USA > Rhode Island > Kent County > Warwick > The history of Warwick, Rhode Island, from its settlement in 1642 to the present time; including accounts of the early settlement and development of its several villages; sketches of the origin and progress of the different churches of the town, &c., &c > Part 13
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EASTERN PART OF THE TOWN.
OLD WARWICK.
Under this head we propose to speak of the eastern portion of the town, or that part lying east of the village of Apponaug. The term, Old Warwick, applies strictly to only the " Neck," and its immediate vicinity. As the eastern part of the town was the earliest portion settled, and the only part until after King Philip's War, the chief items of interest pertaining to it have already been mentioned in connection with the general history of the town. There are some others of minor importance that will be mentioned in this connection. Pawtuxet village in the northeasterly part was the abode of William Arnold, Robert Coles, William Carpenter and Benedict Arnold, who in 1642, placed themselves and their lands under the protection of Massachusetts, and became a source of considerable vexation to their neighbors at Shawomet. The difficulties were finally settled and the people and their lands on the south side of the river were united to those of Warwick. Pawtuxet was the earliest settled portion of the territory within the present limits of the town. Of its local history the writer is not familiar.
The early name of Warwick, and the one now applied by some to Old Warwick, was Shawomet, or Mishawo- met, which is an Indian term for a spring. It was the name also early applied to territory on which Boston is situated-called sometimes Shawmut, and is also applied to a neck of land running from Slade's ferry, southwest, near Tiverton. There are several Indian names con- nected with portions of territory or bodies of water in
tion with Judge Brayton, the latter spoke of them in a commend- atory manner. In the course of their publication, Mr. R. corrected some of the statements made in the earlier numbers, and probably would have made others had he revised them for a more permanent form of publication. I have made a very free use of these let- ters in the following pages, verifying the statements so far as was practicable. There is always considerable risk in detailing events of a semi-historical or traditional nature, especially when they come within the period of persons now living, and only from the considera- tion that much care and toil has been expended in their preparation,. are they presented in these pages.
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HISTORY OF WARWICK.
this part of the town. Occupasnetuxet, or as it is printed in Walling's map, Occu-Pas-Pawtuxet, Cove, the Senior John Greene estate, now owned in part by the heirs of the late Governor Francis; Ouchamanunkanet, meadow, southwest and near Pawtuxet; Pasipucham- muck or Paschuchammuck, Cove, which is the old mill cove at Conimicut; Tuskatucket brook, between Appo- naug and Old Warwick; Chopequonset point, a mile south of Pawtuxet; Weeweonk or Waw-weonke creek, on the Nawsauket shore; Wechenama or Nonganeck meadow, between Old Warwick and Pawtuxet river; Posneganset, or Punhanganset or Pushaneganset pond, now called the George Arnold pond, southwest of Paw- tuxet village. These names have for the most part been superseded by those of English origin, and of easier pro- nunciation. Occupasnetuxet designated in early times, not only the cove, but the land of the pioneer, John Greene, in its vicinity. The south portion in later times became known as Passtuxet, and on this portion was his residence .* His house was probably very near the site of the present residence of Mr. Edward A. Cole. An old cellar near the spot many years ago, probably indi- cated the exact site. John Greene's land extended nearly to Conimicut Point. In 1783, the northern portion, inherited by Major John Greene (see page 69), was pur- chased by John Brown, and subsequently by inheritance came into possession of its present owners, children of the late Gov. John Brown Francis. John Brown in view of the fact that its ownership changed in the spring- time when everything was beginning to look fresh and beautiful, and also in recognition of its former occu- pants, named it Spring Green, by which term it is still known. It is one of the most beautiful spots in the town, with delightful water views to the eastward, and well-kept lawns and groves, and comprises a tract of
* A statement on page 31 conveys the impression that John Greene, Senior, resided on what is now the Spring Greene estate, which is erroneous. The statement should have been that he "lived and died at Occupassnetuxet," the northern portion of which is "now known as Spring Green, or the Gov. Francis Estate."
