Saving the Carr Levally House 1722

The land on which this old house sits was first acquired by Rhode Island Colonial Governor, Caleb Carr (1616-1695). This property was part of the "The Shawhomett Purchase", then Warwick, and was later inherited by the youngest of the Governor's son's Francis. Francis married Demaris Arnold, the granddaughter of two Colonial Rhode Island governors, Benedict Arnold and Walter Clarke. Francis and Demaris were married at Beavertail and had one child, Sarah.
Upon the death of Francis in 1717, Sarah married her Newport school teacher, George Pigot. Sarah and George Pigot lived in this house in it's single story version from 1722 - 1727. It's unclear whether Francis or Sarah and George built the house, however the couple were involved with law suits to prove that Sarah held every right to claim her father's inheritance despite an advisary's claim that Sarah, at 17 years and married, was a mere child and not eligible to not make claim to her father's property. It's not clear whether they were succesful on all her claims.
During the time of their residency at this house, George Pigot was the first rector of "King's Church, Providence." Sarah and George's children were likely born in this house. George called their home in Warwick, "Monteagle" after a parsonage in his native England to which he would later return to England to make an unsuccessful claim.
In 1727, Sarah Carr and George Pigot traded their Warwick home to Pierre LeValley for one (or two) house(s) in Marblehead Massachusetts. In Marblehead, George Pigot would become rector of St. Michael's parish where he would deliver his famous speech in the defense of the celebration of Christmas in the Colonies, which was against Congregationalist Puritan principles at that time.
Pierre LeValley was a French Huguenot. There are several stories and variations of stories of how Pierre ended up in Marblehead. As popular legend would have it, he had been a purveyer of fine clothe in France and, because of his wealth, was able to buy his freedom to Marblehead when the ship upon which he was a passenger was hijacked by pirates.
Here at his new home in Warwick, Pierre would acquire land and establish a successful farm including fruit orchards. Some of the remains of those orchards were present on Phenix Hill in the 1970's. At it's height, the LeValley lands extended over 200 acres in what is now Coventry and West Warwick. As a small example of the expanse of the LeValley lands, Mr. Pike purchased the land upon which he would build his 1839 house (now 10 Pike Street) from the LeValley family members. The area was then known as "Birch Hill".
When Pierre LeValley died in 1756, his son John, "To accommodate his growing family of eleven children, John did a massive remodeling of the house."
John had a son Peter. "Peter's three unmarried daughters continued to live in the house, and bought up two of the shares. Mary, the last surviving daughter thus owned half of the original estate, which she passed on to her daughter Amanda. Amanda was known as the eccentric Amanda for her views on women's liberation." So it seems the property was run by women from 1818-1875.
Matilda LeValley (Mrs. Harvey Spencer) inherited the property from her cousin Amanda. Two generations of the LeValley/Spencer family continued to run a succesful farm while carving tombstones and caring for the Greenwood cemetary.
The house was rented to at least two families for twenty or so years until it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Broadhurst in 1948. Mrs. Broadhurst was the last resident of this charming old farmhouse until her death in 2010.
This old farmhouse tells a very early story of it's inhabitants, the hundreds of acres around it, and the quaint, quiet and long-time successful agricultual heritage that existed well before, and despite the industrial revolution that rose and faded around it.
Oddly enough, the memory of this old farmhouse house and stories of it's inhabitants can be found in many old history books and articles.
Though the house itself may not survive for much longer, it is hopeful that at least the essense of it's quiet setting and quaint history lives on.

Once referred to as medieval forest

On Phenix Hill sits a rare antiquity named the Carr-LeValley House, 1722.

A quick glimpse of some of it's residents.

The LeValley Homestead 1727 - 1948

For more than 220 years, this house remained in the LeValley family.

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A Study on Saving the Carr Levally House 1722

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