‘Single Family in Warwick’ Actually an Historic Jewel

by | May 14, 2020

Above: A picture of The Grange by artist Emily G. (Greene) Welling. Courtesy of George H. Waterman III. 

By Alan Clarke

Located on the Greene’s River in Potowomut is a beautiful old estate called The Grange. The Grange is one of three original homes of the Greene family, the most famous member being General Nathanael Greene, second in command to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

But the general’s fame came 75 years later. 

The Greene family’s founder in America was surgeon John Greene1*, a peer of Roger Williams and one of the earliest settlers of Warwick. Once established in Warwick, he sent some of his sons to settle across the bay in Potowomut. The Potowomut peninsula was used at the time for pasturage for the Warwick farm, precisely why Potowomut is part of Warwick even though they are not connected by a land route. The Greene brothers built three houses, parts of which still stand: Hopelands, the present home of Rocky Hill School; The Forge, atop the hill on the right before the Forge bridge; and The Grange, on the river directly across Old Forge Road, the estate being discussed. 

James2 Greene moved to Potowomut in 1684 and built his house on a hill above the west bank of the Potowomut River. Today and for much of the past 300 years, this area and the house is known as The Forge, site of an ancient ironworks and several mills operated by the Greenes. With the 1698 death of James2 Greene, the property went to his sons, Jabez3 and David3, who continued developing various industries at the site. 

Jabez3 built his home across the road on the river and it was named, at some point in its history, The Grange. On January 23, 1732, Jabez3 petitioned the General Assembly for partial restitution of the loss of his residence at the site with all its contents in a fire on December 31, 1731. The General Assembly voted to grant him assistance; the house was rebuilt in 1732 and is the present structure that is being discussed for sale today.

At that time, the land considered part of The Grange extended from the Greene’s River to roughly where the railroad bridge is today on Old Forge Road. It extended north on both sides of Ives to the Chafee property today. It included the 1721 Elijah Bacon house that was also recently sold. On this property and the other Greene property across Forge Road stood the site of the ancient ironworks and several mills operated by the Greene family. 

Jane Mecom, sister and confidant of Benjamin Franklin.

The Grange was used as residence for the next two generations of Greenes. During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin’s sister, Jane Mecom, often stayed with the Greenes at The Grange. When the British were in Boston, she had had to flee. She had tried to join a daughter in Philadelphia only to have to flee again when the British took over that city. She always came back to The Grange at those times.

When Rufus Waterman married Franklin6 Greene’s daughter, Elizabeth, in 1838, the marriage changed the name on the real estate to Waterman, where it remained on and off for over 100 years. From 1848 to 1856, Charles Winston Greene of Boston, a descendant of Thomas2 Greene, leased The Grange, added a schoolroom and operated a private school. He purchased the property of 136 acres in 1851. His wife sold it back to Rufus Waterman in 1856. 

Rufus Waterman was a descendant of Richard Waterman. Richard Waterman, also a peer of Roger Williams, was awarded a block of land where The First Baptist Church in America now sits. Waterman was also a signer of the Compact of Providence of 1640 proposing a form of government. 

When word of Richard Waterman’s arrival at Salem, Mass., was discussed, it was said he “would get good venison.” He was known to be a good hunter in England and it was assumed he would proffer this value in the Colony also. And that he did, in service to Roger Williams and those in Providence. He was hunter and guide, a man who knew his way through the woods.

This picture of The Grange captures the way most of us see it, from the road and through the trees. Built in the same original design as The Forge across the road, The Grange has been modernized in the interior yet still retains a lot of that original charm. While the lot size is down considerably from the original estate, it sits on the most beautiful portion, right alongside the Greene’s River near the bridge. One hopes that the people purchasing this piece of local history fully appreciate what they’ve inherited.

Generations later, Rufus7 Waterman, residing in Potowomut, wrote a book for his descendants entitled “The Annals of My Home at The Grange with notices of the other places at Potowomut 1654-1880.” Abbreviated simply to The Annals, it is compelling reading for anyone interested in the history of the area.

The Grange passed through three more generations of the Waterman family, occasionally being sold and repurchased a few years later. The estate was owned by Peter L. and Mary Pendergast in 1923-1924. From 1924-1937, it was owned by Dr. Arthur M. Potter D.D.S. and Elizabeth M. Potter. From 1929 to 1931, she operated a tea room at the residence. 

In March 1937, George Hall Waterman10 repurchased the Grange property from Elizabeth M. Potter, returning it once again to the Waterman family. George Waterman was a noted collector of rare and unusual automobiles. Among his collection were the racing cars that, prior to WWI, won the first and second Indianapolis 500. Also in the collection for a time was the 1941 Mannerheim Grosser 770K Mercedes-Benz gifted by Adolph Hitler to Field Marshal Mannerheim of Finland, part of a deal that didn’t work out for Der Fuehrer. Hitler had several Mercedes automobiles and one was, for a time, in Potowomut. Today, the Mercedes-Benz is in the collection of the Lyon Air Museum in Southern California. 

Also in the collection was one of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s cars, a 1932 armored Packard touring car. In 2017, one of Roosevelt’s cars, an armored 1932 Packard touring car, was restored to running condition by Connecticut automobile entrepreneur Wayne Carini of the TV show Chasing Classic Cars so that N. Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo could ceremoniously drive it across the first completed span of the Kosciuszko Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens.

