Circa 1788
"The Gem at Little Rest" An Important U.S. and Rhode Island Landmark
Discover Rhode Island's
Most Storied Colonial Home
An Important Piece of American and Culinary History ...
The Oldest Gingerbread Ovens in America
An 18th Century Story Waiting to be Retold
An 18th Century Story Waiting to be Retold
Inside the home are the oldest gingerbread ovens in America, a quiet artifact of early American culinary life. Once tended by Stephen “Baker” Greene, these ovens filled South County with the scent of gingerbread, embedding food, place, and tradition into the fabric Colonial America.
An 18th Century Story Waiting to be Retold
An 18th Century Story Waiting to be Retold
An 18th Century Story Waiting to be Retold
Today, this storied hearth waits patiently for a new owner and a new chapter, as it has waited through centuries of quiet change. It offers a rare privilege, not merely to possess a piece of American history, but to live alongside it, to carry its memory forward, and to allow past and present to converse gently beneath one enduring roof.
Within Walking Distance to The University of Rhode IsLand
An Extraordinary Historic Residence ...
Along South Road in Kingston, Rhode Island, there stands an extraordinary historic residence, its wooden frame shaped by hand and steady time. For more than two centuries, it has borne witness to the unfolding American story. Known to many, simply as Baker Greene’s Gingerbread House, it is a place where the past feels close enough to touch, where sunlight falls across old floorboards much the way it did generations ago.
Inside this remarkable home are what are thought to be the Oldest Gingerbread Ovens in America. They were once tended by Stephen “Baker” Greene, a man whose humble craft helped define the flavor and folklore of South County. From these ovens rose the warm, welcoming scent of gingerbread, drifting across seasons and years, becoming a thread in the tapestry of a community’s shared memory.
The house has passed through a small number of hands: politicians who shaped local debates, Quakers who sought quiet purpose, artisans who worked with care, educators who believed in possibility, and families whose lives unfolded in the rhythms of ordinary days. Each left something behind, something small but deeply human. Taken together, their stories form a portrait of endurance, hope, and the quiet resilience that has always marked American life.
Now, this rare and storied dwelling opens its doors once again. It offers not just a place to live, but an opportunity to become its next steward—a guardian of its history, and a participant in its future. Walking through its rooms, one is reminded that time is not a distant concept here; it is present, alive, gently layered into every beam and board.
This is the Gem at Little Rest, a home that has carried the weight and wonder of two centuries. It stands ready for its next chapter, waiting for someone who understands the privilege of tending to a legacy that continues to echo softly through the years.
