A Matter of Record

How the house has been opened

For the first two hundred and eighty-three years of its life nobody outside the family, their guests, and the occasional trespasser went inside this farmhouse. That changed in June 2019, when the property was opened to the public for the first time, and since then access has taken three broad forms. What follows describes them as a matter of record. It is not an offer: this archive does not own the property, does not operate it, and neither sells nor arranges access of any kind.

01 · Evening · roughly five hours

Public Evening Investigations

Historically open to small public groups

The most common form of public access since 2019. Small groups have been admitted for an evening, walked through the documented history of the house, and then left to investigate the rooms and grounds the Perron family described.

What it has involved

A guided walk through the history of the house and land
Access to the main floors, the cellar, and the grounds
Investigation equipment generally made available on site
Small group sizes rather than large public crowds

02 · Dusk to dawn

Private Overnight Investigations

Historically booked by private groups

Private groups have taken the farmhouse from dusk until sunrise with no public crowd present — the arrangement most often described by investigators who have written publicly about the property.

What it has involved

Exclusive use of the property overnight
The cellar, the séance room, and every floor
Investigators bringing their own equipment
A representative of the property present through the night

03 · Daytime · around ninety minutes

Daytime History Tours

Historically open to small public groups

Daylight tours for visitors interested in the documented history of the Old Arnold Estate without an overnight stay — the families, the land, and how a working Rhode Island farm became known worldwide.

What it has involved

Room-by-room history of the farmhouse
The Arnold and Perron families
The grounds, the burial plot, and the surrounding land
Questions taken by the guide

Context

Public access has never been settled

A real, historic building

The farmhouse dates to 1736. Accounts from people who have been inside consistently describe a working historic property rather than a polished attraction — cold rooms, uneven floors, and a great deal of accumulated age.

The licence was refused

In November 2024 the Burrillville Town Council declined to renew the property's entertainment licence, citing strained relations with neighbours. Public access has been in question ever since.

Ownership is contested

A deed was recorded in June 2026, but litigation over the mortgage and the validity of that sale remains before the Superior Court, and guardianship petitions concerning the previous owner are pending in two states.

Anyone considering a visit should deal directly with whoever currently operates the property. It sits on a residential road and should not be approached without them.

Walk the Timeline Where the House Is

An independent historical archive. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the owner of the property, and not affiliated with New Line Productions, Inc. or Warner Bros. No access to the property is sold or arranged through this site.