John Brown House Museum

Built 1786–1788 for John Brown, one of Providence's wealthiest merchants and a major figure in the town's Revolutionary-era commerce. Brown was involved in the Gaspee Affair (1772) and helped finance Rhode Island's war effort. John Adams called the house "the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent." The house reflects the maritime mercantile wealth that made Providence a critical node in the Continental supply chain. Operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society.