Historic House Museums in Connecticut

The David Humphreys house is where our nations first ambassador to a forign country lived. David Humphreys served on Geroge Washingtons staff during the Revolution. The charming colonial mansion has five fireplaces all attached to one chimney. The day in 1762 program hosts many schools and is commited to educating children about the colonial era and local history. Children learn hands on, weaving, spinning, and cooking on an open hearth fire. Students receive a new identity and role play children who actually lived in 1762. Lunch is prepared on the open hearth fire and served in the dining room. The gift shop has many unique colonial toys. The program has been well received for over 25 years. Reserve your class trip today.

Built by Nathaniel Harrison in 1724 as a "two over two" house and occupied by his family and descendants until 1800, the house was then taken over by Linsleys who with their descendants lived here until 1938. In that year J. Frederick Kelly, prominent architectural historian, bought the Harrison House and painstakingly restored it to its original condition.

Prudence Crandall (1803-1890) opened an academy on the Canterbury Green in 1831 to educate daughters of wealthy local families. The museum includes period rooms, changing exhibits, a small research library (available by appointment for in-house study) and a gift shop.

The Nathan Hale Homestead was the home of the family of State Hero, Nathan Hale. Constructed in 1776, the current house is the second dwelling built on the property. Nathan’s father, Richard Hale, was a prosperous livestock farmer and built the house for his large family. Ardent patriots, six of Richard’s eight sons served in the patriot army. One son, Capt. Nathan Hale was caught and hanged as a spy at age 21 by the British in September of 1776. He is famous for his alleged last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.�

The museum consists of the 1785 Rider House which contains period furnishings; textile and historical exhibits, the 1790 Dodd Hat Shop; a library; and changing exhibits in Huntington Hall.

Adjacent to the rolling hills and open meadows of Osbornedale State Park, the recently renovated Osborne Homestead Museum encompasses the house and grounds of the former Frances Osborne Kellogg Estate. Originally constructed in the mid-1800’s, the house was enlarged and completely remodeled in the Colonial Revival style during the 1920’s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its restored interior now displays the original contents of the estate, which constitutes a significant collection of antiques and fine arts.

Atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, William Hooker Gillette, noted actor, director, and playwright, built this one hundred and eighty-four acre estate, the Seventh Sister. The focal point of his effort was a twenty four room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle.

The Thomas Lee House, c.1660, is one of the oldest wood frame houses in Connecticut in its primitive state. The original dwelling consisted of a timber frame erected on six 2-story wall posts, with the Judgement Hall below and the Chamber above. A steeply pitched roof covered a spacious attic over the chamber. A small stone walled cellar pit under part of the hall was reached through a trap door. A massive fireplace with timber lintel spanned most of the west wall. Around 1700 the West Parlor and West Chamber were added as a free standing structure framed on its own four corner posts. About 1765 , the lean-to with the Kitchen and its adjoining rooms were added. The West Parlor was plastered, the summer beam and chimney girt were sheathed, and the paneling formerly on the plastered walls was reused in the lean-to. New paneling, with four flute pilasters was added on the fireplace wall. Today the house is maintained and furnished as it would have been in the 18th century.

The 152-acre property features an Arts and Crafts carriage barn and theater, stone garages, woodland trails, a pond and dairy complex, and a Sunken Garden designed by Beatrix Farrand c. 1920.

This bright red house on the Boston Post Road has had a long and colorful history. It was originally built in the 17th century and has grown over the years into its current size and shape. During this time, a number of elements have both been added and removed from the structure. The result is the current building that reflects the changing attitudes of the various owners who have lived and worked there, rather than just those of the original owners and builders. It is not a static object from the 17th century, but a dynamic building that reflects the whole period of its existence.

The Whitfield family home also served as a fort for the community. Its massive stone walls and chimneys, steeply-pitched roof, and casement windows reflect the style of post-medieval domestic architecture found in England – rare in 17th century America and unique today. Through the years, the "Old Stone House" has undergone many changes and many families have called it home. Today, it is Connecticut's oldest house and New England's oldest stone house.

