Uniquely Rhode Island ~ The Stone-ender

via Wikipedia:

"The Stone-ender is a unique style of Rhode Island architecture that developed in the 17th century where one wall in a house is made up of a large stone chimney."

A simple definition for a simple concept. It was an adaptation of Western English architecture (from where many Rhode Island colonists originated), that expanded the massive stone fireplace to take up the entire end of the building. The rest of the building would have been timber-framed, usually one and a half to two stories high. Each floor would have contained just one room, to allow the fireplaces to heat the space.

This is the stone end of the Clemence-Irons house in Johnston. It's one of the few original stone-enders still extant. You can go inside the building to look around, but other than the interior architecture, there isn't much to see.

There are a few other stone-enders left in Rhode Island, most dating from the 1600's. Wikipedia has a list.