43 Beacon, a Sears Modern Home
Built by Robert (Bob) Wolfenden, World War II veteran, professional carpenter and later superintendent of the Newport, RI Water Department, serving Aquidneck Island, in charge of the Lawton Valley plant in Portsmouth, RI.
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Bob lived with his wife Mildred and had no children. He bought three lots in a row, and the Parkside sits in the center. The other two houses are not Sears. The land was purchased from the Little and Nagle Land Company of Portsmouth, RI.
John and Gloria Little attended the same church as the Wolfendens. After Mildred passed away in 1972, the minister asked them to look after Bob as he was now alone. They would have dinner together and socialize at church, and when Bob developed a blood disease, Gloria would check on him, do his laundry and make meals. Bob passed away in 1980 and is buried in St. Mary's Episcopal Churchyard in Porstmouth, RI.
1940: Just home from the war
After Bob was gone, John Little bought the house and rented it for a period of time. Between the years of 1991 and 2006, it changed hands three times.
The first owner did some modest renovations. The kitchen sink and countertops were updated, but the original cabinetry still remains. He also finished the attic, removing the old pull down staircase that was located in the hall between the bedrooms, and replacing it with a new staircase that went up from the back entry. To accommodate it, he had to reverse the basement stairs and create a landing using the closet from the second bedroom. This created a large living area upstairs, which eventually became 2 bedrooms.
The last owner was foreclosed in 2005, and left the house and property in terrible condition. It sat empty for almost two years.
1980-2006: Rented, sold, foreclosed
2006-2016: TLC for a dream house
I bought the house in December of 2006. Soon after I moved in, my mom (who is a super sleuth and loves history) discovered, through studying land records, the company that sold the land to Bob, Little and Nagle. She looked in the phone book and found that Mr. Little was still living, now in his 80s, in Portsmouth. She called and he was thrilled to speak with her. He and his wife Gloria invited us to their house where they shared their memories of the Wolfendens.
Since the Wolfendens had no children, Bob's things were either thrown away or donated when he died, so Mr. Little kept the items he knew had meant something to Bob: documents that went with the house and some of his personal effects. He gave them to me because he believed they should stay with the house. I cherish them all and have displayed most of them throughout my home.
