Letter: Wingover Farm’s history, old trees indeed ‘significant’

Posted 11/8/18

To the editor:

I urge the public to come to the Tiverton Planning Board public hearing to voice opposition to a proposed 40-acre solar "farm" at Wingover Farm on Crandall Road. The developer …

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Letter: Wingover Farm’s history, old trees indeed ‘significant’

Posted

To the editor:

I urge the public to voice opposition to a proposed 40-acre solar "farm" at Wingover Farm on Crandall Road. The developer stated in previous meetings that the old house is "not significant", and that the 18-plus acres of woods were last farmed in the 1970s. Neither of these statements could be farther from the truth.

Researching Land Evidence Records, the owner/builder of the house was Peleg Simmons, who probably built the house around 1730-40 (earliest deeds housed in Tiverton only go back to 1747). He deeded the property to his son, Peleg Simmons, Jr., in 1784 with dwelling house and 50 acres. Junior sold it to William Hicks in 1795, who sold it to John Hart in 1808 (60 acres with dwelling house and buildings). It remained in the Hart family until 1929 when it was sold to renowned rum runner Herb Cavaca. Cavaca lived there all through Prohibition, until he sold it to the Tabers in 1944, from whom the present owner bought it.

As far as the history of the early owners, Peleg Simmons was a Revolutionary War officer and is buried in the cemetery on the property, as mentioned in Bayles’ 1888 “History of Newport County”. The Historical Cemetery Commission recently unearthed another historic headstone of Joseph Simmons, who fought in the Battle of Rhode Island.

So not only is the house historically significant for being pre-Revolution, but also historically significant for housing Revolutionary War officers, generations of a significant Tiverton family (Hart), and a modern historically significant rum runner.

Note that through all this time the property is still a working agricultural farm; probably the last eighteenth century one in Tiverton — the same agricultural fields that will become acres of solar panels instead of cornfields, if the development goes through.

Now let’s look at the “not-so-old” woods. About a month ago, RI arborist Matt Largess toured the Wingover woods. He was amazed at what he found: nearly two dozen different types of trees, including American Beech, American Holly, Black and White Oak, Yellow and Paper Birch, Black Cherry, and Bigtooth Aspen. Having birch, holly, and beech together was “special”, he said. But the biggest discovery was the best: a “mother” beech, about 300-400 years old, surrounded by younger beeches about 150+ years old. Largess stated that the property’s open space is unique, featuring open fields, young woodlands, and old growth forest and should be protected. (https://www.ecori.org/smart-growth/2018/10/20/walk-in-the-woods-leads-to-mother-of-all-trees?fbclid=IwAR186OHBbhr2DLP17RgXL4VE8QClVeLvEou0A9z6mRr8-9AbCeUUT_UsoVY)

By the way, National Grid has stated they will not enhance the infrastructure in Tiverton. The property is not zoned for industrial use like a solar energy “farm”.

Help preserve Wingover Farm and write to the Planning Board and Town Council!

Susan Anderson

Tiverton Historical Preservation Advisory Board Chair

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.