urn No. 1O-SQC .

% NrrEDsrATEs DEI’ARTMENTOFT 1-IE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTEROF HISTORICPLACESINVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM

SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL.REGISTER FORMSTYPE ALL ENTRIES-- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS

flNAME , : ,

HISTORIC

AND/OR COMMON

Thomas I-i. Flughes.

House .

flLOCATION .I

STREET&NUMBER .

123 Central Averuc FOR PUBLICATION

CITY, TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTJohrrstcn - VICINIIYOF 2 -. Rep - Edward Board

STATE CODE COUNTY CODERhode Island 02919 44 Providence 007

flCLASSIFICATION

*-‘:CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USEIOCCUPIED AGRICULTURE

.XPRIVATE

IN PROGRESS 2LPRIVATE RESIDENCEPUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE

.._IN PROCESS 2CYES: RESTRICTED .SCIENTIFICCONSIDERED UNRESTRICTED

QOWNER OF PROPERTYNAME

Mr. and Firs. George Tosta ,

STREET& NUMBER .

423 Central AvenueCITY. TOWN . . STATE

Joins ton - VICINITYOF Rhode Is land 02915

flLOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION*tc’,..

COURTHOUSE. .

REGISTRY OF DEEDSETC. Johnston Town Hall .

STREET& NUMBER .

1385 Hartford AvenueCITY. TOWN STATE

Johnston Rhode Island

0 REPRESENTATIONIN EXISTING SURVEYS .

‘

TITLE.

Preliminary Survey Report: Johnston.

-

DATE

1976 LSTATE LOCALDEPOSITORY FOR .

SURVEYRECORDS RI. Historical Preservation Commission‘

CITY, TOWN STATE.

150 Benefit_Street,_Providence,_Rhode’Island 02903

. ..Y ‘.:i.:;.. *. :‘. ::r.

U DESCRIPTION

CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

_EXCELLENT _DETERIORATED ,UNALTERED KORIGINAL SITE

x_C000 ,,,..RUINS ?cALmnED _MOVED DATE________

_FAIR _UNEXPOSED.

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL IF KNOWN PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

1.The Thomas Hughes Houseis located on an upward-sloping residential

section of Central Avenue once the Central Pike in the village *ofHughesdale in Johnston, Rhode Island. Though not large or pretentious,the house hasthe good proportions and simple dignity of the GreekRevival style. -

The timber-framed structure is one-and-a-half stories; the ridge

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of its gable roof runs east and west. The house sits, on abasementof rough stonework faced on the exterior with smooth granite. Thesouthern entrancefacade is *five bays wide and the main portion of thehouse is three bays deep. The original wall cover of clapboards is nowconcealed by shingles, but the exterior trim corner pilasters, windowframes, and a frieze. beneath the eaves is still yisible. .

/ There are two interior chimneys which are visible above the ridge ‘

of the roof; their fieldstone bases are seen in the basement.

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At the’ western end of the house is a one-story gabled extensionits ridge alsoeast-west three bays wide and set back one bay fromthe entrance elevation. This kitchen wing does not appear tp be’alater addition. In the southwest corner of this ell is a third chimneynow reduced in its above-roof proportions which serves the kitchenhearth and ovens and has a storage area behind. A summer kitchen,’ alater addition, extends north from the ell; it has a slightly lowergable roof. At the north end of the summer kitchen a shallow shed-

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roofed area, probably for wood storage, is attached.‘

The house lacks its original nearly-square front entry porch,

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which was supported by two probably Doric columns; the marks oftheir bases can be seen on the granite entrance steps.

The main entrance, flanked by sidelights, has a handsomelypanelled door which opens into a central, hall. The east half of thehall is taken up by a staircase which rises in one straight run to thesecond floor; the stair rail has plain, round, tapered newels with bun- ,

on-block tops and slim oblong balusters, all of dark-stained wood.

To right and left., doors open to a parlor on each side of thehouse; each’ of these rooms is two bays in width and depth; both have’a fireplace on the north wall. Behind the hall and parlors are anortheast’room of square shape and a longer central chamber, with a

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cupboard opening underthe stairs. The northwest corner of the housecontains back stairs to the second floor and basement, a rear entrancedoor, a small ‘store room now a lavatory , and a passagewayfrom thekitchen ell to the rear chambers. ‘

Sed continuation Sheet #1

aep.

Mo. 1O’3bOa

UNITED Si’ATES DEI’ARi’MEN’F it’ ‘‘F ilk INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES k’INVENTORY--NOMINATION FORM

CONTI NUATION SHEET 1 , ITEM NUMBER 7 PAGE 2

The second floor contains an L-shaped hall at the top of the mainstairs onto which open two large and two smaller, rooms one of which -

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has been converted into a bathroom . There is a large cupboard underthe eaves. . ‘ .

