BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
AREA FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 294 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02108 FORM NO. 21 Town Address Rehoboth 96 Davis St. Historic Name_Kingsley House PHOTO: (3x3" or 3x5" , black & white) staple to left side of form Photo number SKETCH MAP Show property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate h.:ldinas hatenpn inventoried.... 1941 Use: Present residence Original residence DESCRIPTION: Date c. 1680 Source_architectural detail, deeds First Period Style Architect_ unknown Exterior wall fabric shingles Outbuildings_ see text DAVIS Major alterations (with dates)see text Mason Barnes Thomas Cem INTERCHANGE UTM: 19/312110/4627500 Recorded by Leslie C. Abernathy _III Organization Rehoboth Historical Commission Date April 1976; revised 1981. Moved no Date Approx.
acreage 3 Setting 50 feet from road, surrounded by fields (Staple additional sheets here) ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community.) The Kingsley House is Rehoboth's stellar example of First Period domestic archi- tecture, little changed since the mid 19th century. Traditionally considered to be the oldest house in town with a probable construction date of ca.1680, it fits well into the medieval architectural tradition of mid to late 17th century houses in southern New England.
The east portion may have originally been a one-room two-story "stone ender" with a subsequent one room (Continued) HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how thebuilding relatesto the developmentofthecommunity.) The builder of the Kingsley House appears to have been John Kingsley. He was among the first Rehoboth proprietors, his name appearing in the first tax list of 1671. His pleading account dated 1676 is the only surviving written record of the terror and decimation brought to the first Rehoboth settlement by King Philip's War. It appears that, almost immediately, he moved east to rebuild and erected this house in 1677, leaving the house, lands and goods to his third wife, Mary at his death in 1678 (will dated 1677).
When she died in 1678, the property then passed to his eldest son, Eldad Kingsley, an early settler of both Rehoboth and Swansea. He is listed as a non-resident taxpayer on the Rehoboth tax list of 1671 and two years earlier was listed as a resident of Swansea. Eldad's will, dated August 1679, was made as a resident of Rehoboth and gives to his wife all lands and housing given to him by his father. The next documented owner is Aaron Kingsley, great-grandson of John Kingsley. Records show him to have purchased land of Edward Thurber in 1740. Aaron ran a sawmill on Rocky Run River and amassed a considerable estate in land and goods. He was one of Rehoboth's wealthiest men and headed the tax lists of both 1765 and 1769. At the time of his death in 1785, his loans to town residents totaled four hundred fifty-three pounds twenty-four shillings, more than four times his taxable value in 1769.
His estate and land, including the sawmill, were divided amongst his wife and two daughters. Mention of the old and upright part of the house in his will helps date the rear ell. The house and portions of the property remained in the Kingsley family until at teggontinut BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher) This account draws heavily from a paper written by Stephen A. Cole in 1978 and additions made to it by George Nan Burridge in 1980. 10M - 7/82 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commnity: Rehoboth Form No: 21 Property Name :Kingsley House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. Architectural Significance (Continued) addition to the west.
Framing varies slightly, especially in the roof, on either side of the chimney, as does internal room size (by about three feet) and front facade fenestration. Another interesting, though not determining factor, is the location of the original cellar, now a half cellar under the eastern portion. If truly an addition, the west side probably did not postdate the east side by more than a few decades. Definite major additions are a rear (north) lean-to added sometime before 1785 and a nineteenth century ell to the north end of the west side of the house. Architectural evidence for this early construction date is seen in the chimney tree, or immense squared oak beam sixteen inches in width and the stairs. The latter consist of solid oak logs cut diagonally so that steps ten inches deep result. They are fastened to halved logs or string with large hard-headed spikes.
This type of Additional First Period elements include: chamfered summer beams, of which at least one has a lambs tongue stop; gunstock posts; corner wind braces; and an originally all-stone chimney, later bricked above the roofline. Blocking of fireplaces, addition of nineteenth century mouldings, mantels and doors, plastering over the structural elements, and enlargement of windows appear to be the only alterations in the main or "upright" section of the house. The one-room deep plan remains unchanged, except for the installment prior to ca.1869 of a dividing wall in the second floor west room. With the exception of the doors and windows, all these alterations could easily be rectified. One original door remains leading to the attic. The windows were probably enlarged in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, perhaps at the time of the lean-to or ell additions.
The windows throughout the house are relatively uniform, however, which serves as a visually unifying element, and the asymmetry of the front facade appears unchanged. A fifth fireplace was added to the north side of the chimney stack at the time of the lean-to addition. Originally the lean-to probably comprised a large central kitchen flanked by two smaller rooms. Installment of a modern bathroom in the twentieth century has probably made the kitchen smaller. Interesting eighteenth century features are an early corner cupboard, with recently applied details, found in the westernmost room and two six over six windows with crown glass panes. The ell addition to the west of the main structure is a single room with walled-in fireplace and late nineteenth century architect'ral details. Another smal1 room projecting behind (north) is a former back entry, now a kitchen.
