Shady Bend Renovations

The historic building at 133 Bay State Road known as Shady Bend will soon be renovated.

The Rehoboth Board of Selectmen accepted a donation of $20,000 from businessman John Ferreira - Barney Avenue Investment, LLC.

“Twenty thousand dollars is going to help that project go along to where it needs to be,” Selectman Rob Johnson said on October 5.

The Shady Bend Tea House was built in 1809 and was used as office space for the Union Manufacturing Company. It was later used as a temporary post office and then for storage of books from Goff Hall.

In 1920, the office was leased for use as a Tea House by Ann Gilman, giving the Tea House the name Shady Bend.

From 1898 to 1927, the Taunton to Providence Trolley brought customers to the Tea House. Earl S. Carpenter continued the Tea House until 1922, after which it became a barber shop operated by Oscar Berghman.

The building was closed for many years. In 1939, Enoch Carpenter purchased the property and it was used as a retreat.