Prescott Farm
{{Short description|Historic preservation of a colonial farm in Rhode Island}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Coord|41.5526787|-71.2904293|display=title}}
Image:Prescott Farm Middletown.JPG
Image:Prescott Farm Middletown Rhode Island.JPG
Prescott Farm is a historic preservation of a colonial farm in Middletown (Newport County), Rhode Island. It spans {{convert|40|acres}}, and was in danger of demolition before Doris Duke bought it in 1973 and began restoration of the historical site.{{cite web |title=Prescott Farm |url=https://www.newportrestoration.org/prescottfarm/ |website=Newport Restoration Foundation |accessdate=24 September 2018}} Notable features of it include an operational windmill (c. 1812), British General Prescott's Guard House, a county store (c. 1715), and a University of Rhode Island Master Gardener project with the purpose of simulating a historical vegetable garden through careful research on what crops where grown during that time period.{{cite web |title=Prescott Farm Period Gardens |url=https://web.uri.edu/mastergardener/prescott-farm-period-gardens/ |website=The University of Rhode Island |accessdate=24 September 2018}}{{cite news |title=URI Master Gardeners create historic gardens at Middletown’s Prescott Farm |url=https://today.uri.edu/news/uri-master-gardeners-create-historic-gardens-at-middletowns-prescott-farm/ |accessdate=24 September 2018 |agency=URI Today |publisher=The University of Rhode Island |date=July 2, 2012}} The farm itself is typical of the farms on Aquidneck Island.
History
The farm was founded in the 18th century. According to some sources, it was originally named Overing and Page Farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, founded by brothers Thomas Nichols and Edmund Nichols in 1650.{{cite web |title=Thomas Nicholas & Prescott Farm |url=http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/prescott.html |website=RootsWeb |accessdate=24 September 2018}} However, it seems that the two brothers moved to Newport in 1654, so it is not clear whether or not the two farms are the same. British General Richard Prescott occupied the farm prior to the Battle of Rhode Island. He was kidnapped there on July 9, 1777 by a small contingent Rhode Island militia and taken to Providence. Prescott was later exchanged for U.S. General Charles Lee. In 1973, Doris Duke's Newport Restoration Foundation purchased the land and opened it to the public. In 2007, the University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners began their project.
Current status
While most of the farm is open to the public, certain properties are privately rented out and thus not accessible to the public. These include the Overing House and the Potter House (c. 1970). Prescott Farm's current attractions include showcased buildings, a pond, and several walking paths. The garden currently donates all of its produce to Lucy’s Hearth, a nearby women’s shelter.
References
External links
{{Portal|Rhode Island}}
- [http://www.newportrestoration.com/prescott/prescott.html Prescott Farm on the Newport Restoration Foundation website]
- [http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/prescott.html Lineage related to Prescott Farm]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081203155740/http://cels.uri.edu/news/archive/nPrescott.html Prescott Farm History]
{{Middletown, Rhode Island}}
{{Windmills in the United States}}
Category:History of Rhode Island
Category:Museums in Newport County, Rhode Island
Category:Mill museums in the United States
Category:Buildings and structures in Middletown, Rhode Island
Category:Smock mills in the United States
Category:History museums in Rhode Island
Category:Farm museums in Rhode Island