October 28, 2002

Mrs. Deborah THOMPSON, curator of the Gilbert STUART House Museum

We were privileged to have Mrs. Deborah Thompson, curator of the Gilbert STUART House Museum, as speaker at our meeting. When she asked for a show of hands who had visited there, it was surprising to see so few hands go up. Judging from the interest the group showed in the program and the slides, a few of them may have been inspired to find their way to Saunderstown in the near future.

Gilbert STUART was one of the 18th century America's master portrait artists. He is best known for his portrait of George WASHINGTON which has been the identifiable image on the U.S. dollar bill for over a century. He was born on December 3, 1755 in Saunderstown, Rhode Island and lived there until he was seven years old when his family moved to Newport. It was while living there that he first showed promise as a great painter.

He traveled to London to study painting and on his return he lived in Philadelphia. New York and Washington, D.C. earning a reputation as a fine portrait artist. During his lifetime he painted over a thousand portraits. They included President Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. He eventually settled in Boston, Massachusetts where he died on July 9, 1828 at the age of 72.

His birthplace in Saunderstown is a fine example of an 18th century gambrel-roofed house. It was a workingman's home as well as a place of industry. Among some of the interesting features are corner fireplaces in each room, hand-hewn beams locked together with dovetail joints, wooden door latches, hand-blown window panes, reproductions of portraits and beautiful antique furniture.

In the common room on the lower level of the house is a huge corner fireplace, a Dutch oven, an authentic collection of early American household items and cooking utensils. Located in the same room is the snuff mill where Stuart's father ground tobacco to provide a livelihood for his family.

Located on the grounds are a restored gristmill and the site of a fulling mill where wool was cleaned. The grist mill houses two original granite stones once used to produce the famous Rhode Island jonny cakes. An interesting feature of the birthplace is the fish ladder, which was installed by the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife. Each spring tens of thousand of herring migrate upstream to spawn in the Pausacaco Pond. In mid-April, the museum and the Division of Fish and Wildlife co-sponsor an event called "Fish On The Run" to which the public is invited.

The birthplace is located on Gilbert Stuart Road, between Routes 1 and 1A in Saunderstown, RI. Look for signs on either Route 1 or 1A just South of Route 138. Hours: April through October. Thursday-Mondays: 11 AM to 4 PM. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Taken fromThe Pawtuxet Valley Historian Volume 16, issue 3, November 2003.

Our October Buffet dinner Meeting with a touch of people in their crazy hat!