The Smith–Appleby House Museum is a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...
in
Smithfield, Rhode Island
Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1731, it includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Spragueville, Stillwater, an ...
. It is now home to the Smithfield Historical Society.
Description
Elisha Smith, a grandson of one of Rhode Island's co-founders,
John Smith, "The Miller," built the original part of this house, a small
stone-ender
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.
History
Rhode Island was first settled in 1636 by Roger Williams and other colonist ...
, in 1696.
The house was enlarged to a
saltbox
A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a wood ...
configuration c. 1713, adding chambers to the side and rear of the central chimney. Around 1750 the roof was raised on the rear section, giving the house the full -story height it has today.
Between then and 1830 the house underwent a number of further alterations and enlargements, including the c. 1800 attachment of a second house (hauled from
Johnston) that nearly doubled its living space. The relocation of Stillwater Road in the 19th century as a consequence of the creation of Georgiaville Pond also resulted in a reconfiguration of the house, functionally reversing the front and rear.
The original farm grounds contained mills and a blacksmith shop on .
The Smith–Appleby House Museum is open for tours during scheduled events, or tours may be arranged on request.
Smith Appleby House-sign-2013.jpg
Smith Appleby House-side view 2013.jpg
Smith Appleby House-2013.jpg
Smith Appleby House flare 2013.jpg
See also
*
List of the oldest buildings in Rhode Island
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 architectur ...
*
References
External links
Smith–Appleby House Museum- official site
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
Historic house museums in Rhode Island
Houses completed in 1696
Museums in Providence County, Rhode Island
Buildings and structures in Smithfield, Rhode Island
Houses in Providence County, Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Providence County, Rhode Island
1696 establishments in Rhode Island
Blacksmith shops
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