Waterfront Westerly house built in 1903 added to National Register

RAM POINT, a circa 1903 waterfront home in the Avondale section of Westerly, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. / COURTESY R.I. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION & HERITAGE COMMISSION
RAM POINT, a circa 1903 waterfront home in the Avondale section of Westerly, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. / COURTESY R.I. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION & HERITAGE COMMISSION

PROVIDENCE – The National Park Service has added Ram Point, a circa 1903 Colonial Revival-style summer estate located in the Avondale section of Westerly, to the National Register of Historic Places.
Privately owned, the 6.27-acre property sits on the Ram Point peninsula that pushes into the Pawcatuck River south of downtown Westerly and includes the main house as well as a carriage house, a boathouse and other structures, as well as woods and gardens overlooking the water.
The original owner of the home was Dr. John Whitridge Williams, a leading obstetrician based at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. His 1903 book, “Obstetrics,” was a leading text at the time, with 25 edition published through the mid-20th century, according to the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, which announced the designation Monday. The home was designed by Baltimore architect Douglas H. Thomas Jr., a cousin of Williams.
Commission Executive Director Edward Sanderson said in prepared remarks that “a century ago, Rhode Island’s shore was highly valued as an ideal summer vacation setting. This is still true today, further enhanced by well-preserved historic houses and estates like Ram Point.”
Homes on the National Register are eligible for federal and Rhode Island tax benefits for historic rehabilitation projects. Owners of property on the list are “free to maintain, manage or dispose of their property as they choose,” according to the RIHPHC.

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