.

Ihterior trim ‘on the first floor is sparse but ‘it has a robust -

classical dignity. Window and door frames in the principal rooms -

and hall have side pieces,-each with a wide vertical groove, which ‘

makes them resemble pilasters; they ‘support flat frieze boards cappedby simple but pi?onouncedmoldings. First floor doors have six inset,bevelled; raised panels and are equipped with knobs. - Windows on both

‘floors retain their six-over-six sash. The mantels on the two frontrooms have: plain and sturdy Doric pilasters supporting the frieze’board and shelf. Recent restoration work suggests that they may have

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originally been marbleized in black with rust-colored veining. On -the ‘

second floor the trim is economical--windows and doors have flat boardframes; doors have four flat inset panels and have-nineteenth centurytype wrought-iron thumb latches.

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The floors throughout the house are of wide boards. There is nowainscot or chair rail; nor are there any ceiling corniëes; the wallsare plastered. In the. ki.tchen eli, the woodwork surrounding thehearth and ovens has been removed and replaced and the fireplace itself

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has been rebuilt. The northern wing of the kitchen has-been compleieiygutted to accommodate modernconveniences and a new window has beenadded. ,

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orni No. 0-3bOaFlov’I 0-741’

UNI’I’EDS’FATESDEi’AR’I’MENi’ Oi-’T ilk INFERIOR- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESINVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM

CONTINUATION SHEET 2 ‘ ITEM NUMBER PAGE

k’*’-

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"I.’,

4.

‘...-

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fl-SIGNIFICANCE - -‘

PERIOD - AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE --CHECKANDJUSTIFY BELOW

_PREHISTORIC _ARCHEQWY-PflEHISTOHIC COMMUNITV PLANNING ...j,.ANDScAPE ARCHiTECTURE _RELIGION , -

_1400-1499 _ARCHEOLOGY-HISTÔRIC CONSERVATION _LAW SCIENCE

_1500-1599 _AGRICULTIJRE - _ECONOMICS _LITERATURE _SCULPTURE

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_1600-1699 ARCHITECTURE _EDUCATION _MILITARV _SOCIALJHUMANITARIAN

- _1700-1799 ._ART _ENGINEERING _MUSIC _THEATER

X1800-1899 _COMMERCE . .EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY _TRANSPORTATION

_1900. ,COMMUNICATIONS JNDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT OTHER ISPECIFY

_INVENTION.

4 *

SPECIFIC OATES ‘ - BUILDER/ARCHITECT ‘ . ‘

STATEMENTOFSIGNIFICANCE ‘ - -

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The Hughes Houseis important as the only extant dwelling ofThomas H. Hughes, a locally important manufacturer, and as one of thefew remaining elementsof what was once a thriving industrial village - -

in Johnston. . ‘

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Although the primary significance of the Hughes House is not itsarchitectural quality, it has value as a small well-proportioned example

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of the vernacular Greek Revival style which has suffered relatively fewalterations. Much of the vernacular Greek Revival exterior trim remainsand on the interior, the original plan, the handsome stair rail, theSimple window’ and door frame-s, the original fleors and hardware, and ‘

the wooden mantels of the two front rooms are all intact, making this‘a modest, pleasing and informative example of its style. -

The house was probably built by. Zachariah French about 1845, butit derives its primary significance from the tenure of its most noted

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occupant and owner, Thomas nenry hughes nughes, an Englishman by H.birth, arrived in the United States in 1839; he -spent his first tenyears in Rhode Island in the textile manufacturing center of- Pawtucket ‘ F"_-

where he worked as a ‘cotton and silk printer and became familier withseveral aspects of the textile industry. - ‘

In 1849, Hughes now married t,o Mary Smith, daughter ofNathanSmith, one of the first block printers in the United States moved toJohnston. He settled adjacent ‘to the, small Dry-Brook, a subsidiary ofthe Pocasset River, and in 1850 began the manufacture of dye stuffs ina mill on the ‘south side of Central Pike. In the early 1840s, DryBrook had been used by James Simmons for a bleachery, but his waterrights and land were purchased by,Hughes.

- The variety of chemical products produced by the Hughesdale Dyeand Chemical Works found a ready market in the expanding textileindustry of Rhode Island and supported the growth of the villagesurrounding the Hughes works. A major flood in 1868 destroyed much -

of the village, including -Hughes’ mill, hut the factory was soonreplaced. While Hughesdale never developed into an extensive manufacturing center, it did a substantial business $100,000 in 1871 and

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employed about sixty men. The small village included a number of mill

- . , See continuation Shçet #Z -

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tW1c

:,JrneNo 1 O-300aov,l 0-741

UNIIHSIAIISI.iPRIM1 NI 01 liii INli RIOR FORNPSUSEONLYNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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- ‘ ‘ - ‘,---,, - - !:‘ -- - k.NATIONAL REGISTER OF I-HSTORIC PLACES ‘ ,

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INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED

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CONTI NUATION SHEET 3 , ITEM NUMBER 8 PAGE 2

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houses,-a church, a school, and a store all ranged -along Central Pike.