This house is one of, if not the oldest, still standing in Rehoboth. Certainly it is the most intact. The characteristics of asymmetry and vertical simplicity of form which are the hallmark of English medieval architecture are still clearly apparent. Iwo structures dating from the seventeenth century which remain extant in nearby communities reveal a similar style and sequence of growth. These are the Philip Walker House formerly of Rehoboth, but now in East Providence, Rhode Island of 1679, and the Makes Homestead, dated ca.1664, of North Swansea. (Continued) Staple to Inventory form at bottom INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commnity : Rehoboth Form No: 21 Property Name: Kingsley House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
Architectural Significance (Continued from page 2) Iwo other major structures stand today associated with the Kingsley House. The most distinguished is a handsome end opening barn northeast of the house probably built between 1830 and 1900. This is the second barn on the property replacing one mentioned in Aaron Kingsley's will of 1786. A long nineteenth century wagon shed nearby contains a very early batten door with strap hinges, said to have been removed from the Kingsley House. Although no archaeological survey has been conducted, the area in the vicinity of the house should be considered to contain subsurface material culture. Historical Significance (Continued) The house and portions of the property remained in the Kingsley family until at least the 1870s. The Kingsley family were active in the local Baptist community as early as 1660.
Construction of this house in the extreme southern part of Rehoboth represents a significant early effort to avoid persecution by settling far removed from the political and religious (Congregational) center of Rehoboth in present day East Providence, Rhode Island (est. 1743). For the period and quality of its architectural design and construction and for its assoication with a prominent early family, the Kingsley House meets criteria B and C of the National Register of Historic Places individually. Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900-a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.
10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 3 t Multiple Resource Area Thematie Group Name Rehoboth Multiple Resource Area State Massachusetts Nomination/Type of Review 21. Goff Farm Substantive Heview Entered in the National Register 22. Goff Homestead 23. Hornbine Baptist Church Entered in the National Register 24. Hornbine School Entered in the National Begister 25. Horton, Welcome, Farm Entered in tha National Begieter 26. House at 197 Hornbine Road Intered in the National Register 27. House at 30 Kelton Street Entered in the Hatlonal Register 28. Ingalls-Wheeler-Horton Homestead Site Entered in the Wational Register intered in tho Hatianel Begtetei 29. Kingsley House 30.
Knapp, Seth, JI., House Entered in the National Register Date/Signature Amer hanbag l e/615g Keeper Attest tkeeper XelausByen 6/0/83 Attest 6Keeper atelmmaßgen 6/6/83 Attest fKeeper deluuaBye 666/83 Attest Reeper selruBgua lslr. Attest PReeper delnussBgen cl6/r: Attest keeper delmuaßge 6/6/87 Attest tReeper delresßgend 616/83 Attest FKeeper delomaßyen 6/6/83 Attest 6keeper AelouaByur 6/6/83 Attest NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Untted States Dopar Mational Park Service EYALUATION / RETURN SHEET Horton, Welcome, Farm (Rehoboth MRA) Bristol County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Roview: Working No. 625/83 Fed. Reg. Date: 2 Date Due: 26/83. Action: ACCEPT Entered in the - RETURN National Register_ .REJECT. Fodoral Agoncy: - sample - request - _ appeal - NR decision Roviower's comments: 84 6/6, Recom.
/ Criteria - Reviewer_ Discipline Date se continuation sheet -Nomination returned for: -technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification pomeratio wlte M 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description UeA 6. Représentation in Existing Surveys hes thie property toon eetermined eligtcte? - - 7. Description dtle detertorater ruins -heck eno _uneltered - sitered d th proccat and artglaad fll laaeral plyaieat summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Check ene - moved 8.
Significance Perted Arees ef SignificanceCheck and juetity belew Specific dates Btatemant of Stanificance (In ane peragraph) Wullder Architect summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relation ship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quedrangle neme UMT Reterences Varbel boundary description and justitication 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: netional -state - local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date bitie 13.
Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed Date Phone: 202 272 -3504 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet KODAK S'AFETY FLILM 3:2 Kingsley Heise Rehcheth MRA, Ma 01TO:H-1:EN S'AFETY FILM KODAK S'AFETY FILMi RAHS#al 3:1 Kingsky Herse Rehobats MnA, Mr 152.2 00.7 252.36 14 A AENAS 96 Davis Street Kingsley House (form 21) Town of Rehoboth Property Map scale 1"=200' 1978 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000292