*John Brown portrait owned by the New York Historical Society*
But what was this town of Providence like when a house such as this could be built, and, perhaps more importantly, who was this man and this famous family? Please take some time to look at the portraits in the hall while learning more about this town and family.
By the 1780s, Providence was a growing town, prospering in seafaring trade after the American Revolution and expanding its warehouses, factories, and docks by the riverfront. Rhode Island prospered by importing raw goods and exporting finished products to trade. In 1790, there were approximately 6,000 people living in the city, which was first settled along the riverfront by Roger Williams in 1636.
One of the first settlers with Roger Williams was Chad Brown, who helped survey the land. John Brown, and his three brothers Nicholas, Joseph, and Moses, were the great-great-grandsons of this first Brown in Providence. The Brown brothers were involved in several businesses throughout their lifetimes, some as joint ventures and others solo. Together, they all had a tremendous influence in shaping the commerce of Providence and Rhode Island.
The Browns were engaged in land speculation as well as candle, rum, and gin manufacturing, ship construction, cod fishing, and glass making. Many of these products went to the West Indies as part of the provisioning trade; some were traded in the notorious triangular slave trade, and yet more went to China. The key to the Browns’ commercial success was their incredible diversity in many facets of business. John Brown, with one of his son-in-laws, John Francis, was the main developer of an area called India Point, so called for Brown’s involvement with the foreign trade. He also owned a chocolate factory and a foundry called Hope Furnace, where cannons and cannon balls were made for the Revolutionary War. John would become one of the most ardent boosters of the new nation and defended the United States’ right to prosper at any cost.
John Brown also owned 210,000 acres of land in what is now the Adirondack State Park in New York. Like many other men of his class, he served in the United States Congress for a two-year term. And, like his brothers, he cared deeply about the state’s college, known as the College of Rhode Island, and now known as Brown University. In fact, John was the college’s treasurer for 21 years.
To your left, you will see an image of John Brown. This portrait is a reproduction of the original image at the New York Historical Society. The original is the only known likeness made of John Brown.
Before moving into this house, John and his wife Sarah lived in a large townhouse on what was known in the late eighteenth century as Towne Street and is now known as South Main Street. But, by the 1780s, John Brown had set his sights on building a larger home to represent his family’s status in the city and state. In 1788, when this house was completed, it was the largest in Providence, and certainly the only large home built on the hill away from the river at the time. When the family moved here, their children were the following ages: James, the eldest son, was 26, Abby was 21, Sarah, lovingly called Salley, was 14, and Alice, was 11. You can see a portrait of Alice and her husband James Brown Mason on the wall to your right. The eldest daughter Abby had just gotten married early that year, and did not live here when the family first moved in.