The story of both restorations were shown in 2019 on the Velocity Channel, now MotorTrends, and George Waterman of Warwick, Rhode Island, was listed among the previous owners on the 770K Mercedes Benz. It was not stated that the Roosevelt car was the same one owned by George Waterman. Roosevelt had several cars also. George H. Waterman was one of many car collectors of note in that era, among them, Tom Barrett of Barrett-Jackson Auctions. 

George Waterman sold The Grange to Paul and Elizabeth Choquette, the present owners. Today, March, 2020, the historic Grange is again for sale. The asking price is over $1.6 million. With it, one gets the guest house and 20 acres of land, down a bit from the vast expanse it once had, but by far the most beautiful part of the original estate. 

Alan Clarke is a local historian and a member of the EG News board.

* The superscript numerals indicate generations.


 

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Bruce R. Mastracchio
Bruce R. Mastracchio
May 14, 2020 6:16 pm

Nathanael Greene is highly revered in Savannah, GA and has a stately obelisk in one of their town squares.

Judi McCullough Sheldon
Judi McCullough Sheldon
May 16, 2020 8:49 am

I will be headed for Savannah soon
Will check it out.

Bruce Roberts
Bruce Roberts
May 16, 2020 9:05 am

Great read and hîstory Alan of the Green’s and Waterman famlies.
ps any relation to our Eldredge Elemantry teacher Rose Waterman👀🇺🇸

Ronald J Zwolinski
Ronald J Zwolinski
June 3, 2020 12:00 am
Reply to  Bruce Roberts

Loved all infomation you talked about ,reminded me of my times going up with the Chaffees and Rodricks,Ronnie Rodricks Father was the Watermans caretaker,This young Redhead Ricky Waterman took us thoughtall the garages and showed us all those nice cars your talking about,under one rule do not touch!!!if his father found 1 finger print on a car he was in deep crap!! And the house was just beautiful on the inside!! We went up stairs to watch TV in Ricky’s room, the first remote TV I ever saw!! It was wirer like on a choke on a car,everytime you post the wirer let turned the channel, I didn’t know I was walking though history until you filled me in on what I was experiencing!!!
thank you Alan at the 2 or 3 years swimming in their pool and hanging out they were good friends and enjoyed the time I spent with them! Then learn what cars I was looking at,Wow ,I consider the best thing that came from the friends I made Was Mrs Chaffee !!! She would write me letters when I was in VietNam!!! She was a SPECIAL LADY!!! Thanks again Alan, you brought true meaning to my younger years I would never have known!!

Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke
December 28, 2020 11:13 am

Sorry not to have responded to you earlier, Ron. I’d intended to. Remembering the times of our youth in this area is the one thing they cannot take away from us as we age. Years after you hung around with “Ricky”, I worked with him on Rotary projects. A fine lad. I did not know the Watermans in the times you did and I regret that I did not get out of town limits more back then. I would have liked to have had some of your experiences. Best to you and yours in the coming year.

Carole Boudreau
Carole Boudreau
May 16, 2020 9:07 am

What a wonderful article Alan. You write very interesting things. Enjoyed reading it very much

Richard Houle
Richard Houle
December 24, 2020 9:16 am

Where can I purchase the book?

Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke
December 28, 2020 10:32 am
Reply to  Richard Houle

Mr. Houle, if you are inquiring about Mr. Waterman’s book, the Annals of The Grange, it is a family book of which I have a copy. If that is the one you want, I will contact the family about getting you a copy. Please reply to EG News.

Gloria Sobral
Gloria Sobral
June 8, 2022 8:26 pm
Reply to  Alan Clarke

I woukd like a copy too please

Dean A deTonnancourt
Dean A deTonnancourt
December 28, 2020 5:55 am

As the fortunate new owners of this historic gem (12.21.20), rest assured that every effort will be taken to maintain and revitalize the splendor of this home and its significance in the area!
Thank you for this journey in its history.

Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke
December 28, 2020 10:46 am

That is wonderful news! I hope you appreciate and enjoy this magnificent setting for many years to come. While I am not an expert on such estates, I have researched historical Potowomut for many years. If I may ever help you with any questions, please free free to contact me through EG News.

Dean deTonnancourt
Dean deTonnancourt
October 5, 2021 12:19 pm
Reply to  Alan Clarke

Alan, apologies for missing this response. Thank you so much! We would welcome more history of the area.

alan clarke
alan clarke
October 6, 2021 11:43 am

No apologies necessary. I hope you are enjoying the splendor of the place. I was recently in a room where 245 years back, Lafayette, Rochambeau, Varnum and a half-dozen Greenes were planning war strategies during the Revolution. It stuns you when you think of the things that went on in these places.

Dean A deTonnancourt
Dean A deTonnancourt
October 6, 2021 12:39 pm
Reply to  alan clarke

Indeed! That must have been amazing!

Gloria Sobral
Gloria Sobral
June 8, 2022 4:29 pm

Allan my name is Gloria I purchased 77 Old Forge Road in 2017 I am in desperate need of history information on this house and the barn.

Gloria Sobral
Gloria Sobral
June 8, 2022 8:18 pm

I see you wrote Elijah Beacon House 1721 might be an error because I live in the house the sign says Elijah Beacon 1833 ? Unless that is wrong ?

Gloria Sobral
Gloria Sobral
June 20, 2022 9:39 am

Anyone have pictures or information on the Elijah Beacon House ?

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