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 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.

See also: Oldest buildings in America

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
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Building Location First Built Notes
Governor Peleg Sanford House Newport, Rhode Island ca. 1640s-1701 one of the oldest buildings in Newport, and constructed before the death of Gov. Sanford in 1701[3] Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
White Horse Tavern Newport, Rhode Island 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 tested yet using dendrochronology.
Stephen Northup House North Kingstown, Rhode Island 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 tested yet using dendrochronology.
Newport Tower Newport, Rhode Island c. 1670 or pre-1492 Speculated to be a Viking structure[5] or 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 Portsmouth, Rhode Island c. 1670 House of one of the founders of Portsmouth, RI. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Thomas Fenner House Cranston, Rhode Island 1677 early stone ender. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Edward Searle House Cranston, Rhode Island 1670–1720 early stone ender. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Capt. John Mawdsley House Newport, Rhode Island c. 1677–1680 with a large 18th-century modification. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Smith's Castle Wickford, Rhode Island 1678 house museum, site of Roger Williams trading post, National Historic Landmark. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Clement Weaver House East Greenwich, Rhode Island 1679 early stone ender.[8] Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
John Bliss House Newport, Rhode Island c. 1680 early stone ender
Forge Farm Warwick, Rhode Island 1684 oldest part of house dates to 1684. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Daggett House Pawtucket, Rhode Island 1685 oldest house in Pawtucket. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Gorton-Greene House Warwick, Rhode Island 1685 Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Palmer-Northrup House North Kingstown, Rhode Island c. 1685 Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Hopelands Warwick, Rhode Island c. 1686 western ell of building, dates to 1686, now part of Rocky Hill School. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Peleg Arnold Tavern North Smithfield, Rhode Island c. 1690 home of Peleg Arnold. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Wilbor House Little Compton, Rhode Island 1690 oldest house in Little Compton. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Clemence-Irons House Johnston, Rhode Island 1691 primitive stone ender, oldest house in Rhode Island, which has been dated using dendrochronology, in 2005.[9]
Samuel Clarke House and Farm Kenyon, Rhode Island 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 tested yet using dendrochronology.
Eleazer Arnold House Lincoln, Rhode Island c. 1693 National Historic Landmark; Dated using dendrochronology in 2005.[10]
Valentine Whitman House Lincoln, Rhode Island 1694 early stone ender. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Smith-Appleby House Smithfield, Rhode Island 1696 House Museum. Not tested yet using dendrochronology.
Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House Newport, Rhode Island 1697 One of the oldest houses in Newport, currently a museum. Dated using dendrochronology in 2005.[11]
Great Friends Meeting House Newport, Rhode Island 1699 Quaker Meeting House, oldest surviving church building in Rhode Island. Dated to 1699 using dendrochronology.[12]
Portsmouth Friends Meetinghouse Parsonage and Cemetery Portsmouth, Rhode Island 1699–1700 Quaker Meeting House, original site of Moses Brown School, likely oldest church building in RI used continuously as a church.
Samuel E. Perry House South Kingstown, RI 1696–1716. Foundation purportedly dates from 1661. Private home located on Matunuck Schoolhouse Rd[13]
Nathaniel Daggett House East Providence, Rhode Island ca. 1700 Likely oldest house in East Providence
Perry-Carpenter Grist Mill South Kingstown, Rhode Island 1703 Located in Matunuck[13][14]
Six Principle Baptist Church North Kingstown, Rhode Island 1703 oldest Baptist church building in RI, possibly oldest Baptist church building in the U.S.
Saylesville Meetinghouse Lincoln, Rhode Island 1704 Possibly oldest church building in Providence County, RI
Old Narragansett Church Wickford, Rhode Island 1707 oldest surviving colonial Episcopal church in Northern USA
Governor Stephen Hopkins House Providence, RI 1708, 1742 Oldest extant home in Providence.
Dr. Charles Cotton House Newport, RI 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 Warwick, Rhode Island c. 1720–1750
Henry Palmer House South Kingstown, RI 1721 Private home in East Matunuck. Located on Old Succotash Rd.[13]
Carr-LeValley House West Warwick, Rhode Island 1722 Possibly oldest building in West Warwick, RI
Phillip Walker House East Providence, Rhode Island 1724 Research site used by Roger Williams University. Dated to 1724 using tree ring dendrochronology.[15]
Trinity Episcopal Church Newport, Rhode Island 1726 Oldest Parish in Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
Captain John Warren House
Captain John Warren House (c. 1737)
 Newport, Rhode Island 1737 French Navy Artillery Headquarters 1780–1781[16]
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace Saunderstown, RI 1750 Birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, one of 18th-century America's most noted master portrait artists. Stuart is best known for his unfinished Athenaeum portrait of George Washington (seen on the US one dollar bill).
Willow Dell (Weeden Farm House) South Kingstown, RI 1753 Located in Matunuck[13]
Rocky Meadows Farm House South Kingstown, RI 1754 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 South Kingstown, RI pre 1760 Located off of South County Trail (Route 2). Henry Marchant was Rhode Island's Attorney General from 1771 to 1777. Between 1777 and 1780, he represented Rhode Island in the Continental Congress. After the Revolution, Marchant served in the Rhode Island General Assembly.[13]
Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island
 Newport, Rhode Island 1759–1763 Oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States
Prudence Island Light
Prudence Island Light 2007
 Portsmouth
(Prudence Island)		 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 North Kingstown 1832 Oldest wooden lighthouse tower still standing in the United States

Destroyed early Rhode Island buildings
  • Henry Bull House, c. 1639, was destroyed by fire in December 1912. This Newport house was allegedly the oldest house in Rhode Island until its destruction.
  • Governor William Coddington House, a stone ender in Newport built in 1640–1641, was razed in 1835.
  • Roger Mowry Tavern, built c. 1653, demolished in 1900 for the construction of a triple decker
  • Colonial president John Smith was a stonemason, and built his stone "castle" in Warwick before 1663. It was razed in 1779.[18]

See also

Notes
  1. https://www.dendrochronology.com/ri.html
  3. https://www.historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HMWQI_the-colony-house_Newport-RI.html
  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. See also http://www.c1679.com
  9. https://www.dendrochronology.com/cih.html
  10. https://www.dendrochronology.com/eal.html
  11. https://www.dendrochronology.com/wlh.html
  12. https://www.dendrochronology.com/nfm-1.html
  13. 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.CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. "Grist Mill Repairs complete thanks to Foundation & Individual Grants". sklt.org. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  15. https://www.dendrochronology.com/WHP-1.html
  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.
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