Where in Rhode Island is the Arnold House?
This is the Arnold House.
It was built by Eleazer Arnold (1651-1722) in 1693. Arnold had inherited 140 acres of land from his father Thomas Arnold in 1685. In 1693, he decided to build this house on it. The house was built on Great Road, one of the earliest roads in the colonies. Arnold and his wife Eleanor raised their 10 children in it.
The home was soon known as “Eleazer’s Splendid Mansion’’ by neighbors. That’s because it was so spacious — it had two stories, four rooms on the first floor and two on the second. Arnold opened his home to the community when he obtained a tavern license in 1710. Tavern customers, journeying down the well-traveled Great Road, were likely served in the house’s great room.
It was probably no surprise that Arnold liked to play host to those traveling in his community. Arnold, an influential man, was very involved with the people, serving on the town council, the general assembly, and as a justice of the peace.
Long after Arnold died in 1722, generations of his family raised their children in his home. During most of the 19th century, Arnold women — widowed mothers and unmarried daughters — lived here.
In 1918, when the final Arnold inhabitants did not have children, the family gave the house to Historic New England, an organization founded in 1910 to preserve the cultural and architectural heritage of New England.
The house is a rare type of house, which is what inspired New England photographer Richard Benjamin to take the above photo.
“I photographed the house because it is one of the few remaining stone-enders in Rhode Island,’’ Benjamin told Boston.com.
Stone-enders are a unique style of Rhode Island architecture developed in the 17th century in which one wall of the house is made up entirely of a large stone chimney.
The house has been restored twice since 1918 and is now a museum where folks can take guided tours.
Arnold House is open Saturday to Sunday, year round, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2.50 for students. Tours are free for Historic New England members and residents of the town where it resides.
Which town does this house reside in?
Check back with us tomorrow to find out. And thank you to Benjamin for sharing his lovely photo.
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The answer: Lincoln, RI
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