Built about 1758, this Georgian house in Newport was the home of John Tillinghast, a representative to the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1744 and 1749, and a wealthy merchant and ship owner. It is not unlikely to assume that Tillinghast was involved in the slave trade and transportation of goods in the Indies, like many other wealthy Rhode Island merchants at the time. During the American Revolution, General Nathanael Greene was quartered in this house. Greene was born to a Quaker family in what is now Warwick, Rhode Island, but because of his military affairs, the pacifist Quakers disowned him. After several decisive victories against the British in the Carolinas, Greene was named Commander of the Southern Army, second in command to George Washington! Also during this time, two of Greene’s aides are said to have visited him while he resided at the house. One was the Lithuanian General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, an engineer who designed fortifications along Delaware River and West Point. Another was the Inspector-General of the Continental Army, German-born Friedrich von Steuben. This house is significant and shows the international nature of the War for Independence, which saw American forces joined by French forces and German mercenaries to fight the British. In the early 19th century, the home was occupied by William C. Gibbs, Governor of Rhode Island from 1821-1824. The high-style Georgian home has been enlarged over the years, but remains one of the most significant properties in the town!
Buildings of New England 
This house was rented by Major General Nathanael Greene after he resigned his commission at the close of the War for Independence. It was an intensely stressful time for him–Congress had abandoned him in the payment of the debt for supplying his troops in the final year of the war. His wife gave birth to their 6th child here–a girl–who would contract and die of whooping cough shortly after her birth. The Marquis Lafayette would also visit the Greene family at 142 Mill St.
From this home General Greene would move his wife Caty and 5 remaining children to Savannah, GA where he would die of a stroke shortly thereafter, brought on by the severe hardships of the Southern Campaign (of which he was Commander) and the financial abandonment of Congress. Greene was only 44 years-old when he died–leaving his wife to carry the debt.
Janet Uhlar
Author of: Freedom’s Cost: The Story of General Nathanael Greene
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So much history in this house! Thank you for sharing this extra layer of its history!!
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