The Roger Mowry Tavern (also known as the Roger Mowry House or Olney House) was a historic stone ender

Stone ender

The Stone-ender is a unique style of Rhode Island architecture that developed in the 17th century where one wall in a house is made up of a large stone chimney.-History:...

 house, built around 1653, in Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

. It was the oldest house in Providence, Rhode Island until it was demolished in 1900.

Roger Mowry, an early settler in Providence, built the house around 1653 according to research by Norman Isham

Norman Isham

Norman Morrison Isham was a prominent architectural historian, restorationist, author, and professor at Brown University and RISD.-Biography:...

. Mowry was a constable and operated the only tavern in the town. The tavern also served as a government meeting place, church, and jail. The Mowry Tavern was allegedly one of only five buildings not burned by the Indians during King Philip's War

King Philip's War

King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...

 because Roger Williams

Roger Williams (theologian)

Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...

, a friend of the Indians, held Christian worship services there. The house was located on Abbott Street adjacent to North Burial Ground

North Burial Ground

The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, dating to 1700. Providence had no public burial ground and no Common until the year 1700 because Rhode Island's religious and government institutions were so rigorously kept distinct, dating back to its founding by Roger...

 and was demolished in 1900 so a triple decker

Triple decker

A triple-decker is a three-story apartment building, typically of light-framed, wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment; although two apartments per floor is not uncommon....

tenement house could be constructed on its site.