Shakespeare's Head, Providence

Shakespeare’s Head, now known as Primus House, is a three-story timber building constructed around 1772 for printer John Carter. Its balanced five-bay façade, hipped roof, clapboard walls, sash windows and stone foundation reflect late colonial building traditions. The name came from a carved bust of William Shakespeare that Carter displayed as a sign for his printing and bookselling business.

The building combined Carter’s family home with a printing office, bookshop and post office. Here, he produced the area’s first newspaper, recording events surrounding the Gaspee affair, the American Revolution and the early years of the United States. Recent research has also brought attention to Ingow and Fanny, two women enslaved by the Carter family, and Primus King, an enslaved man who worked at the printing press.

Saved from demolition during the 1930s, the house was restored by the Shakespeare’s Head Association, which also created a Colonial Revival garden in 1939. The property was sold in 2025 to the Civis Foundation for use by the Center for Reflective History. Renovation work is planned before its expected public opening in 2027, when exhibitions and programmes will explore the lives of the building’s residents and workers. Access may remain limited during this period.