The plaque at the Decatur House.
The Decatur House was built about 1714 on the site of the Newport Courthouse and moved to Charles Street in 1833. In the 1750s it was owned by Etienne Decatur, a French mariner, whose son Stephen was born there in 1752. The family moved to Philadelphia and gave birth to Stephen Decatur III (1779-1820), naval commodore and War of 1812 hero. Upon retirement, Commodore Decatur built a large mansion on Lafayette Square in Washington DC, where he lived until he was killed in a duel (his second) in 1820.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently featured the Decatur House in Washington D.C., which was the home of the War of 1812 hero Stephen Decatur but today is the National Center for White House History, on their blog. To read more, click here.
The Decatur House, which today houses a popular restaurant.