The 100+ acre Grove Estate which presently contains Heritage Plantation was, in its original incarnation, the farm and property of the Wings, a pioneer family of Sandwich. The farm lasted from the 17th to mid-19th century. It was purchased in 1921 by Charles O. Dexter. Dexter, an 1885 Brown graduate and textile manufacturer, was a highly skilled botanist who began propagating various varieties of rhododendron on the "Shawme Farm" property in the 1920's. The propagation of rhododendron continued for two decades until Dexter's death in 1943. Today, of the 135 named Dexter cultivars, 106 are located on Heritage Plantation's Property.
The present museum's history can be traced to 1964 when Josiah Kirby Lilly III, an heir to the Lilly Pharmaceutical fortune, visited Palm Springs, California, witnessed an antique car rally; and, deeply impressed, decided to start an antique auto collection of his own. At the same time, Mr. Lilly wanted to do something interesting and lasting with his father's collection of antique militaria. J.K. Lilly, Jr. Was one of the greatest private collectors of this century, amassing superb coin, stamp, art, and military collections to name only a few. J.K. Lilly III had bought his father's miniatures and weapons at auction upon his father's death. Mr. Lilly's search for a suitable site for his antique car collection and his father's collections ended when he bought "Shawme Farm" in 1967. A replica of the Shaker round barn at Hancock, Massachusetts, was built to house the cars and a replica of "The Temple," George Washington's headquarters at New Windsor, New York, was constructed as the resting place for the weapons and miniatures. The Art Museum, containing a working 1912 Looff carousel and J.K. Lilly III's collection of American decorative arts was opened in 1972, three years after the opening of the original museum.
The American Revolution Web Site offers a selection of photographs of the museum's holdings of 18th century firearms.