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THE HISTORY OF HEARTHSIDE“The House That Love Built” OverviewHearthside is considered to be one of the finest examples of early nineteenth century Federal-style house in Rhode Island. It first received attention and recognition as a historic property when it was chosen as the inspiration for the Rhode Island State Pavilion at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, a forerunner of the later World’s Fairs. In 1937, the interior and exterior of the house were photographed as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey, a program started by the Federal government within the National Park Service to document significant historic buildings in the United States. The house was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1985, the Great Road, on which Hearthside is located, was designated a Scenic By-Way by the State of Rhode Island. It is one of the oldest thoroughfares in the country and includes several other historic homes dating as far back as 1687. The Legendary Tale of Stephen Hopkins SmithPopular folklore surrounding the construction of Hearthside states that in the early 1800’s, Stephen Hopkins Smith, a fellow in his 20’s, began to court a young lady from a “prominent Providence family”. Smith was a member of a noted Lincoln family that made its living in the local agricultural industry. Although he was a Quaker and lived the simple life, he circulated in the social circles, which is how he met the woman he set his heart on marrying. She was a little cautious about their future together though and told him that while he was an attractive man, she was looking for a gentleman suitor “of substantial wealth who could provide a lifestyle she was used to”. The Smith family was far from wealthy. But one day, in answer to his prayers, Smith won a lottery, netting him a jackpot of $40,000----an equivalent of $8.6 million by today’s standards. Stephen and his brother, George, moved into the house. Stephen lived on the west side of the house, while George and his family lived on the east side. Smith soon tired of the commotion of family life and moved into a house down the road. Across the street from Hearthside he built a mill made of stone, similar in appearance to Hearthside, but was unsuccessful in the manufacturing business he started there. In 1826, Smith, along with Providence native Moses Brown, served as a commissioner of the Blackstone Canal. This route provided easy transportation of goods between Providence and Massachusetts. QuinsnicketSmith was also an ardent botanist, and he imported exotic trees and shrubs and planted them around the Hearthside property on land called “Quinsnicket,” an Indian name meaning “large stone houses.” This area contains many large boulders and granite blocks and had been inhabited for some time by the natives and Sachem warrior, King Phillip. Quinsnicket was laid out with walks and adorned with waterfalls and ponds stocked with goldfish. The garden around his house was equally interesting and was planted with all sorts of valuable trees and unusual plants and shrubs brought in by the China Trade. One special beauty that grew up the east end of the house for many decades was English ivy. Two very rare tulip trees still adorn the front walkway to the house from Great Road. This beautiful, tranquil setting was a favorite spot for science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote a poem about Quinsnicket which included a reference to “the stately stone mansion by the side of the road”. The Committee of the Metropolitan Park System met in the drawing room of Hearthside on Lincoln’s Birthday in 1909 and voted to make their first purchase, which included “Quinsnicket”. They named the whole 458-acre tract, Lincoln Woods, in honor of the day. Stephen Hopkins Smith was also connected to Stephen Hopkins, Governor of Rhode Island and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Smith’s grandmother, Anne Smith, married Governor Stephen Hopkins in the Friends Meeting House in Lincoln in 1755. It was a second marriage for both of them. This makes Gov. Stephen Hopkins step-grandfather to Stephen Hopkins Smith. Smith died in 1857. He is buried in the cemetery next to the Friends Meeting House, one mile from Hearthside on Great Road. Hearthside FamiliesIn total, twelve families have owned Hearthside since its completion in 1814. Stephen Smith was the first owner and he passed it on to his siblings who stayed at Hearthside until 1847 when they sold the home and 41 acres surrounding it to Cyrus Dyer, a farrier living in Providence, for $3,000. Notable Families:
TIMELINE OF HEARTHSIDE OWNERSHIP
ARCHITECTURE OF HEARTHSIDE Characteristics The house is 2 ½ stories high, and the ends of its gable roof are built up into impressive ogee curves, above circular attic windows. It is believed that the ogee gables, which were a very unusual form, were modeled after those at the Joseph Brown House on South Main Street in Providence. The windows are topped by granite lintels, and tall wooden pillars hold the full-height portico, reminiscent of Mount Vernon. The portico is topped by a dormer which repeats the curve of the roof, and is trimmed with a beaded cornice. When it was originally built, the dormer had a balustrade around it, but that balustrade was lost when a tree came down upon it in the 1938 hurricane. The main entrance has a 6-paneled door, with double pilasters on each side, enclosed sidelights, and crowned by an elliptical fanlight, features similar to those designed by Horace Green, the architect of the Episcopal Cathedral in Providence. Upon entering the front door into the elegant foyer, visitors are greeted by a graceful “flying” staircase, with stairs set in a counter-clockwise direction around a Tuscan column. Hearthside’s 10 huge fireplaces make it unique and give the house its name. The fireplace in the first-floor drawing room has an imported Italian marble mantel. This room was used for parties and weddings. Handsome wainscot panels and blindfold shutters that fold into window reveals adorn each of the rooms. Significant Discovery During a physical investigation of the house done for the Historic Structures Report by Roger Williams University in 2003, a significant discovery as made. Remains of a relatively rare Rumford oven was found within the chimney in the current dining room area. It was put in around sometime around 1820-1830 but then covered up around 1840. At the time, it was the latest innovation in cooking, providing a separate, confined heat source that could cook foods much quicker than over the large open fire in the fireplace. Early illustrations of the Count Rumford oven show that it would have included a stew pot stove on either side of the fireplace and oven. Upon further investigation, the two stew pot stoves were indeed found. The stew pot was used to place a pot onto the shelf where it would be kept hot throughout the day with a smoldering fire underneath it. This Rumford oven, a precursor to the kitchen range, represents an important modernization of the house, and a complete change in cooking methods, similar to the invention of a microwave oven in today's world. |
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Smith kept his winnings a secret, and schemed to build a breathtaking home
to sweep “Miss Prominent” off her feet. Construction on Hearthside got
underway in 1810 and was completed in 1814. Meanwhile the courtship continued.
