05/28/2026
Hearthside House Museum is only one piece of the larger Great Road Heritage Campus, which also features Pullen’s Corner Schoolhouse, Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, and Moffett Mill. But to appreciate these sites fully, we need to step back to the very beginning of their shared history.
When Stephen Smith built his stately mansion Hearthside, it rose amid the rural landscape of farms and woodlands along Great Road and the Moshassuck River. Great Road itself dates back to 1683, following portions of a Native American trail and serving as one of the earliest major routes in the country. It once connected Providence to Mendon, Massachusetts, encouraging settlement in the river valleys and carrying local products to the bustling Providence marketplace.
The road was essential to Rhode Island’s limestone industry. Lime from Lime Rock, used in colonial plasters and mortars, was hauled to Providence and shipped along the coast and abroad. Quarrying began in the 1660s, and by the mid 1700s, Lime Rock was thriving. Limestone mining in Lime Rock continues today, making it one of the nation’s oldest ongoing industries.
In the early 1800s, the Great Road Historic District was known as the Moshassuck River District, home to more than a dozen small mills, including the Moffett and Butterfly mills, powered by the river. The area was also a major farming region, with properties like Chase Farm shaping the landscape.
Much of Great Road has since been altered or lost, but this section survived because it was abandoned during a road straightening project in the early 1900s. Several historic buildings and landscapes remain as reminders of the district’s past. ❤️
Stay tuned! Our journey through the Great Road Heritage Campus is just getting started.
In the meantime, stop by and visit us and our website at greatroadheritagecampus.org
