Anthony-Kinney Farm Narragansett, Rhode Island

Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.

The Anthony-Kinney Farm in Narragansett is a well-preserved property that is significant in the categories of Agriculture, Community Planning and Development, Entertainment/Recreation, and Architecture. In continuous agricultural use since the colonial era, the property is significant in the field of Agriculture as a site that preserves nearly four centuries oflocal farming history. As the oldest farm in the town ofNarragansett, it represents the transition from large-scale colonial-era plantations to smaller farmsteads. Its cluster of agricultural facilities and farmhouse; patchwork of pastures, crop fields, and woodlands; and network of dry-laid stone walls and paths are enduring characteristics ofthe Narragansett country farm. The Kinney-Anthony Farm is significant in the field of Community Planning and Development for representing Narragansett's transition from agricultural countryside to fashionable summer resort at the turn of the century. The spread of Narragansett Pier's resort culture south to rural Point Judith Neck is embodied by the Bungalow, a private clubhouse built in 1900-01 for wealthy summer resident Francis S. Kinney. In the category of Entertainment/Recreation, the Bungalow represents the introduction of the sport of golf in the United States at the turn ofthe century. It was one of the first buildings in Rhode Island built specifically to serve as a clubhouse for the young sport of golf. And it is a very rare (if not singular) surviving historic example of a clubhouse built for a single patron, rather than a club. The Bungalow is architecturally significant for displaying the distinctive characteristics of the East Indian bungalow form popularized at the tum of the century-an overhanging hip roof, glazed second story, and wide veranda. It is a product of the global trend that updated a traditional building type as a form for resort architecture. Owned by the Town of Narragansett since 1991, the Anthony-Kinney Farm has not undergone much change since 1904. The open fields, stone walls, vernacular agricultural buildings, and distinctive Bungalow continue to provide a rare glimpse of Point Judith as it appeared at the turn of the century.