When the house was done, Smith took a horse and buggy and went to Providence
and asked the girl to come with him for a ride. As they approached the bend
of Great Road, the girl clapped her hands and said, “What a beautiful
house, but who would ever want to live way out in the wilderness.” Smith
was heartbroken. He drove her back to Providence and never called on her
again. In fact, he never married. This story has been told through the years
and even made it into the publication, Ripley’s Believe It or
Not. It was referred to as the “Heartbreak House”, due to
its rejection by the woman it was built for. 
In 1901, Hearthside was purchased by
Frederick C. Sayles. Sayles and his brother, William, were partners
in the Moshassuck Bleachery, the largest and best equipped establishment
of its kind in the world. In 1863, the business was renamed W.F. & F.C. Sayles.
They also owned Lorraine Mills, also situated in the Moshassuck Valley. These
mills had the reputation of producing the finest ladies’ dress goods
that have ever been manufactured in America, inviting comparison with the
best French makers of that time. In 1885, Sayles was chosen as the first
mayor of the city of Pawtucket. He was a philanthropist and gave generously
to many different groups. Sayles, along with his brother, built an elegant
stone chapel in the gothic style called “Memorial Chapel” (still
existing today as Sayles Memorial Church) and gave the public library
a building. The area became known as Saylesville, still a village in
Lincoln. Sayles also purchased the farmland around Hearthside and
named the farm “Mariposa” (today
known as the Butterfly Farm). He raised coach horses there and was
responsible for considerable improvements to the farm.
It was the Talbot Family who actually gave the name "Hearthside" to the house in 1904. Arnold Talbot was Secretary of the Tockwotten Company when he purchased
Hearthside in 1904. Together with his wife, Katherine, Talbot carried on
an extensive business in hand weaving at Hearthside, which became
known as the “Hearthside Looms.” A variety of fabrics
based on historic patterns, or ones that the Talbots created, were produced
here, including fine linens, bedspreads, tablecloths, and rugs. Talbot employed
many weavers from Portugal who lived in the rear apartment of Hearthside. In
1907, an article on the “Hearthside Looms” appeared
in House Beautiful magazine. During that same year, the Boston
Handicrafts Exposition stated that the Hearthside Looms entries “showed
a refreshing joyousness of colour as well as careful craftsmanship.” Later,
the Talbot family ran a museum at the house until it was sold in 1926. 
The
last family to call Hearthside their home was Andrew
and Penelope Mowbray and their three children, Andrew, Sherry and Stuart.
The Mowbrays purchased the house and one acre of land in 1954. Mr. Mowbray
was an avid collector, especially early American arms. His collection of
antiques, guns and swords filled the house. His sword collection, much of
which is now in the Smithsonian, was featured in a book that he published, The
American Eagle-Pommel Sword: The Early Years—1794-1830. Mr. Mowbray
also had a passion for antique cars, especially the Rolls Royce. He owned
several antique cars through the years at Hearthside. He appeared with one
of his cars in the movie, "The Great Gatsby" which was filmed in Newport,
RI. He was the owner of Mowbray Publishing Company and served as the town
historian for many years, overseeing the town’s 100th anniversary
publication, Once
in a Hundred Years. The Mowbray family had 40 very happy years at Hearthside.
To insure that the house would be protected in the future, Mrs. Mowbray sold
the house to the Town of Lincoln upon her husband’s passing in 1996.
In 2001, Friends of Hearthside was formed with a mission to serve as stewards
to Hearthside so as “to preserve the house that love built.” 
While simplicity is the keynote of the design, the house has charm, dignity
and stateliness. It is also quite unique. It is said that Stephen Smith referred
to a sketchbook for design ideas and that the one he chose to model Hearthside after
was a sketch by noted architect Sir Christopher Wren. Smith used a great
deal of imagination and care in the building of the house. He chose unusual
materials and exceptional details of design. The walls are built of fieldstone,
quarried from a ledge across the fields from the house, and trimmed with
granite. The cut-stone walls were of the type used in contemporary Rhode
Island mills but comparatively rare in dwellings. They are constructed with
an air chamber, thus making it warmer in winter and cooler in the summer,
and eliminating the dampness of a solid stone wall.