Hortonville Historic District

Hortonville is a village strung along Locust Street in northern Swansea, close to the Rehoboth line. Its roughly 122 acres hold farmhouses, village cottages and open pasture, with Cole's River forming part of the southern edge. Settlement began in the mid-18th century when the Hale, Martin and Eddy families farmed the western end. The oldest building is the Melatiah Martin House of 1736. In the early 19th century the eastern end near the river became an industrial center. A cotton mill opened in 1806 and burned in 1836, and grist mills also operated there. The 1830s brought a school, chapel and meeting hall, and the 1838 schoolhouse is the oldest surviving one in town. By the late 19th century the village was self-sufficient, with a store and post office. After about 1900 development nearly stopped and the area returned to farming and housing. Baker Farm remains a major agricultural presence. The district was listed for its local historical and architectural value.