Hunter House (1748) (Newport, Rhode Island)

USA / Rhode Island / Newport / Newport, Rhode Island / Washington Street, 54
 house, place with historical importance, living history museum, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, 1740s construction, historic landmark
The original portion of Hunter House was built in 1748 for Colonial Deputy Jonathon Nichols, Jr. The architecture of Hunter House is currently Georgian Colonial. This large 2½ story house has a balustraded gambrel roof and heavy stud construction. In 1756, the property was sold to Colonel Joseph Wanton, Jr., who was a deputy governor of the colony and a merchant. Wanton enlarged the house by adding a south wing and a second chimney, transforming the building into a formal Georgian mansion with a large central hall. During the American Revolution, Wanton remained a loyalist, and General William West ordered Wanton imprisoned in Providence and tried by the legislature. Eventually, Wanton fled Newport when the British left the city. After Wanton fled, the house was used as the headquarters of Admiral de Ternay, commander of the French fleet, when French forces occupied Newport in 1780. After the war, William Hunter, a U.S. Senator and ambassador, bought Wanton's house and transformed it into a formal Georgian mansion with a large central hall.

The house was purchased in 1945 to prevent its demolition, leading to the formation of The Preservation Society of Newport County. Hunter House was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 24, 1968. It is currently open for limited public tours, and displays period furnishings by Townsend and Goddard; paintings, including one by Gilbert Stuart; and a restored 18th century garden. (courtesy wikipedia)
(see also - www.newportmansions.org/explore/hunter-house

note: 1893 map shows this as property of H.R. Storer - www.historicmapworks.com/Overlay/?m=14678&c=US see also Storer Park
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_House_(Newport,_Rhode_Island)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   41°29'32"N   71°19'16"W

Comments

  • Hunter house is one block south on the southern side of Elm Street.
  • corrected
This article was last modified 8 years ago