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RANDALL HOLDEN HOUSE.
about seven hundred acres. Near by is Namquid Point, where the Gaspee was destroyed. The old and spacious mansion house, with its various additions made from time to time, dates back to somewhere in the seven- teenth century. Near by is an old cone-shaped ice house, which if not the first one built in the State, is probably the oldest one now in existence. In a carriage house is an ancient chariot, which had the honor of bearing Gen. Washington over Rhode Island territory, when he made his visit to the State in August, 1790. The body of the old vehicle is suspended on heavy thorough braces attached to heavy iron holders as large as a man's wrist, the forward ones so curved as to allow the forward wheels to pass under them, in order that the chariot may be turned within a short compass. The chariot has but one seat for passengers, which will ac- commodate two persons, and an elevated seat for the driver, which is separate from the main body. The wheels are heavy, the hind ones twice the height of the forward ones, the tires of which are attached to the felloes in several distinct pieces. It is an interesting and odd looking vehicle.
THE OLD RANDALL HOLDEN HOUSE. (From a pencil sketch by Mrs. John W. Greene.)
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HISTORY OF WARWICK.
The Randall Holden house was situated on the north side of main street, about ten feet east of the present new house of Mr. Wm. Spencer. The ancient well is still used. It was one of the most ancient houses of the town, and was always known as the Randall Holden house, though it is not certain that it belonged to the pioneer of that name. His grandchildren are known to have lived in it. It was taken down fifteen or twenty years ago, and a portion of the material was used in the erection of the house now situated about a mile to the westward. Randall Holden, Senior, married Frances Clark, daughter of Jeremiah and Frances (Latham) Clark .* There is a portrait of Lewis Latham, father of Frances Latham, extant, now in possession of Mr. Lewis Greene, of Old Warwick. Randall Holden (see page 24), died July 23, 1692, aged 80 years. His son, Randall, died at the same age, in 1726, and like his father was called to important public positions in the colony. In 1696 he was a Deputy for Warwick; in 1703, a committee, of which he was a member, reported a " settlement of the boundary between Connecticut and Rhode Island," and in Oct. 28, 1719, he was one of a committee to run the lines and make a chart of the colony to be sent home to the English government .ยก
The old Lippitt house, still standing at the head of the Warwick Neck road, claims a passing notice, not less from its antiquity, than from the associations con- nected with it. It was the residence of Jeremiah Lippitt, who was Town Clerk for thirty-three years pre- vious to 1776, and the last place in this section of the town, in which the town records were kept for any con- siderable length of time. When the house was repaired in 1848, on removing the clapboards from the front por- tion, the marks of the stoop over the door, and also the show window of the southeast room, in which the
* For many of the statements pertaining to this section of the town, I am indebted to Mrs. John Wickes Greene, a lady of considerable antiquarian research.
t Material for a genealogical account of the Holden family is being gathered by Frederick A. Holden, Esq., Washington, D. C.
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EARLY BURIAL PLACES.
records were kept, were distinctly visible. It was a place of common resort for those who wished to learn the news and discuss the various topics of the day, sharing the honors in this respect with the taverns and other places of public resort.
Frequent mention is made in the records of town meetings being held at the house of Mary Carder. She was the widow of John, son of Richard Carder, and a daughter of Randall Holden, Senior. She survived her husband many years. Her house stood about five hun- dred feet west of the road leading to the "Neck," near the present town pound. It was demolished about twenty-five years ago, having been used as a barn for many years previous to that event.
The burial places in the vicinity are quite numerous. Each family in early times having one of its own upon their land. The first interments in the town were made upon land originally belonging to the Senior John Greene, and now in possession of Mr. Edward A. Cole. In a pasture on Mr. Cole's land is a tomb-stone bearing the following inscription :
Here lieth the bodie of Sarah Tefft; interred March 16, 1642, in the 67th year of her age.
The above is a copy from the original stone taken from this spot, and deposited with the R. I. His. Society, in Providence.
Erected in 1868, by Rufus Greene, of Providence, a de- scendant of 7th Gen. from John Greene, from Salisbury, Eng., in 1635, who was one of the original purchasers of these lands from Miantonomi, in the year 1642.
