Nathaniel and his brother Peleg (II) were sons of the Rev. Peleg Heath. Reverend Heath was the minister of the Old Barrington Village's Congregational Meetinghouse from 1728 until 1740, when it moved from Jenny's Lane to its current County Road location. As the new meetinghouse was being built, it was voted that Reverend Heath should continue to preach at the private home of Mr. Edward Bosworth. Following his refusal to do so, the town voted to dismiss "Mr. Peleg Heath from being minister of this town."
Although Rev. Heath faded from prominence and died within eight years of leaving his ministry, his sons Nathaniel and Peleg (II) remained active and prominent figures in their own right. Both served as officers in the American Revolution from c. 1776 to 1778. Nathaniel was a lieutenant in Captain Samuel Bosworth's Artillery Company. Peleg (II) served as a Major in the Bristol County Regiment and fought battles at Roxbury and Cambridge.
Although no battles were fought in Old Barrington Village, the American war for Independence against the British (1775 to 1783) touched the lives of many citizens and patriots living in town. Nowhere was this more true than in the Taverns.
Two days after the Battle of Bunker Hill, there was a gathering of patriots at Bowen Tavern. According to Henry Bowen's ledger, dated June 19, 1775, those gathered at the Tavern were served a large drink dubbed the "Defiance Bowl" - voted on and paid for by "The Town of Barrington."
Henry Bowen's support for the war against the British is evidenced further by his role as the Town's Military recruiting officer. When the brothers Nathaniel and Peleg (II) Heath decided to join the cause for independence, their enlistment would most certainly have been recorded by Henry Bowen and taken place within the Tavern--perhaps while sharing a Defiance Bowl.
Aside from his patronage and military enlistment at Bowen's Tavern, Nathaniel Heath benefited from his skills as a cabinet maker. When the prominent statesman Samuel Allen--and frequent patron of Bowen's Tavern--was charged 5 shillings and 7 pence for breaking Mr. Bowen's chair, door, and window pane, it was Nathaniel Heath who received payment for the repairs. Nathaniel was also paid another 6 shillings for repairing one of Mr. Bowen's ladders, apparently damaged by Joshua Bicknell.
In 1782, the brothers built twin homes on the same block, about a ¼ mile north of Bowen's Tavern - Peleg at 1825 Wampanoag Trail and Nathanial at 38 Old River Road.
As battle-tested veterans, no doubt each brother had many a tale with which to regale their fellow neighbors and tavern patrons, just a short walk away down the road.
]]>The Green Bush Tavern (owned by Nathanial Paine) is believed to have been the oldest of the taverns in Old Barrington Village--predating the nearby Bowen and Kinnicutt taverns.
In her book Stage-Coach and Tavern Days (1900) author A.M. Earle includes mention of a 'Green Bush Tavern in Barrington, Rhode Island, with a sign board painted with a green tree. The name, she explains, derives from an old English proverb which reads: 'Good wine needs no bush' referring to an old custom of hanging 'a green bush' on a pole or nailing it to the door of a tavern.
It is likely that by the time A.M. Earle wrote about Green Bush, all traces of the tavern and its painted sign were long gone, replaced by the (c. 1872) home of R. D Horton, a wealthy jewelry manufacturer. What does remains, however, are the colorful stories committed to writing by author and historian T.W. Bicknell.
In his 1898 book A History of Barrington, Rhode Island, Bicknell wrote: 'Probably not a household in Barrington and the near confines of Rehoboth failed to frequent and patronize Mr. Paine's (Green Bush Tavern), from which his chief profits sprang. A jolly crowd came together winter evenings to gossip, tell stories, sing songs, and drink their flip, toddy, punch, etc.' Such were the benefits of being the first and, at least for a little while, the only game in town.
Aside from being the only game in town, Bicknell goes on to describe the Green Bush Tavern as 'the' place to be. In reference to the Tavern's clientele, Bicknell tells the tale of William Andrews 'one of the local wags and poets who was pledged a glass of grog for an impromptu verse on Josiah Viall, the village blacksmith who was at the moment coming up the road…' Andrews chimed: 'Here comes old Vulcan - As bold as a lion - Has plenty of work - But no coal or iron.'
