Historical note:

            Peace Dale Offices Incorporated was incorporated in the state of Rhode Island on December 4, 1929, to manage Hazard family real estate and distribute profits. It issued 100 shares of stock, all owned by Mary P. (Bushnell) Hazard (1859-1936), widow of Rowland G. Hazard II. In 1935, she placed all of these shares in a trust administered by Frederick W. Tillinghast, generally referred to as the "F.W.T. Trust". At the same time, Mrs. Hazard donated most of her extensive land holdings to Peace Dale Offices, providing it with the core of its assets.

            According to an explanatory letter by corporate secretary Earl W.G. Howard dated 4/10/1962, "I would think that the purpose was to assemble in one operating unit, the bulk of the real property owned by Mrs. Mary P.B. Hazard, excluding Holly House and Dial House in California. This property, much of it income producing, and many intangibles, including shared of Allied [Chemical and Dye Corporation] which appeared capable of providing a portion of the needed operating income, would then be operated by a continuing personnel, resident in the locality." Howard had been involved with the firm as a paid administrator since 1933.

            As of 1935, the company's property included many parcels of land and mortgages in the Peace Dale area, as well as the mortgage on the El Capitan Ranch in California, and shares of stock in the Anna Hazard Land Company, the R. Hazard Estate Co. and Allied Chemical. Its central holding was the Peace Dale Office Building, constructed in 1856, which rented out space to a variety of office tenants, including the Museum of Primitive Culture, the U.S. Post Office, and many of the various Hazard family estate firms.

            Mary P.B. Hazard died in 1936, and control of the corporation passed to her five children, with her son Thomas P. Hazard serving as president through at least 1964. Frederick W. Tillinghast, a trustee for her estate, served as vice president through 1942. The corporation was still in existence in 1971.

Return to top

Scope and content:

            This collection contains correspondence, land records and financial records relating to the firm. Some of it relates to the routine maintenance of company land and buildings, some to investments and sale of land, and some to routine office work such as filing of taxes.

Return to top

Provenance:

            These papers were donated by the Hazard family as part of the Hazard Family Papers in 1985. The bulk were originally placed on deposit in 1983, and some arrived in 1975.

Return to top

Processing note:

            This collection is part of the Hazard Family Papers, which were processed with support from the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, the Beinecke Foundation, and the extended Hazard Family.

Return to top

Inventory:

Series 1: Administrative

Series 1, subseries 1: Minutes and official papers

Box 1, folder 1. Director's and stockholder meeting minutes, 1930-1963 (incomplete drafts)

Box 1, folder 2. Annual reports to state of Rhode Island, 1939-1963

Box 1, folder 3. Incorporation and by-laws, 1929

Series 1, subseries 2: Correspondence

Box 1, folder 4. 1929

Box 1, folder 5. 1930

Box 1, folder 6. 1931-1943

Box 1, folder 7. 1945-1946

Box 1, folder 8. 1947-1959

Box 1, folder 9. 1960-1965

Box 1, folder 10. Frederick W. Tillinghast, 1935-1938

Box 1, folder 11. Frederick W. Tillinghast, 1939

Box 1, folder 12. Frederick W. Tillinghast, 1940

Box 1, folder 13. Frederick W. Tillinghast, 1941-1942

Box 1, folder 14. Frederick W. Tillinghast, 1943-1947

Box 1, folder 15. Margaret H. Goddard, 1936-1960

Box 1, folder 16. Elizabeth H. Sturges, 1936-1953

Box 1, folder 17. Memos, 1959-1964

Series 2: Property records

These files include deeds and leases of individual parcels, as well as correspondence and bills relating to maintenance and sale.

Series 2, subseries 1: General:

Box 1, folder 18. Detailed summary of property with company history, 1962

Box 1, folder 19. Deeds of land later deeded to P.D.O., 1860-1918

Box 1, folder 20. Initial deeds from Mary P.B. Hazard, 1932

Series 2, subseries 2: California:

Box 1, folder 21. Dial House sale to Caroline Hazard, 1937

Box 1, folder 22. El Capitan - Edwards & Williams correspondence, 1941-1945

Box 1, folder 23. El Capitan - Mortgage, 1946

Box 1, folder 24. Santa Barbara land, 1936-1937

Series 2, subseries 3: South Kingstown , R.I. - Broad Rock Farm:

Box 1, folder 25. Christenson mortgage, 1933-1939

Box 1, folder 26. Michael Gammino lease and deed, 1937-1950

Box 1, folder 27. Horace Greene deed, 1938

Box 1, folder 28. Hazard wood lots deed, 1947

Box 1, folder 29. South County Public Service right of way, 1929

Series 2, subseries 4: South Kingstown , R.I. - Dale Carlia Farm:

Box 1, folder 30. Anna Hazard Land Co. deed, 1945

Box 1, folder 31. Joseph Costanza service station, 1929-1947

Box 1, folder 32. Gaus deed, 1947

Box 1, folder 33. Irving Yost purchase of creamery land, 1939-1941

Series 2, subseries 5: South Kingstown , R.I. - Peace Dale

Box 1, folder 34. "Priscilla Arnold Place" deed, 1935

Box 1, folder 35. Walter Crandall deed, 1950

Box 1, folder 36. Holly House additional lot, 1943

Box 1, folder 37. Ice House lease to Wakefield Ice & Fuel, 1938-1942

Box 1, folder 38. "John Kelly Place", 1935

Box 1, folder 39. Kenyon deed, Kingstown Road, 1941

Box 1, folder 40. Murney deed, 1946

Box 1, folder 41. Neighborhood Guild deed, 1937

Box 1, folder 42. Northrup deed, 1945

Box 1, folder 43. Thomas O'Brien store lot, 1922-1965

Box 1, folder 44. Old Mountain Fields gift to South Kingstown, 1937-1941

Box 1, folder 45. Sewell lot, 1943-1964

Box 1, folder 46. South Kingstown Town gift of E.W. Hazard land, 1945

Box 1, folder 47. South Kingstown Town gift, 1962

Box 1, folder 48. Webster deed, Old Mountain Road, 1953

Box 1, folder 49. Williams Lot gift to Peace Dale Congregational Church, 1896-1962

