The Legendary Tale of Hearthside
According to popular folklore, sometime around 1810, Stephen Hopkins Smith, a Quaker who lived in a modest house directly across the street from where Hearthside sits now, won $40,000 in a lottery. He used his winnings to construct a house exceptional enough to win the heart of a young socialite from Providence, who had informed him that she must live in one of the grandest homes in the state. When the mansion was completed, Smith took his beloved for a buggy ride along the Great Road. Upon approaching Hearthside, the young lady exclaimed, “My, what a beautiful house, but who would ever want to live way out here in the wilderness?” The heartbroken Smith brought her back to Providence. He never married, and he never lived in the house. Thanks to this sad legend, Hearthside has sometimes been called “The House That Love Built” or “Heartbreak House.”
When Hearthside was built in 1810, it was oddly situated among farms and forests along Great Road in what was then the town of Smithfield. This area was originally part of the land included in Roger Williams’ purchase of Providence in 1636. It wasn’t until 1871 that it became the town of Lincoln.
Opened in 1683, Great Road is one of the oldest thoroughfares in the country, following in part a Native American trail. It originally ran from Providence to Mendon, Massachusetts, the first English settlement in south-central Massachusetts. Great Road was built to encourage settlement in the Blackstone and Moshassuck River valleys and transport the region’s products to the Providence marketplace.
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Step into history by seeing it firsthand and all it has to offer.
Hearthside Families History
Hearthside was a private residence for nearly 200 years before it became a public building. The stories of the 11 families who called it home between 1814-1996 are shared through our guided tours, making the house come alive with their diverse and rich histories.
Architectural History
The unique design of Hearthside, with its striking stone façade and graceful curved roofline, has been documented throughout history and was selected as the design for the Rhode Island Building at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Hearthside is considered one of the finest examples of Federal-style architecture in Rhode Island.
Great Road History
Laid out as a Colonial highway in 1683 to connect Providence, RI with Mendon, MA, Great Road was built to encourage settlement in the Blackstone and Moshassuck River Valleys to transport the region’s products to the Providence marketplace and shipping ports. In the early 19th century it evolved from mostly an area of farmland to become home to more than a dozen small manufacturing companies that sprouted up along the Moshassuck River.