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Today, little remains of the village; of the mill plant,. only apair of 1½-story, stuccoed-stone double mill houses remain.

- ‘ -. ‘ -

- In 1865, Thomas Hughes purchased his small Greek Revival house.

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As tax records and nineteenth-century maps reveal that,this house wasthe most substantial of the several dwellings which he owned in thel860s, it seems probable that the founder of the mill and the villagelived here, while his other properties housed mill workers. It islikely that he lived here until the late l870s when a larger house was "

constructed the "New house" listed in the 1877 Johnston town recordsand taxed at $2000 while the "Z French House" and its’land were taxedat $1500’. This later house no longer stands and, thus, the smallhouse is now the one most closely associated with Hughes.

- Thomas Hughes was the principal citzen of his village until hisdeath in 1884. Though Hughes served as a tax assessor for the townof Johnston, he did not hold other’political office and his pre- -

eminence in his village was largely social and economic. His manu-facturing operation was reorganized as a stock company in 1871, but the .

.,:- -

stock was held mainly within the Hughes family; after Thomas’s death,the enterprise was managed by his son Theodore who had been a store-keeper and postmaster atHughesdale. - Theodore Hughes had worked as afactor in the company between 1871 and 1878 and, after that date, waselected treasurer of the company. - Unlike his father, Theodore Hughesextended his influence as a mill owner into the political sphere--heserved as president of the Johnston town council and was twice elected

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to’ the state legislature. - - -

- At present the village of 1-lughesdale is a residential area -onlya few remnants still exist to remind one of its origins as a nineteenthcenturyindustrial village. Of these few, only the Hughes House isdirectly associated with the founder of the village. As’a well- ,

preserved house associated with a locally-important industrialist, theHughes house deserves the recognition and protection of the NationalRegister. -

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Ifl1O 10’300a . -

‘iev..0-741

IJNIILDSIAIi’,Ii i’RIMI NI DI 1111 INIi RIOR FORNPSUSEONLYri

NATIONAL PARK SERVICERECEIVED

1’

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES I ‘

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INVENTORY--NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED -

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CONTINUATION SHEET , ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE 2

*- Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island, , - -

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Chicago: J. H. Beers and Company, 1908. -‘

History of the State of Rhode Island, PhiladelphiaHoa.g, Wade Company, 1878. .- ‘ -

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4 - I - - ,- .:.

A flMAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

Land evidence records, Town of JohnstonTax, lists, Town of JohnstonBayles, Richard M., History

New York:of Providence County,

WGEOGRAPHICAL DATA- ACREAGEOFNOMINATEDPROPERTY less than one acre

UTM REFERENCES --

- Aj 91 .121’ 92 151 4IO I I 4,6 13t 112 4 0! BI I L_,_I I I I I1

ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE EASTING NORTHING-Cliii Ill-i tIli l,l,j DLII 1i11 11111! iii!VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION ‘ -

Plat 44, lot 203 ‘ - - -

LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE CODE - - COUNTY ‘CODE

STATE ‘ CODE - COUNTY CODE

WFORM PREPARED BY ‘ -

NAME / TITLE

Pamela A. Kennedy, Sr. , Historical Survey Specialist and *

ORGANIZATION Richard B. Harrington, Consultant , - DATE

R.I. Historical Preservation Commission February, 1979STREET & NUMBER ‘ TELEPHONE

150 Benefit Street 401-277-2678

-

‘CITY OR TOWN STATE

Providence Rhode Island .

WSTATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION ‘ .

THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS:

-‘ NATIONAL_L... - STATE........... - LOCALj. -

A’s the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Public Law 89- 665. Ihereby nominate this property for inclusion in the Natio egister and certify that it has been evaluated according to thecriteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Ser ce.

- *. LOG Ic_STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE

TITLE State Historic Preservation Officer

-

DATE.2, 1979

FORNPSUSEONLY -

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER

-: - / ‘

- DATE

- -

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DIRECTOR. OFFICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATIONATTEST: - - - DATE -- -

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*

- KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER- * -

-

.- -- - -

GPO 892. 453

VIW. W. Preston and Company’ 1891.

See continuation Sheet #4

1

PoJOrtStor

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Thomas H.Johnston,

292540

Hughes HouseRhode Island

4631240

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