RICHMOND – The Beaver River Road Historic District, a cluster of historic farmsteads in southern Richmond, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the R.I. Historic Preservation & Heritage Commission announced Wednesday.
The 367-acre district includes three farmsteads: Longdenholme, later known as Hoyle Farm; Walnut Hill Farm, also known as Cliffmoore; and Jamesford Farm. The three farms transitioned from 19th-century subsistence farming to 20th-century market farms, the commission said.
All three farmsteads include farmhouses built in the 1800s. The properties are set along 1.5 miles of Beaver River Road, named for the Beaver River.
Much of the land is currently still cultivated for turf, the commission said. Many farmers in the area were said to have taken to turf cultivation in the mid-20th century as agriculture was on the decline in Rhode Island.
“The houses, outbuildings and agricultural fields in the Beaver River Road Historic District together convey the long and important history of farming in Richmond,” said Jeffrey Emidy, RIHPHC’s interim executive director, in a statement. “Landscape features, particularly the allée of mature trees along Beaver River Road, add to the district’s distinctive sense of place.”
A listing on the National Register of Historic Places results in special consideration during the planning of federal or federally assisted projects and makes properties eligible for federal and Rhode Island tax benefits for historic rehabilitation projects.
