Prescott Farm is a historic preservation of a

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

farm in Middletown ( Newport County),

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. It spans 40 acres, and was in danger of demolition before

Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious l ...

, through the

Newport Restoration Foundation The Newport Restoration Foundation was founded by Doris Duke in 1968 in Newport, Rhode Island to preserve early housing stock including 18th century colonial homes. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was the foundation's vice president. ...

bought it in 1973 and began restoration of the historical site. Notable features of it include an operational windmill (c. 1812), British General Prescott's Guard House, a county store (c. 1715), and a

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

Master Gardener project with the purpose of simulating a historical vegetable garden through careful research on what crops where grown during that time period. The farm itself is typical of the farms on Aquidneck Island.

History

The farm was founded in the 18th century. According to some sources, it was originally named Overing and Page Farm in

Portsmouth, Rhode Island Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged ...

, founded by the brothers Thomas Nichols and Edmund Nichols in 1650. However, it seems that the two brothers moved to Newport in 1654, so it is not clear whether or not the two farms are the same. British General

Richard Prescott Lieutenant General Richard Prescott (1725–1788) was a British officer, born in England. Military career He was appointed a major of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, on 20 December 1756, transferred to the 72nd Regiment of Foot on 9 May 1758, and ...

occupied the farm prior to the Battle of Rhode Island. He was kidnapped from the farm on July 9, 1777 by a small contingent of colonists and taken to Providence. Prescott was later exchanged for U.S. General Charles Lee. In 1973,

purchased the land and opened it to the public. In 2007, the University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners began their project.

Current status

While most of the farm is open to the public, certain properties are privately rented out and thus not accessible to the public. These include the Overing House and the Potter House (c. 1970). Prescott Farm's current attractions include showcased buildings, a pond, and several walking paths. The garden currently donates all of its produce to Lucy’s Hearth, a nearby women’s shelter.

References

External links

Prescott Farm on the Newport Restoration Foundation website
{{Windmills in the United States History of Rhode Island Museums in Newport County, Rhode Island Mill museums in the United States Buildings and structures in Middletown, Rhode Island Smock mills in the United States History museums in Rhode Island Farm museums in Rhode Island Octagonal buildings in the United States Windmills in Rhode Island