Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8.
Saunderstown
Thoughts of New England don't normally conjure mental images of plantation life, but
from the early 1700s until 1774 (Rhode Island was the first colony to prohibit the slave
trade), South County had many large farms tended by slaves. Typical of these estates is the
SilasCaseyFarminSaunderstown.Modestbysouthernstandards,itisstatelynonetheless;
thehomesteadisnamedforthewealthytraderwhoownedit.With300acresoffertileland,
thisworkingfarmhasvariousanimals (including horses,cattle, andsheep)andatwo-story
clapboard house with period furniture.
Several miles northwest of the farm is the birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, the most
renowned American portrait artist of the Colonial era. The son of a Scottish immigrant,
Stuart is perhaps best known for the likeness of George Washington that appears on the
one-dollarbill.Stuart'shomebesidetheMattatuxetRiverisasimplebarn-redstructurethat
housedNewEngland'sfirstsnuffmill.Insidearereproductionsofafewoftheportraitsthe
artist painted during his lifetime.
9.
Wickford
With its snug, well-protected harbor and proximity to fertile farmland, this quaint village
was once a chief port for shipping produce to the markets of nearby Newport. Hints of
Wickford's prosperous past can still be seen in the dignified white clapboard houses and
red-brick buildings that line its tiny, tidy streets.
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