Land-holding patterns on the East Side were similar to those in many rural agricultural areas, where property changed hands seldom and usually among family members. In the 17 and 18 centuries, the greater part of the survey area was owned by members of a very few families which were interrelated by marriage. Some parcels remained in the same family for generations.
Arthur Fenner (1622-1703) was one of the earliest settlers of the area east of the home lots. His land included the site of Slate Rock, the landing spot of Roger Williams, near the present Power, Gano, and Williams Streets. Arthur or his family eventually expanded the holdings north to East Manning Street. The Fenner property was known as What Cheer Farm, in reference to the statement which tradition affirmed was the Indian greeting to Roger Williams: “What Cheer, Netop.”
Henry Browne (1626-1703), Arthur Fenner’s cousin and brother-in-law (each man married a daughter of Richard Waterman), owned a large tract near Swan Point which extended west past present-day Cole Avenue, probably as far as Morris Avenue. Henry’s son Richard Brown (1676-1774) and grandsons William (1705-1782) and Richard (1711/12-1811/12) inherited the property.

Richard Brown

The story of Cole Farm begins with Richard Brown, a descendant of Chad and Moses Brown, famous early Rhode Island citizens. An ambitious, hard working man Richard chose to build his house of brick on the old Neck Road (Swan Point Road) — this brick house still standing on the grounds of Butler Hospital near the foot of Rochambeau avenue. Richard operated a horse rental business from there as well as a very early catering business. His account books tell us of his providing a dinner of roasted, fat sheep, bread and ‘a peck of peas’ for the builders of a Baptist meeting house in Providence’. Social events included being quarters of the Revolution and balls ‘graced by ladies of the town’. In addition Richard for many of his 100 years was a magistrate performing weddings and examining deeds for the people of Providence.

Not far from the home of this outstanding man of Providence was the home of his son also named Richard. The younger Richard chose to live in another section of the more than seventy acres the family owned south and east of the brick house. As his father young Richard was an ambitious, industrious man. His interests were in farming, as well as rearing horses. His choice of house was a one and a half story, clapboard sided farm house. (Over time the simplicity of the original house has been changed by several additions, a technique used by farmers and others to accommodate growing families.) From this house Richard worked to develop his family farm and also he began to hire workers to handle such a large parcel of land and numerous animals. From his efforts came a small village, later to be named Cole Village/ Cole Farm Village. Over time workers would build houses here, later owners would add houses and eventually a general store was erected to provide the goods the residents needed.

The Cole Family
The Cole family has been identified with the history of Rhode Island since the early years of the struggling colony. The family which was founded in Rhode Island by James Cole is a branch of one of the most ancient and honorable English houses.
Richard Brown’s granddaughter married Cyrus Cole, and he became the executor of Richard’s estate upon Richard’s death. Cyrus bought the farm and took up residence there. The direct line from Cyrus to Francis S. Cole, the last resident of that family in the house, when the area became Cole Farm Court, is direct. The descendancy includes Washington Cole who surveyed the area of the Browns and others, including land bordered today by Grotto Brook to the east, to the west the Butler Hospital grounds, to the south Laurel. and President Avenues. Today three houses of the workers of Cole Farm/Cole Village remain on Clarendon St. 11, 20, 24.

Samuel Jackson Cole was a man of means and position in Providence in the early part of the nineteenth century, a gentle-man farmer, and the owner of a large estate, located in the section between Irving avenue and the Pawtucket line, and what is now the Blackstone Boulevard. He married Frances Sessions, member of a prominent old family of Providence.

Their son, Washington Leverett Cole, was educated in the private school and on completing his studies, became interested immediately in the management of his father’s large property and of his farm, eventually succeeding him in the control of the estate. He devoted his entire life to bringing this farm to a high standard of efficiency and excellence, purely for the love of the work, and for his deep interest in agriculture and dairying. The farm was famous for its herd of one hundred high grade cows, which was the pride of its owner. Mr. Cole conducted a large business in dairy products. He was widely known in Providence, and highly respected for the stern integrity and consistent justice of his life and of his business policies. Although he maintained a deep interest in public issues, he kept strictly aloof from political circles, and was independent of party restriction in casting his vote. He was in accord with the policies and principles of the Republican party on national issues, however. He was a member of the Episcopal church.

On December 28, 1872, Mr. Cole married Martha Stalker, who was born in Greenwich, Rhode Island, daughter of Duncan and Lucy (Spencer) Stalker, her father a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and her mother of Warwick, Rhode Island. Upon the death of Washington Cole in 1912, the property passed to his wife, Martha. All of the land, except the original old farm site, by this time had been sold for real estate development.
The remaining property is owned by Francis L. Cole and his sister, Jessie Leverett, Mrs. Martha S. Cole passed away on November 15, 1916.

Sources:
Historic and Architectural Resources of the East Side of Providence
Cow Paths on City Streets, The Providence Sunday Journal Magazine, November 24, 1929
NY: The American Historical Society, Inc. 1920