The original stone at the grave of Sarah Tefft, was probably the earliest evidence of human mortality, of the kind, that the Warwick settlers left to their posterity. There are other graves near by, and at the head of one of them a stone bearing the name of Elizabeth Stone, with the date, 1707. The wives of John Greene and Robert Potter, who died from fright and exposure when the settlers were arrested and carried to Boston in the fall of 1643, were probably buried near this spot and probably John Greene, himself, though there is nothing certain in regard to it. Other spots have been pointed
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HISTORY OF WARWICK.
out as having some claims to this honor. At this time the pioneers were hardly settled in their new homes, and the fact that an interment had been made in this spot in 1642, suggests that others dying so soon after- wards would be likely to be buried in the same place. Up to 1663 (see page 60), it seems to have been the intention of the settlers to provide some place where they could all be associated in death as they had been in life. This idea was, however, subsequently abandoned, and each family provided a suitable spot for itself. The Randall Holden ground is near that of the Wickes', at the head of the cove. One of the old places now nearly obliterated is about one hundred feet from the present school house. "One of the graves was that of Mr. Emmett, who was a school teacher at the time of his death, which took place in the year 1727. Good sub- stantial slate stones with suitable inscriptions marked the place of his interment until the vandalism that came in with our free schools broke them up."* The land around this spot was a common down to within a recent period, and an orchard occupied a portion of it. Some of the trees of which were standing to a comparative late date. A public burial place was laid out previous to Feb. 20, 1663, and referred to under that date, with a lot for a town house adjoining-" ye buryinge place layd out for ye towne is eight poles squaer, joinging to ye western end of Peter Burzecott's aker of land,"-but its exact location I have not been able to determine. Perhaps this may be the spot referred to. The town house probably failed of completion, though some pre- parations were made toward the building. The Indian war that broke out a few years after, possibly interfered with the good intentions of the people in that particular, or if it was built it perished in the general destruction of the war. The lot was early appropriated for school purposes, and the school house was used for the town meetings, as the following act of the town indicates:
* Several of these items are contributed by John Holden, Esq.
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EARLY SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS.
"At a town meeting held in Warwick at the house of Capt. James Carder, this 18th of January, 1715-16, Mr. Richard Greene, Moderator, Voated. that whereas a house hath lately bin built upon the town orchard for a schoole hous and great part of the charge hath bin paid by some partickular persons, therefore upon further consideration, It is surrendered up to be for the use of the towne for towne meetings upon occasions only. Reserving the liberty that it may be still for the use of a schoole hous for themselves and the rest of the town that shall see cause and remaining part of the cost and charge to be paid by a rate levied upon the whole towne the sum of thir- teene pounds in money or pay equivalent, to be paid to those that built the hous as above s'd to be paid out of the next towne rate, therefore we the proprietors for further encourage- ment of the said schoole wee doe by these presents Ennex the above said lot and orchard thereunto for the use of said schoole."
This school house probably went to decay before the century closed, as Hon. John R. Waterman, who was born Feb. 19, 1783, says he went to school in what was then known as the new school house. It stood very near the church. A good pencil sketch of it is preserved in the family of Mr. Waterman. Among the earlier teachers remembered by Mr. Waterman, were Joseph Carder, son of James; Charles Morris, who taught four years, and afterwards became a purser in the Navy ; Thomas Lippitt, a Warwick man, who married Waity Arnold, daughter of David, who recently died in Providence ; Ephraim Arnold, of Warwick. The ven- erable Mr. Waterman had his customary family reunion at his residence on his last birth day, having then arrived at the age of 92. All his children, including the one from Virginia, were present. The following extract from the account of the gathering, we clip from the Providence Journal :
"It was gratifying to find that "Time's wasting fingers" had touched their venerable father but slightly, and that in his case,
"The stern footsteps of decay Come stealing on"
almost imperceptibly. This result, the old gentleman himself attributes to his systematic mode of life, and his simple and abstemious habits. His diet is of the very plainest, reduced in quantity to what most men would call "starvation rates."
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HISTORY OF WARWICK.
But it is to this regimen he ascribes his remarkable exemption from many of the sufferings incident to old age. His intellect unclouded, his memory fresh and accurate, his spirits cheerful, his relish for life scarcely abated-these he thinks, are blessings full worth the price he pays.
In evidence of executive ability, rare at his age, may be quoted the management of his large farm. Like a skillful general, marking out a campaign, Mr. W. plans and supervises everything, even to the smallest details; and seldom it is that children or grandchildren get ahead of him. Acre for acre, few farms in this section show better result."
