Lincoln, Rhode Island

From Wikipedia.

I was wondering how a Rhode Island town came to be named Lincoln since the man did not become president until considerably after the colony and state of Rhode Island was founded. This town is where the Hearthside House is located and I have written a lot about it and its connection to the bell of the HMS Guerrire this past week.

The town is located in Providence County and has a population of 21,105 and is north of the city of Providence.

It was settled in the 17th century and several colonial stone-enders are still located there. (In case you're wondering, a stone-ender is a house with one wall made up entirely of a chimney, a unique style of architecture to Rhode Island.)

Limestone quarrying was a big early industry.

To answer the Lincoln question, it was part of the town of Smithville until 1871 when the town split off and was named for President Lincoln.

It was an important mill town in the late 19th century with many of them located along the Blackstone River.

Lincoln was recently ranked #63 in Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" list.

Now You Know Lincoln, Rhode Island.  --Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 3

The house is sometimes referred to as "Heartbreak House" because of this.

Stephen and his brother George and his family lived in the home for awhile, but Stephen grew tired of the family life commotion and moved into a house down the road.

Across the street from the Hearthside, he built a mill of fieldstone, but was uncuccessful in the manufacturing business he started. In 1826, he was a commissioner for the Blackstone Canal between Providence and Massachusetts.

Smith died in 1857 and is buried in the cemetery at the Friends Meeting House, one mile from the Hearthside on Great Road. Twelve families have lived in the house since then. The Talbot family gave the house its Hearthside name in 1904.

The Story of a House. --Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 2

According to folklore, Stephen Hopkins Smith, a Quaker from a prominent agricultural family in Lincoln, Rhode Island, lived a simple life as a good Quaker should, but also circulated in social circles of the rich and famous as far away as Providence.

During this time, he met the love of his life, a socialite. She told him that he certainly was handsome, but she wanted to marrry a rich man so she could live a life of wealth. Poor Stephen Smith was not that. And that should have been that If a girl is going to be like that, best to leave her well enough alone.

The story goes on that he won $40,000 in a lottery, the equivalent of $8,600,000 today, and kept the winnings secret but had the mansion (now called Hearthside) built to sweep the love of his life off her feet.

When the home was finished, he went to Providence to take her on a horse and buggy ride along the Great Road. Not knowing the mansion was Stephen's, she was amazed with its beauty but added who would want to live so far out in the wilderness. Heartbroken, Stephen drove her back to Providence and (wisely) never saw her again.

What We Could Say About That Girl. --Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 1

From the Hearthside House website.

I have been writing about the HMS Guerriere's bell coming to the Hearthside House in Rhode Island back in 2012 earlier this week. It turns out that the home has quite a history as well and is connected to the War of 1812 (and even old roads).

Hearthside is an 1810 stone mansion located along The Great Road, the first byway built through the wilderness between Providence, Rhode Island, and Mendon, Massachusetts, one of the oldest thoroughfares in the United States.

It was a private residence until 1996 when the Town of Lincoln purchased it. In 2001, the Friends of Hearthside was founded.

The home is an example of 19th century federal-style architecture built of fieldstone and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What's Love Got To Do With It? --Brock-Perry

HMS Guerriere Bell on Display in Rhode Island-- Part 1

From the September 4, 2012, (Providence, R.I.) Valley Breeze " "Ship's Bell from War of 1812 on display at Hearthstone this weekend" by Marcia Green.

The bell is from the HMS Guerriere, involved in the famous fight with the USS Constitution, is on loan for a month from the USS Constitution Museum. It will be on exhibit at the Hearthside Museum in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

The bell was taken in the battle on August 18, 1812, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off Newfoundland. It and a scale model of the USS Constitution arrived at the Hearthstone.

The Heartstone has three connections to the Guerriere's bell, which is larger than most ship's bells from the era and made out of bronze instead of the usual brass. Many consider a ship's bell as the heart of the ship.

More to Come. --Brock-Perry