greenwich 41°39′32″N71°28′37″W / 41.658889°N 71.476944°W / 41.658889; -71.476944 1679
  • Early stone ender
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
  • Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
John Bliss House Bliss House Newport.JPG Newport 41°29′59″N71°18′07″W / 41.49974°N 71.30204°W / 41.49974; -71.30204 c.1680
  • Early stone ender
Nathaniel Bosworth House Bristol 41°40′43″N71°16′42″W / 41.678509°N 71.278333°W / 41.678509; -71.278333 c.1683
  • Oldest house in Bristol [8]
Forge Farm WarwickRI ForgeFarm.jpg Warwick 41°38′19″N71°27′06″W / 41.638611°N 71.451667°W / 41.638611; -71.451667 1684
  • Oldest portion of the structure dates to 1684
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Daggett House Slater Park Daggett House 2 2009.JPG Pawtucket 41°53′19″N71°20′39″W / 41.888667°N 71.344056°W / 41.888667; -71.344056 1685
  • Oldest house in Pawtucket
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Gorton-Greene House Gorton-Greene House in Warwick Rhode Island built around 1685.jpg Warwick 41°39′55″N71°27′35″W / 41.665179°N 71.45967°W / 41.665179; -71.45967 1685
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Palmer-Northrup House Palmer-Northrup House in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.jpg North Kingstown 41°34′37″N71°27′40″W / 41.576944°N 71.461111°W / 41.576944; -71.461111 c.1685
  • Early stone ender
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Hopelands WarwickRI Hopelands.jpg Warwick 41°39′29″N71°25′17″W / 41.65798°N 71.42135°W / 41.65798; -71.42135 c.1686
  • Western ell of building dates to 1686, though not yet tested using dendrochronology
  • Now part of Rocky Hill School
Peleg Arnold Tavern Peleg Arnold tavern North Smithfield RI.JPG North Smithfield 41°59′21″N71°32′02″W / 41.98916°N 71.53388°W / 41.98916; -71.53388 c.1690
Wilbor House Wilbor House in Little Compton RI.jpg Little Compton 41°29′43″N71°11′11″W / 41.495278°N 71.186389°W / 41.495278; -71.186389 1690
  • Oldest house in Little Compton
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Clemence–Irons House Clemence-Irons House - Johnston, Rhode Island 2.jpg Johnston 41°50′21″N71°29′04″W / 41.839167°N 71.484444°W / 41.839167; -71.484444 1691
  • Primitive stone ender
  • Oldest house in Rhode Island to be dated using dendrochronology (2005) [9]
Samuel Clarke House Samuel Clarke Farmhouse - Today.jpg Kenyon 41°27′38″N71°37′29″W / 41.46065°N 71.624775°W / 41.46065; -71.624775 1691
  • Retains original exterior wide oak weatherboards – on the north side, early 18th-century window sash and frames, a granite central chimney with four fireplaces and original period interior architectural detail
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Eleazer Arnold House Eleazer Arnold House Lincoln RI.jpg Lincoln 41°54′10″N71°25′14″W / 41.902778°N 71.420556°W / 41.902778; -71.420556 c.1693
Valentine Whitman House ValentineWhitman.JPG Lincoln 41°55′55″N71°27′24″W / 41.931843°N 71.456664°W / 41.931843; -71.456664 1694
  • Early stone ender
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Smith-Appleby House Smith Appleby House flare 2013.jpg Smithfield 41°54′07″N71°31′06″W / 41.901944°N 71.518333°W / 41.901944; -71.518333 1696
  • House Museum
  • Not yet tested using dendrochronology
Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, Newport, RI edit1.jpg Newport 41°29′27″N71°18′45″W / 41.49084°N 71.31261°W / 41.49084; -71.31261 1697
  • One of the oldest houses in Newport
  • Currently a museum
  • Dated using dendrochronology in 2005. [11]
Joseph Reynolds House Joseph Reynolds House, Bristol, RI.jpg Bristol 41°41′00″N71°16′43″W / 41.683451°N 71.278543°W / 41.683451; -71.278543 c.1698–1700
Great Friends Meeting House Great Friends Meeting House - Newport, RI (51488607489).jpg Newport 41°29′31″N71°18′47″W / 41.492008°N 71.31305°W / 41.492008; -71.31305 1699
  • Quaker Meeting House
  • Oldest surviving church building in Rhode Island
  • Dated in 2005 to 1699 using dendrochronology [12]
Portsmouth Friends Meetinghouse Portsmouth Friends Meetinghouse in Rhode Island.jpg Portsmouth 41°35′28″N71°15′16″W / 41.591111°N 71.254444°W / 41.591111; -71.254444 1699–1700
  • Quaker Meeting House and original site of Moses Brown School
  • Likely the oldest church building in RI used continuously as a church.
Samuel E. Perry House Samuel E. Perry House.jpg South Kingstown 41°22′59″N71°34′14″W / 41.38298°N 71.57067°W / 41.38298; -71.57067 1696–1716. Foundation purportedly dates from 1661.
  • Private home located on Matunuck Schoolhouse Rd [13]
Nathaniel Daggett House Nathaniel Daggett House corner view.jpg East Providence 41°50′16″N71°21′46″W / 41.837778°N 71.362778°W / 41.837778; -71.362778 c.1700
