STATE:

Rhode IslandCOUNTY,

WashingtonFOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER DATE

[..L0CATiON.. ..:: :.: ..... . .w

STREET AND NUMBER:

Boston Neck Road, 0.3 miles north of Ferry Road, SaunderstownCITY OR TOWN: -

North Kinostown . -

LCODE COUNTY:

Rhp4e Island, 02847 [44 WahIngtnn13 CLASSIFICATION

CATEGORYCheck One

-OWNERSHIP

.STATUS

Occupied

0 Unoccupied

9 Preservation workIn progress

ACCESSIBLETO THE PUBLIC

X_j District fl Building

9 Site C Structure

0 Object

C Public IPublic Acquisition:

Private j C In Process

C Both C Being Considered-

Yes:Restricted

Unrestricted

0 No

PRESENT USE Check One or More as Appropriate

Agricultural 9 Government 9 Park C Tronsportotion C Comment.

C Commercial C Industriol Private Residence J Other SpecIfr

C Educational . 0 Military C Religious HnItcn-Ms,c,nn

C Entertainment C Museum C Scientific

r4. OWNER OF PROPERTY

.

OWNERS NAME: .

-

..

Society for the PreservationSTREET AND NUMBER:

of Now Rngl.nn Ani-irpi4fioc

141 Canthridge_Street .

CITY OR TOWN: STATE: CODE

Massachusetts, 02114 25:r:..: ...

80 }3ostnn Neck Road

Illz-I

-n..< 0

zC z0o u,lIla

In

0z

_____

r-c

01

‘Forn IQ-OOJuly 1969

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESINVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

Type all entries - complete applicable sections

ji. NAMECOMMON:

Casey Silas FarmAND/OR HISTORIC:

STATECODE

nno

COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC:

North Kinastown Town.HaUSTR EE T AND N UMB ER:

CITY OR TOWN:

North Kingstown

n0Cz-I‘C

VREPRESENTATI0N IN EXISTING SURVEYS -

____________

TITLE OF SURVEY:

..A{istoric .American Bail dinos Survey.

STATE CODE

Rhode Island, 02852 44

DATE OF SURVEY: gç7 - Federal 9 Stat. C County 0 LocolDEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: . I

Library of congressSTREET AND NUMBER:

IndependenceAvenue and 1st Street, S. EeCITY OR TOWN: STATE: coDE

Wpghinnfnn 4°trint nf Colwubip11

-, . ..r..,..fl rr--fl-r--7..c -

Check One

0 Excellent I Good C Fair 0 DeterIorated 0 RuIns C UnexpoeedCONDITION

- Chock One Check One

J Altered C Unaltered 0 Moved Original Site -

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL t known PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The Silas Casey Farm is a well-preserved, still-functioning exampleof an early eighteenth-century South County farme At the heart of itsacreage stands the Casey house, built by Silas Casey’s father-in-law, -

Daniel Coggeshall between1725 and 1750. To the north of the house anumber of farm outbuildings, including a barn and various connectingshedswhich house riding-horses, dairy cows chickens, and other farm -

anima].s.

While the outbuildings have been replaced through the years, theSilas Casey "mansionhouse,tt as old records call it, has remained substantially as it was first built. It is a simple two-story clapboardeddwelling, timber-framed upon a very low cellar foundation, with fourbays across its south or entrance front. Its roof is of a typicalearly c.i720-l750 gable-on-hip-form.

rn- Originally, the house must have been of the five-room, central-

rnchimney plan, having two large rooms opening laterally off the frontstair hall and three smaller rooms to the rear. On the first floor the -

original partitions in the rear have been removed to create one largeroom and an adjoining bath. A one-room, one-story eli has been projected v,from the north wall at the east end of the house--probably fairly early -:.

-:

in its history.

The interior detail of the house is severely plain. The small front aentry contains a stairway rising in three short runs; it has railings

molded only on the outer face and sawn, flat S-shapedbalusters andturnip finiais, and the two posts arefinished with heavy elongatedacorn dropsalso of very early eighteenth century form. Corner-posts arefinished with three-quarter-round beaded moldings, and panelling isrestricted to the fireplace walls. On the first floor, the fireplace Z

treatments in the two front rooms consist of a panelled cupboardto theright and a glass-dooredcupboardabove--the back of the latter slantingagainst the tapering chimney. Upstairs, the southeastroom has-a -

bolection-molded overmantel panel the overmantel of the southwest roomis missing--if, indeed, there ever was one; both rooms have bolectionmolded chair-rails, which may have been found throughout the house -

- originafly. - - --- .:: -- - -

-

.---r-- -. . . :W7’flt-., . . - -

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTORY. NOMINATION FORM

ContinuationSheet I

STATE

Rhode Island

COUNTY

- Washington

FOR NPS USE ONLYENTRY NUMBER DATE

7. Description

GPO 927.7 24

-orw. 1O-XOe- Ju1fl967

Mm,ber .fl cnn-lee

Site plan for the farm complex

usehorse

born

rntrib

‘-°°dQ’i 4ea

fonn hsugc

I

/Stctw

It

-A-.

