The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum is a small museum located in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, USA. On December 3, 1755, Gilbert Stuart, a famous American portraitist of the 18th and 19th centuries, was born in the colonial-era house located on the property. The museum consists of the 1750 house in which Stuart was born, an operational snuff mill, an operational grist mill, a mill pond, streams, a fish ladder, nature trails, an herb garden, and a Welcome Center and gift shop.HistoryThe house on the property was built in 1751, and Gilbert Stuart lived there for five years. Stuart's father operated the family business in the basement of the house, where a water-powered snuff mill was located. His father, an immigrant from Scotland, worked in the snuffmaking industry; he ground dried tobacco leaves into snuff, a fine powder used widely in the colonial era. The original snuff mill located in the house was actually the first such mill in the American colonies; previously all mills had been located in Europe, particularly in England. When Stuart was seven-years-old, his family moved to Newport, Rhode Island.The house served as a private residence and a tavern during the 18th Century, with the original snuff mill and water wheel being lost.