  • Likely the oldest house in East Providence
Perry-Carpenter Grist Mill PERRY-CARPENTER GRIST MILL, WASHINGTON COUNTY, RI.jpg South Kingstown 41°50′16″N71°21′46″W / 41.837778°N 71.362778°W / 41.837778; -71.362778 1703
Six Principle Baptist Church Six Principle Baptist Church North Kingstown RI.jpg North Kingstown 41°35′34″N71°29′29″W / 41.592778°N 71.491389°W / 41.592778; -71.491389 1703
  • Oldest Baptist church building in RI
  • Possibly the oldest Baptist church building in the U.S.
Saylesville Meetinghouse Saylesville Friends Meetinghouse Quaker in Lincoln RI Rhode Island.jpg Lincoln 41°54′02″N71°25′06″W / 41.900556°N 71.418333°W / 41.900556; -71.418333 1704
  • Possibly the oldest church building in Providence County, RI
Old Narragansett Church Old Narragansett Church Wickford front view.jpg Wickford 41°34′21″N71°26′59″W / 41.5725°N 71.449722°W / 41.5725; -71.449722 1707
Governor Stephen Hopkins House Stephen Hopkins House 2.jpg Providence 41°49′18″N71°24′12″W / 41.821667°N 71.403333°W / 41.821667; -71.403333 1708, 1742
  • Oldest extant home in Providence
Dr. Charles Cotton House Cotton House, c. 1720 & c. 1817 - Newport, Rhode Island - DSC04072.jpg Newport 41°29′18″N71°18′53″W / 41.488333°N 71.314722°W / 41.488333; -71.314722 c.1720
  • Dr. Charles Cotton, a great-grandson of Josiah Cotton and surgeon aboard the USS Constitution, owned the house in the early 19th century
Peter Greene House WarwickRI PeterGreeneHouse.jpg Warwick 41°42′55″N71°22′34″W / 41.715278°N 71.376111°W / 41.715278; -71.376111 c.1720–1750
Henry Palmer House Henry Palmer House. South Kingstown, RI USA.jpg South Kingstown1721
  • Private home in East Matunuck
  • Located on Old Succotash Rd [13]
Carr-LeValley House West Warwick 41°43′00″N71°31′58″W / 41.71673°N 71.53283°W / 41.71673; -71.53283 1722
  • Possibly the oldest building in West Warwick, RI
Phillip Walker House Phillip Walker House East Providence RI 2012.jpg East Providence 41°49′49″N71°21′50″W / 41.830278°N 71.363889°W / 41.830278; -71.363889 1724
Trinity Episcopal Church Trinity Church Newport RI 2006.jpg Newport 41°29′15″N71°18′50″W / 41.4875°N 71.313889°W / 41.4875; -71.313889 1726
Antram-Gray House Roger Williams National Memorial Visitor Center, Providence Rhode Island.jpg Providence 41°49′53″N71°24′39″W / 41.83132°N 71.41071°W / 41.83132; -71.41071 1736
Captain John Warren House
Captain John Warren House (c. 1737) Captain John Warren House (c. 1737).jpg
Captain John Warren House (c. 1737)
Newport 41°29′35″N71°19′16″W / 41.49319°N 71.32108°W / 41.49319; -71.32108 1737
  • French Navy Artillery Headquarters 1780–1781 [16]
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace Gilbert Stuart birthplace and barn.jpg Saunderstown 41°31′13″N71°26′41″W / 41.52017°N 71.44469°W / 41.52017; -71.44469 1750
  • Birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, one of 18th-century America's most noted portrait artists
  • National Historic Landmark
Willow Dell (Weeden Farm House) WILLOW DELL, SOUTH KINGSTOWN, WASHINGTON COUNTY RI.jpg South Kingstown 41°23′48″N71°33′04″W / 41.39660°N 71.55115°W / 41.39660; -71.55115 1753
  • Located in Matunuck [13]
Rocky Meadows Farm House Rocky Meadows Farm House.jpg South Kingstown1754
  • Rumored to have been a tavern
  • Private home located on Old Post Road (Route 1) [13]
  • The farm land is now protected by the South Kingstown Land Trust. [17]
Henry Marchant House Henry Marchant Farm.jpg South Kingstown 41°28′49″N71°35′47″W / 41.48039°N 71.59650°W / 41.48039; -71.59650 pre 1760
Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island.jpg
Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island
Newport 41°29′22″N71°18′43″W / 41.489444°N 71.311944°W / 41.489444; -71.311944 1759–1763
University Hall Brown's University Hall in 2007.jpg Providence 41°49′34″N71°24′14″W / 41.826111°N 71.403889°W / 41.826111; -71.403889 1770
Jonathan Treadwell House Jonathan Treadwell House.jpg Providence 41°49′46″N71°24′33″W / 41.82935°N 71.40910°W / 41.82935; -71.40910 1783
  • Private residence on North Court Street
  • Possible inspiration for the home of Dr. Elihu Whipple in "The Shunned House" by H. P. Lovecraft
Prudence Island Light Prudence Island Light 2007.jpg Portsmouth
(Prudence Island)
41°36′21″N71°18′13″W / 41.605861°N 71.303528°W / 41.605861; -71.303528 1824
  • Oldest lighthouse tower in Rhode Island
  • Moved from original location on Goat Island in Newport to Prudence Island at a later date
Poplar Point Light Poplar Light Rhode Island.jpg North Kingstown 41°34′15″N71°26′23″W / 41.570833°N 71.439722°W / 41.570833; -71.439722 1832
  • Oldest wooden lighthouse tower still standing in the United States

