Coventry in Kent County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Paine House Museum
Paine House Museum has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 by the United States Department of the Interior
Erected 2021 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 378.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1974.
Location. 41° 41.485′ N, 71° 33.87′ W. Marker is in Coventry, Rhode Island, in Kent County. It is on Station Street north of Main Street (Rhode Island Route 117), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7 Station St, Coventry RI 02816, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Providence and on Narragansett Bay. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Vietnam War Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Civil War Memorial (about 700 feet away); World War II Memorial (about 700 feet away); David Whitman (about 700 feet away); World War I Memorial (approx. one mile away); The General Nathanael Greene Homestead (approx. 1.1 miles away); Nathanael Greene Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Nathanael Greene (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Coventry.
Also see . . . Nomination form for the Paine House. This form was prepared by Mrs. Richard P. Sullivan, Grants Administrator with the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission on April 1, 1974. The statement of significance is on page 3:
Records indicate that the Paine House or main part of it was built in 1748 by Francis Brayton (1721-1783), a blacksmith from Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He was descended from Francis Brayton who had come to Portsmouth from England in 1640. In 1742 he married Sarah Phillips; in 1743 his first(Submitted on September 20, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)son Francis, Jr. was born; and in 1745 he bought 190 acres of land in Coventry. Census records for 1747 list Francis Brayton as living in Portsmouth but his fourth son was born in Coventry the following year. Francis Brayton was recognized as a town leader for he served eleven years as a councilman and was one of the four men in Coventry continuously chosen moderator at town meetings.
At his father's death in 1783 Francis, Jr., the eldest of the ten Brayton children, inherited the house and twenty-two acres of land. In 1785 he was granted a license to sell liquor, and twelve years later when he sold the property, it was described as comprising: twenty-two acres, a dwelling house, a blacksmith shop near the highway before the dwelling house, and sundry outbuildings. Charles Holden continued the tavern business, renewing Brayton's license "to retail spiritous liquors and keep a house of entertainment." His son Anthony later ran the tavern and a sign reading "1801, Entertainment for Travelers, Good Stabling for Horses, by A. Holden" remains in the house from this period. In 1849 the property was described as twenty-seven acres of landwith a dwelling house, barn, store, and other buildings. The house was acquired by the Paine family in 1866 and in 1953 became the property of the Western Rhode Island Civic Historical Society.
The Waterman and Brayton Taverns were two of the most popular and long-lived taverns in Coventry. The Brayton Tavern was located on the "Eight Rod Highway", the principal thoroughfare for the agricultural trade between markets in Providence and eastern Connecticut. This tavern was thus a convenient stopping place for travelers, a center for exchanging news and information, and a place where town and personal business was transacted. The original tap room in the cellar (ground level on the west), large common room on the first floor, and numerous small rooms on the upper floors for overnight patrons are preserved today as a reminder of the brisk tavern business which the Brayton, later known as Holden Tavern, must have enjoyed during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 17, 2026
5. Additional National Register plaque for the house
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 20, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
