The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-24
AN OLD PHENIX HOUSE.
Filled With Quaint Relics of Bygone
Times.
THE lie VALLEY HOMESTEAD.
II N, w'rieiongs to Mrs. Harvey Spencer
Five Generations Described.

There Is one of the most unique and
charming of old houses here to he found,
perhaps, in New England. The site on
which it has stood for nearly, If not
quite, 175 years is lovely. The house Is
the old lie Valley homestead on Phenix
hill, where, in the childhood Of New Eng
land, Peter lie Valley, Huguenot OF dis
tinction, came, and, settling, was the an
cestor of all of that name to-day in this
section of the country. 1t may safely be
said that there is not to-day house so
filled with relics of past times as is this
quaint old structure. 1t is now the prop
erty of Mrs. Harvey Spencer, she being
lineal descendent of Peter lie Valley, and
here Mr.. and Mrs. Spencer live, sur
rounded with priceless legacies, counting
back five generations.
Many by whom this story may be read,
will recall TO mind most eccentric but
excellent woman who inhabited the house,
being the last of her direct branch OF the
family and residing here alone, Amanda
LeValley. What legion of remembrances
that name will recall Miss LeValley was
one of the prominent characters OF village
life for fifty years, and her home was the
centre of cordial, il peculiar hospitality,
during all that time. She was just such
a one as Dickens would loved TO have per-
petrated in his writings :,
IL would be an easy task to describe all
that is new in this old house, for there is
little of il. A solid San Domingo tablein
the cheerful dining room is often set this
way: white table cloths of linen, for
which the flax was raised on the place,
batchelled, carded, spun and woven into
the lovely old "Ns and O's" patterns OF
past age.
Several such pieces of table linen are in
perfect condition and ready for use old
silver teaspoons, with long, slender
handles and hammered bowls, table
spoons equally ancient, exquisite cut
glass pieces, from tiny wine up to ham
mered punch glasses two sets of fraii
pieces, not to be duplicated, may be
shown. Hanging as placques on the wall
are priceless examples of old delft, while
fine brass pieces decorate the generous
sized, old fireplace. II one but steps into
a sleeping room in this old home, there
one sees a continuation of ancient handi-
work, all in a perfect state OF preserva-
ton The sheets are those woven at the
very beginning Of weaving here. When
the first cotton factory ever built here was
ready to have started up its primitive ma
chinery, Miss Elizabeth LeNalley, then
young daughter of the family, because of
her expertness in weaving, was sent for 10
start the hand looms at the mill. She
went, and so the first cotton sheeting ever
made in factory here, was made by her.
A cut of cloth was given her for this cour-
teous act, and to-day the sheets made
from il are in as perfect condition as any
new articles of the kind.
Bed spreads, immense in size, are here
in beautiful variety, all home woven. One
of these is exquisite and unlike any ever
seen before by the writer 1t is Of white
hand woven cloth over which is worked
in ornate design and rich tufting charm
ing conventional pattern. The tufted
work.stands an inch above the surface of
the fabric. 1t Is curiosity well worth "A
visit to the place. An old samplar the
colors vivid and unfaded and of patterns
really beautiful, is shown the careful
work of patient hands long since dust.
Hand woven woolen blankets, made from
sheep to bed, in every process at this
homestead, are fine and strong and in
daily use now. Nearly all the furniture
is antique and lovely, handed down
through generations.
In quaint articles of every day use there
are old lanterns of tin, with open work de-
signs to let the rays of the candle en-
closed within filter through; old runlets,
once carried over the wilds of Warwick,
as hunters went about for game or hus-
bandmen toiled in the fields, shaking their
thirst from the contents of these old yes
sels toast racks fitted to set before the
hearth fire with revolving motion for the
slices of bread old pewter dishes and
things innumerable.
An old flint lock musket, carried through
the Revolutionary War by an ancestor of
Mr.. Spencer, may be seen Ii is feet
inches in length, with fierce bayonet and
of enormous weight. A piece of furni-
ture, belonging originally to the Lummis
family on the maternal side OF Mr.. Spen-
GERS family, is a most valuable thing 1t
is combination of desk and chest of
drawers, with the same standard as is
seen in the first colonial Bullets. This
piece of furniture is made of lovely beech
wood stands seven feet high, has fine
mouldlngs, many drawers, some OF them
secret ones, and is unlike any offered at
sales of ancient curios.
A side saddle, just as well kept as if
made yesterday, is in the stable loft. On
the under side of the flap is still to be seen
the business card of the maker, which
reads:
Saddles, and harness of all kinds,
made and sold by Robert Durfee, on the
west side of the bridge, a little eastward
Jeremiah Fenners, in Providence.
Can any one give the history of this
busines firsti
On the table cloths mentioned above.
the date 1874 was marked carefully and
plainly, while the china, silver and fur
niture, date far back of that epoch.
Precious old documents, one even going
backwards to the tune when the first of
these old Huguenots landed at Plymouth,
and received his title To real estate, is held
by Mrs. Spencer.
And what makes this quaint old home
and its treasures more remarkable is the
fact that not one relic is there, but those
which came TO Mr.. and Mrs. Spencer as
legacies from their own ancestors
Verify. this household has not to go out
collecting evidences of the right TO ancient
and honorable lineage, buying with money
thot which the circumstances of their
forefathers denied them.
The NEWS representative is indebted TO
the kind courtesy of Mr.. and Mrs. Spencer
gathering matter for this article