Destroyed early Rhode Island buildings

BuildingImageLocationFirst BuiltDestroyedNotes
Henry Bull House Henry Bull House Newport Rhode Island 1639.jpg Newportc.16391912
  • Destroyed by fire on December 29, 1912
  • Allegedly the oldest house in Rhode Island until its destruction
William Coddington House Historic American Buildings Survey, pen and ink sketch before 1886 VIEW FROM THE SOUTH. - Governor Williams Coddington House, Marlborough Street (Parts in Rhode Island Historical HABS RI,3-NEWP,16-1.tif Newport1640–16411835
  • Razed 1835
Roger Mowry Tavern Among old New England inns; being an account of little journeys to various quaint inns and hostelries of colonial New England (1907) (14595771060).jpg Providencec.16531900
  • Restored and documented by Norman Isham in the late 19th century
  • Oldest house in Providence until its demolition in 1900
Arthur Fenner House Arthur Fenner House in Cranstone Rhode Island.jpg Cranstonc.16551886
  • Arthur Fenner House (c.1655) in Cranston, demolished 1886
John Smith House Smith.john.stone.castle.jpg WarwickBefore 16631779
Epenetus Olney House Epenetus Olney House in North Providence.jpg North Providencec.17th centuryby 1900
  • Stone ender was one of oldest houses in North Providence until its demolition in 1900

See also

Notes

  1. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Rhode Island".
  2. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Augustus Lucas House - Rhode Island".
  3. "The Colony House - Newport - RI - US".
  4. Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America – Page 1036, by James D. Kornwolf, Georgiana Wallis Kornwolf (2002)
  5. , but there is no archaeological or documentary evidence for this, but the theory has persisted since the early 19th century
  6. William F. McNeil, Visitors to Ancient America (McFarland: 2004), 78.
  7. "The History and Mystery of the Old Stone Mill". The Journal of the Newport Historical Society. 68 (2). 1997.
  8. Simpson, Richard V. (2005). Bristol. Arcadia Publishing. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-7385-3921-8.
  9. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Clemence-Irons House - Rhode Island".
  10. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Eleazer Arnold House - Rhode Island".
  11. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Wanton-Lyman Hazard House, Rhode Island".
  12. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Newport Friends Meetinghouse - Rhode Island".
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic and Architectural Resources of South Kingstown, Rhode Island: A Preliminary Report (PDF). 150 Benefit St Providence, RI 02903: Rhode Island Historic Preservation Commission. 1984. pp. 21, 23, 103, 109, 133, 141, 146.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. "Grist Mill Repairs complete thanks to Foundation & Individual Grants". sklt.org. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  15. "Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory - Walker House - Rhode Island".
  16. "Captain John Warren House". Colonial America. Northeast Communications, LLC. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  17. "South Kingstown Land Trust".
  18. Bicknell, Thomas Williams (1920). The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Vol. 3. New York: The American Historical Society. pp. 1014–1025. OCLC   1953313.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhode Island</span> U.S. state

