Which famous figures have visited RI's Kingston Village? Amy Russo follows their footsteps

Amy Russo, The Providence Journal
·3 min read

George Washington slept around. Well, not in that way, but so goes the national joke about the many places he laid his head in the new nation. Kingston is among them.

Standing near the doorway of the Tavern Hall Club, former Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Gil Indeglia gestures toward a room with a pool table where Washington is said to have eaten dinner in March 1781 on his way to meet Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, who commanded French forces during the Revolutionary War. Legend has it that the president-to-be also got a shave down the street the next day. Some 220 years later, locals reenacted the visit, complete with Washington galloping in on horseback.

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The Tavern Hall Club, where George Washington is said to have dined in March 1781.
The Tavern Hall Club, where George Washington is said to have dined in March 1781.

Here, in this tiny South Kingstown village, there is no shortage of pride.

Indeglia, having traded his robe for khakis and a button-down shirt, points out the sites on a village tour, which he’s been leading for about five years. Tourists, having filed into the clubhouse, observe a portrait over the fireplace. Washington wasn’t the only famed figure to set foot in this place. Austrian opera singer Pauline Lucca fled from New York to Rhode Island in 1872 on the advice of her lawyers amid a nasty divorce, stopping in the club, where she left behind her picture and insisted that the building be named in her honor.

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Amy Russo, center left, and others listen as former Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Gilbert Indeglia gives commentary during a recent tour of Kingston Village.
Amy Russo, center left, and others listen as former Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Gilbert Indeglia gives commentary during a recent tour of Kingston Village.

As Indeglia puts it, “she had quite an ego.”

For some, Kingston may simply be a gateway to the University of Rhode Island campus that sits at its edge, but the 1½-square-mile plot boasts more than its fair share of movers and shakers — or at least their short visits. So its nickname, “Little Rest,” is no surprise.

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The Kingston Village tour passes a historic home at 2557 Kingstown Rd.
The Kingston Village tour passes a historic home at 2557 Kingstown Rd.

But there are varying theories about how it got that moniker. One: Since it had been the seat of Washington County, which once held one of Rhode Island’s five state houses, everyone passed through at some point for a little rest. Another: There was little rest to be had with the village’s constant activity. And another: No one rested due to the town’s many taverns.

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Kingston resident Betty Faella, 93, visits a historic schoolhouse behind the Tavern Hall Club that she attended as a child.
Kingston resident Betty Faella, 93, visits a historic schoolhouse behind the Tavern Hall Club that she attended as a child.

Among them was a watering hole allegedly visited by Benjamin Franklin, who upon walking in was unable to find a seat. If you buy the tall tale, here’s how it goes:

“Has anyone ever seen a horse eat oysters?” he asked the crowd.

“No,” the patrons replied.

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The Westcott Inn Reynolds Tavern, where Benjamin Franklin was said to have used his wit to procure a choice table by the fire.
The Westcott Inn Reynolds Tavern, where Benjamin Franklin was said to have used his wit to procure a choice table by the fire.

“Well, there’s one right outside,” Franklin said.

Immediately, the tavern cleared out and Franklin got his seat.

Believe it or not, this spot for a little rest has a lot of history.

Providence Journal staff writer Amy Russo, a transplanted New Yorker, is looking for new ways to experience her adopted state. If you have suggestions for this column, email her at amrusso@providencejournal.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Kingston Village in RI has had lots of famous visitors! Here's a list