This simple tale gives us a closer look at life in Old Barrington Village and the characters who made it their home: Josiah Viall the local blacksmith who made a living with coal and iron, William Andrews who brought laughter to friends and neighbors with his quick wit, and Nathanial Paine the inn keeper who played host to all - supplying food, drink and a friendly place to gather, gossip, laugh and share community spirit.
Records show that in 1748, Nathaniel Paine was married to Mary Heath (daughter of Rev. Peleg Heath) at the at colonial meetinghouse in Barrington by the Rev. Solomon Townsend. However, Nathaniel Paine's name does not appear in the Barrington RI census record of 1774. Perhaps the Green Bush Tavern had ceased its operation by that time. But the marriage of tavern owner Nathaniel Paine to the reverend's daughter Mary Heath is further evidence of the close connection between colonial tavern and colonial meetinghouse.
]]>The sole remaining vestige of Old Barrington Village's tavern-friendly past stands at 509 County Road. This c. 1840 Greek Revival style structure first saw life as the Kinnicutt Tavern, owned and operated by George R. Kinnicutt who followed in the steps of his father.
Around 1840, the structure at 509 County Road became the second public house to be called "Kinnicutt Tavern," and the fourth tavern operated in Old Barrington Village near the meetinghouse, after the Green Bush, Bowen Tavern, and first Kinnicutt Tavern.
Roughly 50 years earlier, in October of 1796, George's father Josiah Kinnicutt purchased the former home of Isaac Ormsbee, located 'about one-fourth of a mile north of the Cong. meeting-house.' At the time of the purchase, Josiah's occupation was recorded as cabinet maker.
A few years earlier (1787), Josiah had married Rebecca Townsend--daughter of the long-serving Congregational Minister, Rev. Solomon Townsend. Solomon Townsend, Jr. (Rebecca's brother and Josiah's brother-in-law) is said to have owned and operated a tavern around that time at Happy Hollow, an area just south of the present-day Barrington Town Hall. Perhaps it was the Townsend family influence that lead Josiah to offer the new family home as the first 'Kinnicutt Tavern?'
After the first post route through Barrington was established in 1810, Josiah Kinnicutt was appointed as postmaster of the town. The post office was then conveniently located in his Kinnicutt Tavern. Josiah could never be accused of laziness. For in addition to his roles as tavern keeper and postmaster, he also operated a stage-coach line between Newport and Providence, provided the town's official hearse service, served on the town's 'Committee to lay out the new burying grounds at Prince's Hill', and served as the town's representative to the Rhode Island General Assembly.
The exact location of the first Kinnicutt Tavern is not known for certain. But it likely stood somewhere on or near the same spot as Benson Bean's Grocery Store--between the second Kinnicutt Tavern later operated by Josiah's son George, and the home of Samuel Allen at 499 County Road. Upon his death in 1837, Josiah's son George took over as stage-coach operator, postmaster, and later--around 1840--as tavern keeper of the second 'Kinnicutt Tavern'.
It is uncertain how long this last tavern survived. It most likely ceased to operate by 1852, after the Temperance Movement succeeded in promoting passage of the so called 'Maine Law,' which 'banned the sale and consumption of spirits' throughout Rhode Island. It would be another 150 years before alcohol was, once again, legally sold in Barrington.
]]>On July 23rd 1770, Henry Bowen was granted license to 'keep a publick House of Entertainment'. From that day, until he sold it to Joshua Bicknell and Enoch Remington in 1783, Bowen kept a tavern, inn, and country store just north of Old Barrington Village's colonial meetinghouse. The new Bowen Tavern was in front of a home at 474 County Road. Henry Bowen was a meticulous bookkeeper and the records he kept give us a glimpse into life in both Old Barrington Village and Colonial New England.