-7--

PERIOD Check One at More a. Appropriate

-: 0 Pre-Colu,bian I 0 16th Century - J 18th Century - C 20th Century

0 15th Century 0 17th CenIury C 19th Century

SPECIFIC DATES If Applicable and Known c. 1725-1750 - -

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE Check One or More Ce Approp.lst. .. -- - - -

Abor iginal .: 0 Education -- C Political

--0 Urban Planning

DPrehistoric 0 EngIneering fl Rehgton/Phl 0 Other Specify

0 Historlé 0 Industry losoihy- .. - - -- -

Agriculture -- :.- o invention - -- -

-- -:- o Science

- ---- - -

Architecture- 0 Landscape - 0 Sculpture

o Art Architecture C Sociol/Hunan- -

C Commerce C Literature ltarion0 Communications o Military C Theater

I Conservation o Music 0 Transportation

________________________

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE : -

The Silas Casey Farm is a fine exampleof an 18th-century New .- -

England farm. Its working outhuildings, its fields borderedby hand-in - some stone walls and populated by cows and horses, and its fine house -: -:are typical of what much of Rhode Island’s South County must have been

like preceding and directly following the Revolution. In that periodthe area was the home of the landed merchant-farmer,- and was dis- -- -

tinguished by - a height of culture and activity unknown anywhereelsein.Rhode Island at that date, with the exception of Newport with which -

the South County had considerablecontact by water. -

The architecture of the Casey house combines the floor plan,framing, and overall simplicity of most mid-l8th-century building witha few finer signs of prosperity: including the gable-on-hip roof andthe two slant-back, glass-dooredfireplace cupboards. The -entry hall -Z and stairway are noteworthy both for their handsomenessand for their - t - -

-- typicalitye - - - - - -

The house was the sceneof a Revolutionary kirmish betweensailorsILl from a- British vessel blockading the west channel of NarragansettBay :1 - -- -and patriotic scouts quartered for the night at the Casey Farm. TheBritish surprised the patriots, but most of them escapedunharmede The - -: -

house, however, was riddled with bullet-holes-the parlor door stilldisplaying one such puncture as a reminder. L--: -

The Caseyswere a distinguished and public-serving family. Silas, . --

for whom the farm was named, wasa prosperousNarragansettBay- ship-owner, who sacrificed four of his vessels to Revolutionary pri- - - - -

vateering. His son, Wanton, fought in the Revolution and was a chartermember of the Kentish Guards. Both men were members of the vestry intheir churches. Throughout the history of the family, Caseymen served - -

in various military and naval capacities in various wars* General -

- - ThomasLincoln Casey d. 1896 fought in the Civil War and rose there-after to the post of Chief of Engineers of the U. S. Army. In that -

position he was chargedwith strengthening the foundations and completingthe top part of the Washington Monument; he also oversaw the

-construction of the - Library of Congressbuilding. - -

- -

- See Continuation Sheet - . -

________________________________________________________________________________________

C---:--,

- jnr fl-$ .s - -

IT_____

-

Pon, 1O-300o - - UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE

- -jul 1969 - NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY -

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORMONLY

-ENTRY NUMBER DATE

- ContinuationSheet - 2 -

________________________________

Number all entrlee

11- -- -

8. Significance-

- hundredThe Silas Casey Farm includes nearly - thiee A aces of unspoiled

woods and fields and for this reason, besides its historical andfamily associations, is important to any conservation considerations - -

in Rhode Island. This property relates very congenially to publicland-holdings onthe east the University of Rhode Island campus and -,

also to the nearby Narrow River, currently an object of conservationefforts. The land, house and outbuildings of the Casey Farm are -

fortunately in the ownership and care of the Society for the -

Preservation ofNew England Antiquities.-

- - -

- -

- - - - - --

--

-"fl--

- - _._ -

- _t_ - --

- - - -

--

- 4--- - - - - t- -

- --

- *1- -

- 4--- -

_____________________________________________________________________

- -

- - GPO 921.724

t

-

-

-__..-.---..-_..---.__.__- - -

p

fMXJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES - - _ -

Casey, Thomas Lincoln General U. S. A.: The Casey Farm on Boston Neck,SaunderstownN. Pc9 1881.

Casey, Thomas Lincoln General U. S. A., Obituary of: In American Architect and Building News, April 18, 1896.

Meader, Charles A.: "The Casey Family of East Greenwich," in the EastGreenwich News, September5, 1927 East Greenwich, Rhode Island, 1927.

National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: Old HousesIn the South County of Rhode IslandProvidence, -Rhode Island, 1932, pp. 5-7. - -

I1OGEOGRAPI1iCAlJLATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES

I LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES

DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY 0 DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY

_______

OF LESS TN AN TEN ACRES

CORNERI

LATITUDE LONGITUDE1

LATITUDE-

LONGITUDE

NW

NE

SEsw

Degrees Minutes Seconds41o 3047.47-

41 ° 30 ‘49.1?41° 3034.62"& 30 ‘33.30’

Degrees Minutes Seconds7126 .57.54

71 0 24 -‘52.9771024 52.7571° 26 57.32

Degrees Minutes Seconds. .

- - -

Degrees - Minutes Seconds

.

-- ‘ - -

APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 292 acres -

LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE:

STATE: - - -

STATE:

STATE:

aI-FORM-PREPARED.BNAME AND TI TLE:

Ancelin V * Lynch. Surveyor-ResearcherORGANIZATION - DATE

Rhode Island Historical PreservationCommission - - - - November 2, 19STREET AND NUMBER:

3ohn Brown House. 52-Power Street - - -- - - -

CODE

±Rhode_Is1and 02906 4

CITY OR TOWN: - - STATE

- Providence0_fl -

I herebycertify that this property is included in the

Naflcxsal Register. - -

Chief, Office-of Archeology and Historic Preservation

Date

AnEST: I. --

Keeper of The National Register

- As the designated State Liaison Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Public Law

89-665, 1 hereby nominnte this property for inclusion

in the National- Register and certify that it has been

evaluated according to the criteria and procedures setforth by the National Park Service. The recommended

level of signific8nce of this nomination is: -

-- N ion C State Local C

- - -

NameState istoric Preservationurfices -- - - - --

Title

2

Sn

11

I1

In

-I

a

-n

-I

zI-’

CODE COUNTY

COUNTY:

COUNTY:

2

COUNTY:

- I

Date- - 5/7/73 taste