HEARTHSIDE, easily viewed on a leisurely drive along Lincoln RI’s historic Great Road, one of the oldest thoroughfares in America, beckons passersby to enter the front door and step into the foyer where you’ll duly note the impressive “flying” staircase whose stairs are set in a counter-clockwise direction around a Tuscan column. This focal point is a perfect backdrop to become acquainted with hearthside tales of heartbreak and history.


Considered one of the finest architectural marvels of early 19th century federal-style houses in the state, included on the National Register of Historical Places, the 2 ½ story home is built of fieldstone, a rare occurrence at that time. It is purported that Mr. Smith referred to a sketchbook for design ideas, and modeled Hearthside after a sketch by noted architect, Sir Christopher Wren.


The walls are built of fieldstone, quarried from a ledge across the fields from the house, and trimmed with granite. The cut-stone walls once used in Rhode Island’s mills, were rarely found in dwellings. Constructed with an air chamber, stone-cold dampness was eliminated, thereby making the place ideally warmer in winter and cooler in summer. The house is adorned with a gable roof and ogee curves above circular attic windows. There are ten fireplaces, one for each its ten rooms, leaving no doubt about the origin of the name “Hearthside,” which has become known as “The House That Love Built,” though I will venture, “Heartbreak Hotel” is more like it because of the history behind its construction.


The lore surrounding Hearthside begins in the early 1800s, when Stephen Hopkins Smith, a young man in his twenties, began courting a young lady from a prominent family in Providence. Though Smith came from a reputable family in Lincoln, they made their living from agriculture and led the simple life of a Quaker.

Nevertheless, young Smith mingled in the right social circles where he met the woman he’d set his heart on marrying. Though smitten with his good looks, she told him she was looking for a man of substantial wealth to provide the lifestyle she grew accustomed to.

Lo and behold, Smith won a lottery netting a jackpot of $40,000 which was the equivalent of an $8.6 million windfall by today’s monetary standards.


Keeping his fine fortune a secret, Smith planned a grandiose home to sweep his beloved off her feet. Construction of Hearthside began in 1810 and was completed in 1814. Legend has it that Smith took a horse and buggy to Providence, fetched his lady, and took her by the stately fieldstone mansion he built, leaving no stone unturned in her honor. Supposedly, her gravelly response, not etched in stone by any means, indicated she possessed a heart of stone – “What a beautiful house, but who would ever want to live way out in the wilderness!”

At this juncture, a heartbroken suitor squired his heartthrob back to Providence and never called on her again. Perhaps acquiring feet of clay, Stephen Hopkins Smith never married. Though dubbed “The House That Love Built,” this cold stone edifice is also referred to as “Heartbreak House.”


Despite the rocky road, Hearthside became a home where Stephen lived on the west side, while his brother George and his family resided on the east side. An avid botanist, Stephen imported exotic trees and shrubs from the China Trade, planting them around the property on land called “Quinsnicket” – a Native American Indian word meaning “large stone house.” Two very rare tulip trees still grace the front walkway to the mansion.

Shunning the commotion of family life, Stephen moved into a house down the road. Across the street from Hearthside, he built a mill made of stone, similar in appearance to Hearthside, though the manufacturing business he established proved unsuccessful. When Smith died in 1857, he was buried in the cemetery next to the Friends Meeting House, one mile from Hearthside on Great Road.


Twelve families have owned Hearthside since its completion in 1814. Stephen Hopkins Smith passed it on to his siblings who were its occupants until 1847 when they sold the home and its 41 surrounding acres to Cyrus Dyer, a farrier living in Providence, for $3,000.

The last family to call Hearthside home were E. Andrew Mowbray, his wife Penelope, and their three children: Andrew, a classmate of mine; his siblings, Sherry and Stuart. Andrew’s dad was an avid collector of antiques and early American guns and swords.

To insure that the house would be protected in the future, Mrs. Mowbray sold the house to the Town of Lincoln upon her husband’s passing in 1996. In 2001, Friends of Hearthside was formed to serve as stewards to Hearthside while promoting its historical significance and accessibility to the public.


Two hundred years later, Hearthside still commands a strong presence along historic Great Road. Situated on one of the oldest thoroughfares in the country which includes several other historic homes dating as far back as 1687, the State of Rhode Island designated this stretch a Scenic By-Way. Located at 677 Great Road (Rt. 123), at the intersection of Breakneck Hill Road, Hearthside is open for special events and tours throughout the year, conducted by docents in period attire.


Though money could not buy Stephen Hopkins Smith happiness, and the flames leaping inside the hearths of Hearthside could not warm his jilted heart, this unique fieldstone mansion prompts Rhode Islanders and out-of-towners to come calling. Whether one wishes to partake in an afternoon tea, peruse the antique fair, view demonstrations of early American crafts, fall under the spell of a Victorian Christmas, or simply stroll through this ten room mansion – you will pass by the “flying” staircase on your way out with a warm feeling inside your heart.