For 189 years the Butler-McCook House & Garden was home to four generations of a family who participated in, witnessed, and recorded the evolution of Main Street between the American Revolution and the mid-twentieth century. The house's exterior looks much as it did when it was built in 1782. Behind it is a restored Victorian ornamental garden, originally laid out in 1865. Inside are the original furnishings ranging from Connecticut-crafted colonial furniture to Victorian-era toys and paintings to samurai armor acquired during a trip to Japan.

Jonathan Trumbull Junior's Georgian-style house was probably built sometime in the early 1760s by his father, Jonathan Trumbull Sr. Jonathan Jr. and his bride Eunice Backus of Norwich were living in the house at least by 1767, the year they were married, although Jonathan did not purchase the house from his father until 1777. He then hired master joiner Isaac Fitch of Lebanon to remodel the house. Isaac Fitch carved the elaborate woodwork and paneling in the downstairs rooms and the cherry bannister that curves along the stairway to the second floor. A kitchen ell and an extension to the north parlor were also added.

In 1773, the newly married Tapping Reeve and Sally Burr Reeve settled in Litchfield where Reeve promptly established a legal practice. The following year, Sally's brother Aaron Burr came to live with them and Reeve began to instruct him in the law. Several prominent residents of Litchfield also sent their sons to Reeve for legal training, establishing his reputation as a teacher and forming the nucleus of what was to become America's first formal school of law.

The New York architecture firm of Hoppin and Koen designed a domain on a par with the estates of Lenox, Massachusetts, and the "cottages" of Newport, Rhode Island. For over 30 years, Long Hill was the center of ceremonial life for the Wadsworth and Hubbard families.

The house is furnished largely with objects owned by members of the Day family, including toys and locally produced ceramics and silver, and still features the original floor and stair stenciling applied to mimic carpeting. Also on display are a selection of photographs from among the thousands taken by pioneering art photographer Dr. Amasa Day Chaffee between 1890 and 1925

The society has 5 buildings open including the 1764 Hanford-Silliman House Museum, and the Town House which contains a costume museum.

Built by Amos Morris around 1750, the house was burned by the British during their raid on New Haven in 1779 and rebuilt by the Morris family. It remained in that family until 1915, when it was purchased by William Pardee, a descendant of the Morris family, who hoped to make it his home.

The Hempsted Houses comprises two buildings: the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House and the 1759 Nathaniel Hempsted House. The Joshua Hempsted House is a frame building and is one of New England’s oldest and best-documented dwellings. Joshua Hempsted lived here his whole life, filling many roles, including farmer, judge, gravestone carver, shipwright, and father of nine children left motherless by his wife’s death in 1716.

On the National Register of Historic Places as the Thomas Avery House, c. 1845, the Smith-Harris House Museum is an excellent example of a Greek Revival farmhouse from the mid-19th century. The home is furnished in a style appropriate to a prosperous New England farm family. The front hall is decorated with a mural in the style of Rufus Porter, representing the Town of East Lyme in 1845. Current displays and events tell the story of the impact of the Civil War on domestic life in Connecticut.

A National Historic Landmark since 1971, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is regarded as one of the earliest and most significant Second Empire Style country houses in the United States. Built by renowned financier and railroad baron LeGrand Lockwood, during and shortly after the Civil War years, (1864 to 1868), the mansion, with its unparalleled Gilded Age interiors and furniture, illustrates magnificently the beauty and splendor of the Victorian Era.

The Christopher Leffingwell House Museum is considered one of the finest restored examples of New England's Colonial Architecture. Displayed within it's walls are wonderful examples of early Norwich silversmiths and clock makers. It is a living museum where visitors can experience 18th century civilian life as they walk through its' rooms and feel a connection to those who founded this country.

The House is a National Historic Landmark. Designed by Samuel Belcher, architect of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, and built for William Noyes in 1817, the Late Georgian-style mansion reflects the affluent, formal style of living during Old Lyme's maritime era. The period rooms rekindle the spirit of another life and time.

Built more than two centuries ago in 1767 for his bride, Esther Buckingham, the General William Hart house is one of the earliest houses in Saybrook, the first settlement on the southern shore of Connecticut.

