MOWRY HOUSE
FROM CURATORSHIP TO OWNERSHIP
Mowry House porch before reconstruction.
Mowry House porch after reconstruction.
Curator: Revive the Roots
Property: Mary Mowry House, c. 1750 with additions
Location: 10 Old Forge Road
Open Space: 25 acres, managed by Revive the Roots
Owner: Smithfield Land Trust
Background
Preserve Rhode Island managed a $100,000 grant from the Land Trust in 2013 to make the property habitable after 15 years of vacancy. Work included plumbing, electrical, heat, roof flashing, and septic installation. Revive the Roots was selected as the building's new curators through a public application process managed by PRI. This meant that they would learn how to make necessary repairs while living and working in the building. The scope of work included interior preparation and painting of select unfinished rooms, window restoration, exterior paint removal, trim repair and repainting, general property maintenance, and fundraising for roof replacement and restoration of a two-story Victorian-era porch.
Current Status:
Revive the Roots continues to be engaged stewards of the Mary Mowry House, activating the space with programs around sustainable practices, community building, and education. Preserve Rhode Island holds an Easement on the Mowry House and continue to work with Revive the Roots to ensure this historic site remains a resource.
View Revive the Roots' 10 Year Retrospective to learn about their progress since becoming curators at the Mowry House and their current efforts to purchase the home:
Click on slideshow for full view.
Preserve Rhode Island's Projects Committee visits the Mowry House in 2013 to review current conditions and proposed scope of work to rehabilitate the property.
Peeling paint, inadequate gutter system, and missing windows.
Revive the Roots, Smithfield Land Trust and Preserve Rhode Island posing for RI PBS Our Town filming
Preserve Rhode Island's Projects Committee visits the Mowry House in 2013 to review current conditions and proposed scope of work to rehabilitate the property.
Mowry House featured in RI PBS's Our Town: Smithfield
PRI is thrilled to be featured in RI PBS’s Our Town: Smithfield, a special program highlighting the untold and uncelebrated stories of Rhode Island's towns!
In the brief vignette, PRI along with the Smithfield Land Trust and Revive the Roots, share the story of how our three organizations came together to preserve the ca. 1750 Mowry House and its 25 acres of agricultural land to practice a "whole landscape" approach to preserving Smithfield's rural character.