A fusion of the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles so commonly seen in Elmwood, this handsome and classically detailed house was built for a widow and her mother, whose family had ties to one of Rhode Island’s most notorious and influential events: the burning of the Gaspee.
The house is simple in form — a square block — with embellishments that lend it prominence on the streetscape. The most notable is the semi-circular entry porch supported by Ionic columns. A corner turret topped with a candlesnuffer roof adds romance to the otherwise classic façade.
Amey Burrows (née Bucklin) and her mother, Clara Bucklin, had the house constructed in 1893, the year Amey’s husband of five years, Edward Graves Burrows, died of consumption. Their ancestor, Joseph Bucklin V, was the man who fired the first shot and wounded a lieutenant aboard the HMS Gaspee after it ran aground in Warwick. The subsequent looting and torching of the ship was a significant factor in triggering the American Revolution.
Family members resided in the house for many years, including Clara’s son Milton, who lived at 40 Princeton until his death in 1901. After Clara died in 1920, her daughter Amey continued to reside at the house until her death in 1950. The house passed through a series of owners, as well as renovations — at one point the main staircase was removed, leaving only the service stairs in place — until the current owners purchased the house in 2016.
— Festival of Historic Houses Guidebook, 2017
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