Barrington Preservation Society

09/20/2026

🏡 HISTORY OF A STREET NAME: MATHEWSON ROAD

Ever wonder who Mathewson Road was named after?

Allen C. Mathewson was born and raised right here in Barrington, growing up in a gambrel-roofed house on Jennys Lane. He went on to build a successful jewelry business in Providence—but his impact back home would help shape an entire Barrington neighborhood.

Beginning around 1860, Mathewson acquired nearly 100 acres around what we now know as Mathewson Road and Jennys Lane. At a time when much of the area was still farmland, he began building homes and promoting Barrington as a summer destination.

Among his projects was The Gables, a small summer hotel that still stands today. He also built several of the distinctive homes nearby, including houses along Mathewson Road and a boathouse at what is now 38 Mathewson Road.

And that boathouse has quite a story.

Mathewson reportedly had a large sailing yacht built in nearby Barneyville and sailed it around the world twice. Later, he kept the yacht at his Mathewson Road boathouse and used it to transport jewelry to New York for his business. Not exactly your typical commute!

Mathewson built his own grand home on what is now Mathewson Lane. An early plat map shows the property complete with barns, an orchard and a vegetable garden. At the time, Mathewson Road ended just beyond Mathewson Lane and Chapin Road didn't yet exist—the Mathewson vegetable garden extended into the area where Chapin would eventually meet Mathewson Road.

He also built another small summer hotel near what is now Mathewson Road and Chapin Street. With its rounded turret, the Queen Anne-style building became a neighborhood landmark and was later operated by his youngest daughter. It eventually fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1950s.

Mathewson was also active in the Barrington community, including St. John’s Church and town government. When he died, his funeral reportedly filled the church, with mourners accompanying his casket to the nearby train station before traveling to Providence, where he was buried at Swan Point Cemetery.

And Mathewson Road wasn’t always Mathewson Road.

In the 1880s, it appeared under names including Water Street and Shore Road. By around the turn of the 20th century, maps and directories were calling it Mathewson Road—preserving the name of the man whose homes, hotels and vision helped transform this corner of Barrington.

More than a century later, his name remains on the street sign—and several pieces of his Barrington are still standing.

Next time you travel down Mathewson Road, take a closer look. You’re driving through a little piece of Barrington history.

📸 Special thanks to Barrington Preservation Society volunteer Julia Califano for sharing additional Mathewson family and neighborhood history, historic research, and photographs that helped us expand this story.

Have an old photograph, story, or memory of Mathewson Road or the Jennys Lane neighborhood? We’d love to see it in the comments!

Sources: Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, Jennys Lane Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form; Historic & Architectural Resources of Barrington; Thomas Williams Bicknell, A History of Barrington, Rhode Island (1898); Society of Architectural Historians; additional historical research and photographs courtesy of Julia Califano and the Barrington Preservation Society.

09/07/2026

RHODE ISLAND IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Mr. McBurney's talk will focus on military incidents within Rhode Island from 1776 to 1781, including the Rhode Island Campaign and Battle of Rhode Island in July and August 1778, as well as raids by the British in Newport on mainland Rhode Island, including the Bristol and Warren raids. Privateering and the French occupation of Newport will be examined. Soldiers of color from Barrington will be discussed, including those who gained their freedom by enlisting.
Christian McBurney is the author or co-author of nine books on Rhode Island history. He is the publisher and chief editor of the Review of Rhode Island History at smallstatebighistory.com, devoted to Rhode Island history. He and his wife have their main residence in Kensington, Maryland, and have a second home in West Kingston, Rhode Island.
Free and open to all!
Registration requested but not required: Visit barringtonlibrary.libcal.com or call 401-247-1920, ext. 7.

08/29/2026

Ever wonder about the name Pezzullo Avenue, the little street tucked off Middle Highway?

Its name is a lasting reminder of an Italian-American family with deep roots in Barrington—and it leads us to a fascinating piece of local history.

In the early 1900s, Barrington was home to a growing community of Italian immigrants, many of whom worked in the town’s once-busy brickyards. Holy Angels Church was organized to serve this community, which brought its traditions along with it.

One of those names was Pezzullo.

And here’s a piece of the family’s history you can still see today.

In 1960, the sons and daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Pezzullo donated the statue of the Virgin Mary that stands in the Shrine of the Assumption behind Holy Angels Church.

The shrine recalls what was once quite a celebration in Barrington—the Italian community’s annual Feast of the Assumption, complete with a procession of the Virgin Mary, food stands, concerts, outdoor decorations and even fireworks!

More than a century later, pieces of that Italian-American story are still hiding in plain sight—from the shrine behind Holy Angels to a familiar name on a street sign.



Sources:
• Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, Outdoor Sculpture in Rhode Island
• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management land records
• Historical Providence Journal obituary records

08/14/2026

📍 History of a Street Name: Chachapacassett Road

Chachapacassett is a 346-year-old name with Wampanoag roots, describing the landscape around what we now call Adams Point and Rumstick Point. In 1680, proprietors ordered a two-rod-wide highway “through the midst of Chachapacassett Neck,” making it one of the earliest recorded roads in the area. The name itself is older than “Rumstick,” which doesn’t appear in surviving land records until 1698. So Chachapacassett wasn’t originally a street name—it was a Wampanoag place name that survived through centuries of change and eventually found its way onto a Barrington road sign. Nearly 350 years later, the name is still here—connecting today’s Chachapacassett Road to a much older story. Stay tuned...Next up by request will be Pezzullo Ave!

07/21/2026

Ever wonder why it's called Nayatt Road?
The name "Nayatt" comes from the Indian language and is believed to mean "at the point." Long before Barrington was settled by Europeans, this peninsula extending into Narragansett Bay was known by that name.
Next time you drive down Nayatt Road, you're traveling through a place whose name has been part of Rhode Island's history for hundreds of years.

📍Have a street you'd like us to feature next? Let us know in the comments!

06/02/2026

Curious about Barrington’s past? Come explore the history and significance of Nockum Hill with local historians and researchers at the Barrington Public Library on June 15th. To register or learn more visit this link:

Welcome & Introduction by Phil Hervey, Barrington Town Manager   Brief Discussion of Nockum Hill’s Historical Significance by Luther Spoehr, Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Education & History, Brown University, RIHS former Chair and BPS current President   Lecture by Stephen Venuti, BPS former Presid...

05/10/2026

New Liberty Tree planted outside the Barrington Public Library in honor of Rhode Island’s legacy.

04/14/2026

Visit outside of the Barrington Public library to see the The Rhode Island Slave History Medalion.