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The above spacious old domicil, known as the Benedict Arnold tavern, attained to considerable celebrity in its palmy days, being a place of resort for those who delight in " tripping the light fantastic toe." Lieut. Governor Greene informs me that in his youthful days he had often visited it for this purpose. The young people for many miles around in the long winter evenings were wont to assemble here and hold their merry-making's, and the traveller stopped here on his journey, for a night, assured of finding good accommodations for " man and beast." It was situated on the north side of Main street, between the Quaker Meeting House and the road leading to Providence. It was also a place of resort for the older portion of the people, where they discussed
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ROCKY POINT.
the news of the day. Mrs. Maplet Wickes, widow of William Wickes, who married Josiah, the father of Bendict Arnold, had in her widowhood been licensed to keep a tavern, but whether this was the building in which she entertained travellers or not, is unknown. Benedict Arnold was the grandfather of John Wickes Greene, Esq. The old building was demolished about the year 1840.
Three acres of the extreme point of Warwick Neck, was conveyed to John Quincy Adams, President of the United States, and his successors, on May 17, 1828, by William Greene. The consideration was $750. The point was purchased as a site for a light house. Capt. Benjamin Greene, father of the above-named William, had earned his title upon the sea. It is said the Captain had an orchard, and the sailors, along shore so molested the Captain's wife by stealing the fruit, that she de- nounced the whole class as rogues and thieves, excepting only her husband. An anecdote is told of the Captain, that when he was president of the town council, some one proposed to the council that there should be an inocula- tion for the small pox, which was prevalent in some of the other towns. Whereupon it is said the council voted that they would not have the small pox in the town by inoculation, or any other way. Probably the vote upon the matter, if taken, was not recorded.
ROCKY POINT.
Rocky Point, one of the famous shore resorts of Narragansett Bay, and by those competent to judge, said to be the most picturesque and beautiful spot on the coast from Maine to Florida, has rapidly grown in popu- larity for the last thirty years. It early belonged to the Stafford family. Two daughters finally inherited it, Mary, who married Thomas Holden, brother of John, who lives on the hill, and Phebe (Stafford) Lyon, wife of Jasper Lyon. The former sold her portion to Capt. Winslow, about the year 1847, for $1,200, and the latter sold hers to the same person a short time after for about
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HISTORY OF WARWICK.
the same price. Capt. Winslow commenced to make improvements, laying out the income in this manner until he sold it to Byron Sprague for $60,000. Mr. Sprague further improved it, building the observatory and the spacious private dwelling house in 1865. It now belongs to the American Steamboat Company. Various changes and improvements have been made annually, until it has become a paradise for excursionists and pleasure seekers. Twenty years ago the rocks were all there, and the cove of less ample dimensions than now, but the spacious hotel, the mammoth dining hall, the concrete walks, and flying horses, and bowling alleys, and shooting galleries, and stables, and monkey cage, and inclined railroad, and mounds, filled with cart-loads of clam shells, enclosed with picket fences, to awaken the idea in susceptible minds of some dead Pumham lying within them, and passages under rocks of a thousand tons weight-all these are comparatively modern im- provements. The locality is adapted equally for the crowds of excursionists, who land by thousands on its wharf, and for those who seek rest and relaxation in the bracing atmosphere, and find here a temporary home.
Within the past few years real estate has taken a sudden rise in the vicinity, and many comfortable summer residences have been erected by persons living in Provi- dence and elsewhere. The Warwick Railroad has been built during the past year, and the ceremony of driving the last spike was performed Dec. 3, 1874, and the road opened for travel in July of the present year. The road is eight and fifty-two one hundredths miles in length, and connects Providence with Oakland Beach. Its cost completed was estimated at $200,000.
Leaving Warwick Neck in a southerly direction, we come to Horse Neck, across Warwick Cove, on the ex- treme point of which is Oakland Beach, another summer sea-side resort.
OAKLAND BEACH.
Oakland Beach is a new candidate for the favor of the people, and the hotel, erected in 1873, and other build-
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THE BUTTONWOODS.
ings, with the various objects of attraction, have already succeeded in rivalling Rocky Point in the numbers that flock from every direction during the season to enjoy brief seasons of relaxation. The grounds have been tastefully laid out. An artificial pond, spanned by two rustic bridges has been excavated, and winds gracefully about the grounds, supplied by water from the sea at high tide, over which a fleet of boats are constantly passing. Here too are the flying horses, and the shoot- ing galleries, and the dizzy swings, etc., and that which seems to be the special attraction to many, the clam din- ners, when scores of bushels of the bi-valve, roasted upon the hot stones. find their way to the hungry mouths of the excursionists. We venture the opinion that more clams are eaten in Warwick during the months of July and August, than in any other town or city in New England, if not in the country.
THE BUTTONWOODS.
