kids encyclopedia robot

General Nathanael Greene Homestead facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
General Nathanael Greene Homestead
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property
GeneralNathanaelGreeneHomestead.JPG
Greene Homestead, 2009
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location 50 Taft St., Coventry, Rhode Island
Built 1774
Architect Nathanael Greene
Part of Anthony Village Historic District (ID10000770)
NRHP reference No. 71000014
Quick facts for kids
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 7, 1971
Designated NHL November 28, 1972
Designated CP September 20, 2010

The General Nathanael Greene Homestead, also known as Spell Hall, is a historic house at 50 Taft Street in Coventry, Rhode Island. It was the home of American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene from 1770 to 1776, and was owned afterwards by his brother Jacob Greene and his wife Margaret. The house is owned and operated by the General Nathanael Greene Homestead Association, a non-profit organization, and was opened as a museum in 1924.

Description

The house is a 2+12-story wood-frame structure with a gable roof, two interior chimneys, and clapboarded exterior. It is five bays wide and two deep, with a center entry framed by pilasters and topped by a transom window, triangular pediment, and carved fanlight motif. The house follows a typical late-Georgian center-hall plan, with four rooms on each level, two on either side of the central hall. On the lower level, the front right room housed Nathanael Greene's 300+ volume library, while the rear room served as the kitchen. The rooms on the left served as parlor and dining room. There are four bedrooms on the second floor, and the attic space was later also converted into bedrooms.

History

Nathanael Greene by John Trumbull 1792
Nathanael Greene

The house was built by Nathanael Greene in 1770, part of a property encompassing 2,000 acres (810 ha), and served as his family's home through the Revolutionary War. In 1783 Greene moved the family to Newport, before eventually relocating to Georgia, where he died in 1786. This house he sold to his brother Jacob. It remained in Greene family hands until 1899, although it became run-down and was used as a tenement house in the later years. In 1919 the Nathanael Greene Homestead Association was formed to restore and care for the property. It is now a house museum, open to the public. The Greene family members have also helped keep the home historic throughout the years.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972, and was included in the Anthony Village Historic District in 2010.

Nathanael Greene Homestead
Greene Homestead in 1902 [1]

See also

Images for kids

kids search engine
General Nathanael Greene Homestead Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.