Tillinghast

Ever wonder, as Chrispy has, why there is a Tillinghast in so many stories? The hoary name is from Providence's College Hill past. In March of 1675 during "King Philip's War" (1) Providence was burned except for two houses. In 1700, Elder Pardon Tillinghast erected a meeting house "in the shape of a haycap with a fireplace in the middle". This was at the (then) corner of North Main and Smith Streets. (2)

Tillinghast obviously made an impact on Lovecraft, he used the name in many stories.

(1) King Philip was the name of a tribal leader, and is a forgotten but heinously bloody war of the New England colonies. It shaped paranoia for decades.
(2) College Hill: Providence, R.I. Planning Commission, 1967. A survey of the area Lovecraft resided, and in Chrispy's collection.