The old James Greene homestead, at the Buttonwoods, at present owned by Henry Whitman Greene, Esq., a descendant of the eighth generation from John Greene, senior, is a place of some historic interest. The cellar walls of the first dwelling-house, erected upon the place, probably by James Greene, son of John, and brother of the Deputy Governor John jr., may still be seen. It was built of stone, about thirty feet long by fifteen wide, one story with a basement opening toward the east. The house was demolished more than sixty years ago. The present dwelling, built a few feet from the old one, was erected in 1687, and is said to have been seven years in building. It was built by James, the son of the former. The east end, with the chimneys, are of brick, the clay of which was taken from Warwick cove, and burnt upon the farm. The mortar was made of shell lime, which was also burnt near by. Within the build- ing are various evidences of its strength and antiquity. The mammoth fireplace and heavy oaken, protruding
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HISTORY OF WARWICK.
beams (the latter as seen from the cellar, formerly the foundation for the flooring, being about a foot square, and not more than a foot apart.) with heavy stair ways leading to the upper story, all have an ancient look. The present proprietor has a cane which has been handed down from his ancestors. The tradition respect- ing it is, that James Greene, the second of that name, bought it in England, while on a visit there. It was made of Malacca wood, surmounted with a heavy ivory knob, made from a whale's tooth ; beneath this is a silver ferule with the initials "I. G." and the date "1687," with an iron point, about two inches long at the bottom of the stick. It would be a formidable weapon in the hands of a strong man if used as a bayonet.
A few rods from the building stands one of the ancient Buttonwood trees, from which the farm receives its familiar appellation of the Buttonwoods. This old tree measures, near the ground, seven feet in diameter.
James Greene, senior, took up his residence at Potowo- mut, upon lands that have continued in possession of his descendants. He married Deliverance Potter, daughter of Robert Potter, for his first wife and Elizabeth Anthony of Rhode Island, for his second, Aug, 3, 1665. He died April 27, 1698, at the age of 71. His will devising his estate and duly witnessed by Anne Greene, Pasco Whitford and William Nickols, bears the date March 22, 1698.
His son James, residing at Nausauket, died March 12, 1712, at the age of 52. His will is dated the day before his death : after committing his "soul unto ye hands of ye only True God, and Blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, in and through whom, I hope to obtain mercy and for- giveness of my manifold sins and Transgressions, and to be received by him into his everlasting kingdom," he provides that "his loving wife Mary Greene," shall have half of his house and farm during her life, which upon her decease was to go to his son James; the other half, was given to his son Fones Greene, with legacies to his remaining seven children. Fones Greene, died July 29, 1758, at the age of 67. His will was duly executed on
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CAPT. JAMES GREENE.
the 10th of July previous, witnessed by Thomas Rice, jr., Anne Rice and Jeremiah Lippitt. He gave his "mansion house and westermost part of my homestead farm, together with all the buildings," to his son James ; also his "thatch bed and upland," on the easterly part of his farm nearly opposite "to where the channel of the Horse-neck cove, so called, branches out into two chan- nels." Provisions were made for his wife, giving her the use of a portion of the mansion house and a privilege in " the old house, and cheese house," and requiring his sons to provide out of the estate suitable provisions during her life.
Capt. James Greene, the oldest of the six children of Fones, just mentioned, and chief heir of his father's landed estate at Nausduket, was born Dec. 2, 1713, mar- ried Patience, daughter of Capt. John Waterman, April 10, 1740, and died Sept. 3, 1802, aged 88. "He was a member of the Baptist Society in Warwick for upwards of sixty years." His last will is dated Sept. 14, 1799, and witnessed by James Whipple, Bowen Arnold and James Jerauld. He gives to James Greene, two-thirds of his homestead farm, with the buildings thereon, (ex- cepting a portion of the house, which he gave to his grandson, James Warner Greene,) also two-thirds of his "thatch bed at the south end of the Neck," and an equal portion of all his other lands. To his grandson, Warner James Greene, the remaining third of the homestead farm, thatch bed, and other lands. To his daughter, Patience, who married Abraham Lockwood, his state securities, certain sums of money, household articles &c., with various bequests to his grand-children. His wife had died about five years previous. On the death of his father James, his only son Warner James Greene, who had already inherited one-third of the estate from his grandfather, received the remaining two-thirds of the homestead, or so much of it as remained in possession of his father at the time of his death, and on the decease of Warner James Greene, it came into the possession of its present occupants.
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