Smith's Castle
Encyclopedia
Smith's Castle, built in 1678, is a house museum on Cocumscussoc near Wickford
, a village in North Kingstown, Rhode Island
, United States
. Smith's Castle is one of the oldest houses in the state. It was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1993 as Cocumscussoc Archeological Site, due to the artifacts and information digs in the vicinity have yielded. It is located just off U.S. 1
.
. Williams was the founder of a Rhode Island and a prominent Baptist theologian. He built the trading post on the site in 1637 to trade with the Narragansetts after receiving the land from the tribe. Eventually, Williams sold the trading post to Richard Smith to finance his trip to Great Britain to secure a charter for Rhode Island. Smith bought the trading post and surrounding lands from Williams and constructed a large house which was fortified, giving the house its nickname as a castle. His son Richard Smith Jr. inherited the plantation in 1666 and invited militia
s from Massachusetts and Connecticut to use the property during King Phillip's War. In retaliation for the Great Swamp Fight
, the house was burned, and the present structure was built in its place, originally as a saltbox
house, and later modified into its current form. Approximately 40 soldiers were buried on the property during King Phillip's War. Additionally, the only incident of an individual being hanged, drawn and quartered
for treason
on American soil took place at Smith's Castle in 1676. Joshua Tefft, an English colonist accused of having fought on the side of the Narragansett during the Great Swamp Fight, was executed by this method.
Eventually the property was transferred to the Updike, Congdon and Fox families. It was the site of a large dairy farm into the twentieth century until it became a museum. In the early twentieth century, preservationists Norman Isham
and John Hutchins Cady stabilized the house and performed several minor restorations.
Wickford, Rhode Island
Wickford is a small village in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, which is named after Wickford in Essex, England. Wickford is located on the west side of Narragansett Bay, just about a 20 minute drive across two bridges from Newport, Rhode Island...
, a village in North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Smith's Castle is one of the oldest houses in the state. It was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1993 as Cocumscussoc Archeological Site, due to the artifacts and information digs in the vicinity have yielded. It is located just off U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in Rhode Island
In the U.S. state of Rhode Island, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway through Providence. Staying close to the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay, it is a longer route than Interstate 95, and many portions are a four-lane divided highway....
.
History
Smith's Castle was built in 1678 as a replacement for an earlier structure which was destroyed by the Narragansett Tribe during King Phillip's War. The land on which the house was built was known as Cocumscussoc (or Cocumscossoc), and was the original site of Roger Williams' trading postTrading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
. Williams was the founder of a Rhode Island and a prominent Baptist theologian. He built the trading post on the site in 1637 to trade with the Narragansetts after receiving the land from the tribe. Eventually, Williams sold the trading post to Richard Smith to finance his trip to Great Britain to secure a charter for Rhode Island. Smith bought the trading post and surrounding lands from Williams and constructed a large house which was fortified, giving the house its nickname as a castle. His son Richard Smith Jr. inherited the plantation in 1666 and invited militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s from Massachusetts and Connecticut to use the property during King Phillip's War. In retaliation for the Great Swamp Fight
Great Swamp Fight
The Great Swamp Fight, or the Great Swamp Massacre, was a crucial battle fought during King Philip's War between colonial militia of New England and the Narragansett tribe in December of 1675.-Battle:...
, the house was burned, and the present structure was built in its place, originally as a saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
house, and later modified into its current form. Approximately 40 soldiers were buried on the property during King Phillip's War. Additionally, the only incident of an individual being hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
on American soil took place at Smith's Castle in 1676. Joshua Tefft, an English colonist accused of having fought on the side of the Narragansett during the Great Swamp Fight, was executed by this method.
Eventually the property was transferred to the Updike, Congdon and Fox families. It was the site of a large dairy farm into the twentieth century until it became a museum. In the early twentieth century, preservationists Norman Isham
Norman Isham
Norman Morrison Isham was a prominent architectural historian, restorationist, author, and professor at Brown University and RISD.-Biography:...
and John Hutchins Cady stabilized the house and performed several minor restorations.