Looking Back at Shethar Real Estate: Little Compton’s First Agency

Full-page print advertisement from the 1934 Summer Locater for Prentice Shethar Real Estate, featuring simple text and a two-digit phone number: Telephone 30.
The original advertisement for Prentice Shethar Real Estate from the 1934 Summer Locater, published by the Little Compton Village Improvement Society.

Taking a look back through Little Compton’s history, it’s remarkable to see how much things have changed—and how some traditions remain steadfast. A great example comes from the 1934 edition of the Summer Locater, published by the Little Compton Village Improvement Society.

Inside is an impressive, full-page advertisement for Prentice Shethar Real Estate. The ad is strikingly simple and direct, listing only the proprietor’s name, business, and a two-digit phone number: Telephone 30.

According to an essay by Keith Crudgington for the Little Compton Historical Society’s Women’s History Project, the agency was founded by Susan and Prentice Shethar. Recognized as the very first real estate business in town, Shethar Real Estate originally focused on seasonal summer house rentals.

Following the passing of her husband, Prentice, Susan took the helm and managed the agency on her own. She eventually sold the business to William Whitmarsh in the late 1960s.

The agency’s journey continued through the decades. Rhonda Marvall purchased the business in 1979, and by the 1990s, Shethar Real Estate had relocated to a contemporary-style office at 33 Meetinghouse Lane.

As reported by Providence Business News, the firm was acquired in 2021 by Residential Properties Ltd., which subsequently moved the local office to nearby Westport.

Today, real estate in Little Compton has evolved into big business, where million-dollar property transactions are the norm. While it is sad to see the classic Shethar Real Estate name sunsetted after nearly a century, its legacy endures.

Founded back in 1924, the agency and its agents spent decades building stellar reputations grounded in deep community involvement—a tradition of service and local connection clearly reflected in that simple 1934 ad.

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Ceramic coffee mug featuring "Little Compton, RI Zip Code - 02837 - Sakonnet, LC" text design.

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