During the 18th Century, a stage coach travelling between Newport and Boston would take two days to make the trek and--conveniently--pass directly by Bowen's establishment. And so, when Mr. John Tripp and his wife made the journey on May 10th, 1776 they stayed the night as Bowen's guests. In the morning they were presented with an itemized bill showing 11 separate entries. Among these items were: 1 gill Brandy at 5 ½ pence; ½ mug Cyder at 1 ½ pence; 1 bowl Toddy at 9 pence; and 'lodging you and wife' at 6 pence. It is interesting to note that the cost for a bowl of 'toddy' (a warm alcoholic drink, usually rum or whiskey, mixed with sugar) was 1.5 times the cost of lodging.
While lodging at Bowen's, it is likely the Tripps would have rubbed elbows with a who's who of locals, whose patronage has likewise been memorialized in Bowen's ledgers.
The Rev. Solomon Townsend, minister at the meetinghouse 1743-1796, lived next door to the Tavern and appears to have been fond of rum. Interestingly, Bowen's ledgers show that when he wasn't there in person, his housekeeper Elizabeth would be sent to fetch a couple quarts for the Reverend.
Josiah Viall, the local Blacksmith, who is credited for both shoeing Bowen's horses, as well as mending his 'flip iron,' 'generally took his pay in liquor' with his favorite being 'Jamaica Spirits.'
Perhaps the most colorful of Bowen's patrons was the shoemaker Samuel Allen, who lived just across the road. As a prominent figure in town, Allen was a member of both the Town Council and State Legislature. He was also a delegate to the Continental Congress who voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1790. Like other prominent figures in Rhode Island during this period, Samuel Allen was also a slave owner.
Of note in the Tavern's records, Allen was party to some mysterious incident for which Bowen charged him a total of 5 shillings and 7 pence for 'breaking my arm chair', 'breaking…my window' and 'splitting…a panel door.' One can only wonder what that was about!
]]>In his 1898 book, A History of Barrington Rhode Island, Thomas William Bicknell wrote, "The principal tavern in most towns, as in Barrington, was near the meetinghouse, and from each was a well-trodden path to the door of the other." Records indicate that the meetinghouse--located at 461 County Road in the area now known as "Old Barrington Village"--was within walking distance of four taverns.
Although the Village's taverns do not appear in records until some years later, the story of the local meetinghouse begins in 1663 at Nockum Hill. On the opposite side of the Hundred Acre Cove, Reverend John Myles, a Baptist Minister from Swansea Wales, established the first meetinghouse of what was to become Barrington. Twelve years later, Myles' original meetinghouse was destroyed and his congregation scattered as a result of the conflicts between the colonists and indigenous peoples during King Philip's War (1675-1678).
In 1678, following King Philip's War, the community's meetinghouse was rebuilt in the area now known as Tyler Point at the southern end of New Meadow Neck, then part of the Baptist Town of Swansea, Massachusetts. This location was to be the "nucleus" for a 'place of trade'.
In 1711, as the population shifted and the Congregationalists grew in number, the meetinghouse location moved once again-this time to the corner of Jenny's Lane and Rumstick Road. A petition to form a new town was submitted to the General Court of Massachusetts. Seven years later (1717), approval was granted to form a new town with a 'learned and orthodox minister'. The town of Barrington Massachusetts (named for Governor Samuel Shute's brother - John Shute Barrington) was founded.
In 1737, thanks to a gift of land by Joshua Bicknell, the meetinghouse moved to its present 461 County Road location. Although the story of its move is likely a fanciful legend, some believe that the meetinghouse was floated from its former Jenny's Lane location up the Barrington River. The circa 1737 structure was replaced in 1806 and has since undergone multiple renovations necessitated by time and hurricane-related storm damage.
In 1770, Barrington reincorporated as Barrington Rhode Island. This shift from Massachusetts to Rhode Island followed ratification of the joint resolution between the two colonies granting all land within three miles east of the Narragansett Bay shoreline to Rhode Island. At that time, the meetinghouse served not only as the focal point of civic and religious activities, it was also the seat of town government.
On July 23, 1770, Mr. Henry Bowen, Collector of Taxes, petitioned the Barrington Town Council at the meetinghouse and was 'licenc'd to keep a publick House of Entertainment' - the second of four nearby taverns. And so, Bicknell's story of the "well-trodden path" from the meetinghouse to tavern began anew!
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