Rhode Island is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnston, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

Johnston is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 29,568 at the 2020 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House (1691), a stone-ender museum, and the only landfill in Rhode Island. Incorporated on March 6, 1759, Johnston was named for the colonial attorney general, Augustus Johnston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kingstown, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist Gilbert Stuart, who was born in the village of Saunderstown. Within the town is Quonset Point, location of the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the historic village of Wickford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone ender</span> Style of Rhode Island architecture

The stone-ender is a unique style of Rhode Island architecture that developed in the 17th century where one wall in a house is made up of a large stone chimney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport Restoration Foundation</span> Foundation by Doris Duke to preserve early housing stock

The Newport Restoration Foundation was founded by Doris Duke in 1968 in Newport, Rhode Island to preserve early housing stock including 18th century colonial homes. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was the foundation's vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleazer Arnold House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Eleazer Arnold House is a historic house built for Eleazer Arnold in about 1693, and located in the Great Road Historic District at Lincoln, Rhode Island. It is now a National Historic Landmark owned by Historic New England, and open to the public on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redwood Library and Athenaeum</span> Subscription library in Newport, Rhode Island, United States

The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a subscription library, museum, rare book repository and research center founded in 1747, and located at 50 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The building, designed by Peter Harrison and completed in March 1750, was the first purposely built library in the United States, and the oldest neo-Classical building in the country. It has been in continuous use since its opening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clemence–Irons House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Clemence–Irons House is a historic house located in Johnston, Rhode Island. It was built by Richard Clemence in 1691 and is a rare surviving example of a "stone ender", a building type first developed in the western part of England and common in colonial Rhode Island. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a historic house museum owned and operated by Historic New England. It is open Saturdays between June and mid-October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Newport County, Rhode Island</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Newport County, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanton–Lyman–Hazard House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island

The Wanton–Lyman–Hazard House is the oldest house in Newport, Rhode Island, built around 1697. It is also one of the oldest houses in the state. It is located at the corner of Broadway and Stone Street, in the downtown section of the city in the Newport Historic District. The house "was damaged by Stamp Act riots in 1765 when occupied by a Tory Stampmaster."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Friends Meeting House</span> Historic meetinghouse in Rhode Island, United States

Great Friends Meeting House is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) built in 1699 in Newport, Rhode Island. The meeting house, which is part of the Newport Historic District, is currently open as a museum owned by the Newport Historical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Isham</span> American architect

Norman Morrison Isham (1864–1943) was a prominent architectural historian, author, and professor at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He was an ardent preservationist and a pioneer in the study of early American architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Munday</span> Colonial American architect

Richard Munday (c.1685-1739) was a prominent colonial American architect and builder in Newport, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas–Johnston House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Lucas–Johnston House is an historic colonial house in downtown Newport, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Walker House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Phillip Walker House is a historic American Colonial house in East Providence, Rhode Island. It is the oldest known house in East Providence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Principle Baptist Church</span> Historic church in Rhode Island, United States

Six Principle Baptist Church is a historic church in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. As of 2009 it was one of the last surviving historical congregations of the Six Principle Baptist denomination and one of the oldest churches in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent County Courthouse (Rhode Island)</span> United States historic place

The Kent County Courthouse, now the East Greenwich Town Hall, is a historic court building at 127 Main Street in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

Augustus Johnston was an Attorney General in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1758 to 1766 and is the namesake of Johnston, Rhode Island. He also served briefly as a stamp distributor during the controversial Stamp Act 1765 protests and later fled Rhode Island after the Revolutionary War due to his Tory sympathies.