History
of Jacob Hill Farm
The original building was built between 1722
and 1723 by the Allyn Family, who had 10 children.
In 1792 the Deacon Calvin Jacob bought
the property, because of his prominence in the community the area became
known as Jacob Hill, a name that has remained for over 200 years. The
Allyn's and the Jacob's were related by marriage.
The property remained in the Jacob Family for over 100
years. The next significant change to the property took place in 1915,
when the Grosvenor's purchased the property and made major renovations
adding on the rear or side ell. Up until this time all the cooking was
done over the open fire and in the beehive oven next to the fireplace,
in what is now a gathering room. The Grosvenor's built the
ell as a kitchen wing with servant's rooms above.
The main house was dormered
on the third floor, and the stairway that was in the front of the house
was moved to the back of the main house. This allowed the stairs to continue
up to the third floor.
After
the Grosvenor's reframed the house, they sold it to the Jacob Hill Hunt
Club Inc. This was a group of very affluent people, mostly from the east
side of Providence. The Hunt Club members included such names as Vanderbilt,
Chaffee, Gladding and Firestone. The Grosvenors were also club members.
Some Relics that remain from the Inn's Hay Days are the
door knocker now on an inside door. It was originally on the front door
of the Hunt Club. The servant's call box, used buzzers to summon the servants.
The antique wainscot paneling is authentic to the Hunt Club, it was in
the men's smoking room. The corner posts in the same room are exposed
and marked with the date of the original structure in 1722. Tags, programs,
trophies from a few of the many Horse Shows, also Newspaper Artilcles.
A few pieces of the china from the Hunt Club are also on display.
The
Hunt Club was dissolved in 1943 and the building became a private residence
once again. It had three owners until 1991 when Bill and Eleonora purchased
the property. They decided to make it into a Bed Breakfast/Inn. The Rezeks
have proudly done all of the renovations themselves, with some help from
family members..
Those visiting are welcome to view and read the in depth
80 page history book about Jacob Hill Farm.
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