A barn caught fire at the historic Watson Farm in Jamestown Wednesday night. Fire Chief Howie Tighe said crews responded to the scene around 10:45 p.m. and found the barn fully engulfed in flames. Neighbors also reported hearing explosions, he added.
It took about 30 minutes to get the fire under control, Tighe said, and crews stayed on scene until about 1 a.m. Tighe said it was a storage and maintenance barn and no one was inside at the time. The historic farmhouse where the caretakers live and the animal barns were not affected.
A spokesperson for Historic New England said the 1796 barn was a central feature of Watson Farm — one of the region’s oldest working farms. No humans were injured, but a small flock of chickens died, according to the spokesperson. The barn cat was found hiding in another building Thursday morning.
“This is a deeply significant loss,” said Vin Cipolla, President and CEO of Historic New England. “The barn was not only an essential part of the farm’s operations, but also a powerful connection to generations of agricultural history. We are grateful that no one was injured and are committed to moving forward with care and purpose.”
It’s impossible to say how many lives the barn has touched over the more than two centuries it had been standing.
“The Narragansett people have been here for at least 10,000 years, and then when colonists purchased this land, they thought an island full of grass was a perfect place to graze sheep and cows. And that is what we are still doing today,” Historic New England’s Jane Hennedy said.
Hennedy told 12 News that while it’s devastating to see the barn’s story come to an end, its rich history will live on in the community.
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