Salve's Seven Estates: The People

Located on Ruggles Avenue, the Althorpe estate was built in 1889-1890. The architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns designed the house in the Colonial Revival style for prominent Philadelphia lawyer John Thompson Spencer, who was active in turn-of-the-century plans for the improvement of Newport’s public spaces. Salve Regina acquired the property in 1964. It is now a student residence and known as Founders Hall. The estate's carriage house and stable, known as The Hedges, was also designed by the architecture firm of Peabody & Stearns. 

Sources: Campus buildings of Salve Regina University and The Cultural Landscape Foundation

The Spencers can trace their lineage to Rev. Robert Blackwell, chaplain with George Washington at Valley Forge. For information about the architectural heritage of the Althorpe Estate, check out the research guide Architecture & Heritage: Salve's Seven Estates. 

(Providence Journal, Dec. 24, 1925)

Source: Ancestry Library database

Philadelphia lawyer John Thompson Spencer, of the Althorpe estate, was on the list of wealthy summer residents in 1894 assessed steep taxes for their Newport properties, according to The New York Times. 

• The New York Times articles provide a peek into the lifestyle of the Spencer family. A  July 23, 1910 article has Mr. Spencer sailing for Russia to join his wife, Rebecca W. Spencer, and son Willing Spencer in St. Petersburg.
• On May 18, 1895, Mr. Spencer was bound for Liverpool on the RMS Lucania ocean liner.
• The Walsh family, who made their money in mining, declined to lease Althorpe for the summer in 1905 from the Spencers, deeming the cottage "too small" to accommodate expected summer visitors and the introduction of their daughter to Newport society. 

It's early in the summer season in Newport and John T. Spencer of Philadelphia is among the first to register for the season as a member of the Casino's club, according to this article from The New York Times on June 12, 1892. 

Providence Journal, Dec. 24, 1925