Series 2, subseries 6: South Kingstown , R.I. - Peace Dale Office Building

Box 1, folder 50. Invoices from renovation, 1930

Box 2, folder 1. Invoices from renovation, 1930

Box 2, folder 2. Invoices from renovation, 1930

Box 2, folder 3. Lease to First National Stores, 1930

Box 2, folder 4. Lease to U.S. Post Office, 1936-1956, 1971

Box 2, folder 5. Lease to Prudential Insurance Company, 1954-1959

Box 2, folder 6. Lease to R.W. Schwab, 1962

Box 2, folder 7. Miscellaneous leases and correspondence, 1961-1962

Series 2, subseries 7: South Kingstown , R.I. - Tower Hill

Box 2, folder 8. Albro land sold to Jesse Thorpe, 1932-1948

Box 2, folder 9. W.P.G. barber deed, 1938

Box 2, folder 10. G.A. Geaber deed, 1964-1966

Box 2, folder 11. Hayward lot to Phillip Greene, 1949

Box 2, folder 12. Highway deed to town of South Kingstown, 1952

Box 2, folder 13. Kaplan deed, 1950-1957

Box 2, folder 14. Hilda Kyle deed, 1955-1956

Box 2, folder 15. Ruby MacKenzie deed, 1947

Box 2, folder 16. Thomas O'Brien deed, 1960

Box 2, folder 17. Pettaquamscutt Historical Society gift, 1965

Series 2, subseries 8: South Kingstown , R.I. - Tuckertown

Box 2, folder 18. "Tucker Place", 1936-1947

Series 3: Financial records

Series 3, subseries 1: Account books

Box 2, folder 19. Bank account book, R.I. Hospital Trust, 1930-1937

Box 2, folder 20. Cash receipts log, 1935-1938

Oversized volume 1. Cash journal, 1937-1957

Box 2, folder 21. Journal, 1929-1964

Box 2, folder 22. Ledger, 1930-1937

Box 2, folder 23. Ledger, 1937-1963

            (also contains ledger for Hazard Trust 1935-1939 and Mary P.B. Hazard, 1935-1936)

Series 3, subseries 2: Loose bills

Box 2, folder 24. Rent receipts, 1936-1937

Box 2, folder 25. Paid bills, 1948

Box 2, folder 26. Paid bills, 1950-1956

Box 2, folder 27. Paid bills, 1957-1964

Box 2, folder 28. Petty cash vouchers, 1949

Box 2, folder 29. Petty cash vouchers, 1961

Series 3, subseries 3: Stocks and bonds

Box 2, folder 30. Statements from Sturges, Chaffee & Hazard, 1935-1964

Box 2, folder 31. Gold Bonds transferred from Rhode Island Estates Company, 1923-1949

Series 3, subseries 4: Taxes

Oversized box 5, folder 1. Federal tax returns, 1929-1943

Oversized box 5, folder 2. Federal tax returns, 1944-1952

Box 2, folder 32. Rhode Island tax returns, 1938-1963

Box 2, folder 33. Federal corporation tax returns, 1933-1962

Box 2, folder 34. South Kingstown property taxes, 1949-1963

Box 3, folder 1. Memoranda and worksheets, 1930-1938

Box 3, folder 2. Memoranda and worksheets, 1939-1943

Box 3, folder 3. Memoranda and worksheets, 1944-1952

Box 3, folder 4. Memoranda and worksheets, 1953-1965

Series 3, subseries 5: Personnel

Box 3, folder 5. Employment tax records, 1937-1939

Box 3, folder 6. Employment tax records, 1941-1951

Box 3, folder 7. Employment tax records, 1951-1957

Box 3, folder 8. Employment tax records, 1958-1964

Box 3, folder 9. Employment tax records, 1970-1971

Box 3, folder 10. Walter Crandall pension, 1959-1960

Box 3, folder 11. Caretaker job posting, 1963

Series 4: Miscellaneous

Box 3, folder 12. Agreement with R. Hazard Estate Inc., 1950

Box 3, folder 13. Claim versus estate of Barclay Hazard, 1939

Box 3, folder 14. L.S. Holley versus Holley Ice Co., 1937

Box 3, folder 15. Insurance correspondence and policies, 1953-1964

Box 3, folder 16. Oak Dell Cemetery gifts, 1959-1965

Box 3, folder 17. Office cash memorandum, 1964

Box 3, folder 18. Office furnishings proposal, 1930

Return to top

Subjects:

Broad Rock Farm (South Kingstown, R.I.)

Hazard, Mary P. (Bushnell) (1859-1936)

Hazard, Thomas P. (1892-1968)

Howard, Earl W.G. (1894-1989)

Post office buildings - Rhode Island

Real estate management - Rhode Island - South Kingstown

South Kingstown, R.I. - Commerce

End of finding aid - return to top

RIHS1822