The Henry Marchant Farm is an historic farm on South County Trail (

Rhode Island Route 2 Route 2 is a State highway#United States, state highway in Rhode Island, that runs from U.S. Route 1 in Rhode Island, U.S. Route 1 in Charlestown, Rhode Island, Charlestown to US 1 in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence. Route descripti ...

) in rural western

South Kingstown, Rhode Island South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New ...

. The main house of the farm is a -story wood-frame structure, probably built by Joseph Babcock. Construction is traditionally dated to the 1750s, but architectural evidence suggests it may have been built earlier—possibly between 1720 and 1740. The house has well-preserved vernacular Federal styling, including a main entry framed by Doric pilasters and an entablature. The farmstead includes an early 20th-century barn, a carriage house, and an old privy, as well as the family cemetery of the Marchant family. The property was purchased in 1774-75 by

Henry Marchant Henry Marchant (April 9, 1741 – August 30, 1796) was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney general of Rhode Island, a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Rhode Island, a signer of the Articles of Confederation, and the ...

, a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary Patriots, also known as Revolutionaries, Continentals, Rebels, or American Whigs, were t ...

and a leading Newport merchant and politician. The farm was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1979.

References

Houses in South Kingstown, Rhode Island Farms in Washington County, Rhode Island Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Rhode Island Colonial architecture in Rhode Island Homes of United States Founding Fathers {{WashingtonCountyRI-NRHP-stub

See also

References