Hunter House Victorian Museum

See one of the finest examples of Georgian Colonial architecture.

The Hunter House Museum is located near the northern end of the Newport Historic District in Newport, Rhode Island. The home was built between 1748 and 1754 for Jonathon Nichols Jr. Nichols, a prosperous merchant, and colonial deputy. Jonathon Nichols Jr. died in 1756, and Colonel Joseph Wanton Jr. gained ownership of the estate, who also happened to be a merchant and deputy governor. He wanted the house to be larger, so he added a south wing and a second chimney. The building was transformed into a formal Georgian mansion with a large central hall. Colonel Wanton had Loyalist sympathies, so as the American Revolution began, he left Newport and abandoned his home.

The home was later used as the headquarters of Admiral de Ternay, commander of the French fleet, when French forces occupied Newport in 1780. When the war was over, William Hunter acquired the home. William Hunter was a U.S. Senator and President Andrew Jackson's charge d'affaires to Brazil. The Hunter family sold the house in the mid-1860s, and the property then went through several owners until the mid-1940s. In 1945, the home was bought by the Preservation Society of Newport County to avoid demolition and to save its contents.

Hunter House is restored to look like the Victorian era, and the garden has been restored to its 18th-century splendor too. This property has been a National Historic Landmark since 1968. Hunter House is open for limited public tours and features period furnishings by Townsend and Goddard and paintings. The home has beautiful woodwork and a carved pineapple over the doorway, a symbol of welcome throughout Colonial America. Guided tours are available at 12 pm and 2 pm, and self-guided tours are available at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. This historic attraction is open Wednesday through Saturday. If you're visiting Norfolk, Virginia, consider seeing the Hunter House Museum before you leave.