The Stone-Otis House, ca. 1830, was built by Sarah and Dennis Stone. This house represents one of the finest old homes in what was the newly formed town of Orange. Built on the east side of the Town Green, this modified Greek Revival stands as a tribute to the fine workmanship of the time.

The house where Samuel Huntington was born and raised was built for his father about 1723. It was two stories in height with one room on each floor. In the present house, the east front room on the ground floor and the chamber above it are Nathaniel Huntington's original house. In form and construction, this house reflected a conservative approach to building that was rooted deep in the seventeenth century. The house was enlarged and remodelled to its present appearance in several phases over the next 120 years.

The Phelps house and tavern was owned by five generations of the Phelps family for nearly two hundred years. The building served as family home, canal hotel, lodge meeting site, entertainment hall, and local tavern. From 1786 until 1849, three generations of fathers and sons, and one widow, served as tavern-keepers.

The people who built this house were the children or grandchildren of the founders of Stamford. Their tastes and their sense of relation to England were beginning to change and they were becoming more independent. They adopted English architectural styles into a more American mode.

Boothe Memorial Park & Museum sits on an idyllic, 32 acre site in the north end of Stratford by the Housatonic River, which was the estate of the Boothe family for many generations and willed to the town in 1949 for the public to enjoy. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are many architecturally unique buildings and attractions on the grounds.

Shaded by a 300-year-old sycamore tree, the Hatheway House provides a glimpse of 18th century life. The main block of the house was built in the 1760s by Shem Burbank for his bride. Here they raised a large family until financial reverses forced the sale of the property to Oliver Phelps, a prosperous land speculator. To reflect his increasing wealth, Phelps altered the existing house and in 1794 added a wing in the current high fashion. This wing still has rooms with their original vibrant-colored French wallpapers. After Phelps’ death in debt, the house was purchased by Asahel Hatheway and it remained in the Hatheway family for a century. Today, the site is maintained by the Antiquarian and Landmarks Society as an historic house museum.

Perhaps most impressive to visitors is the quantity and quality of the millwork that can be seen throughout this residence. Built by the Hotchkiss Brothers Company (the family business), the house was obviously a showpiece for the firm. Mahogany, birds-eye maple, quarter-sawn oak and red birch are just a few of the types of wood used in the house. Paneled walls and elaborate hand carved details can be seen in abundance, especially in the first floor of the mansion. The interior decoration, together with the family furnishings and collections of porcelain, paintings and art glass, are sure to provide a visual delight for the visitor.

Typical of the central hall design, the Simeon-Mitchell House was built in 1781. The house features exhibits on local history, furniture, clothing, tools, rare books and more.

Webster's birthplace helps to tell the story of one man's vision and his impact on American culture. Through the promotion of education, laws, human rights, and language, Noah Webster helped to create a national identity for a fledgling nation.; Though he accomplished much more during his life, Webster is best remembered for authoring two of America’s most influential books, the "Blue-Backed Speller" and An American Dictionary of the English Language.

Built in 1790’s in the Georgian style, the house was occupied in 1804 by Captain John Hurlbut, a successful mariner who circumnavigated the globe on the ship Neptune. In the 1860’s, the house was remodeled by Levi Goodwin to reflect the Italianate style popular at that time. An ell containing kitchens, servants’ quarters and a large copper cistern to hold rainwater was added.

The 6,500 square-foot house is an example of neo-classical revival architecture and was modeled after a Newport, RI mansion. It includes breathtaking leaded glass, 12-foot ceilings, and spectacular staircases, woodwork, china cabinets, built-ins and marble fireplace.

The house was built about 1750 and is an architecturally interesting and unusual combination of gambrel and saltbox roof styles. In 1926, the famed English horticultural designer and writer was commissioned to plan an "old fashioned" garden to enhance the newly created musuem. Gertrude Jekyll (pronounced jeek uhl) had a profound influence on modern garden design and is widely considered the greatest gardener of the 20th century. Although a small garden, when compared with the some 400 more elaborate designs she completed in England and on the continent, the Glebe House garden includes 600 feet of classic English style mixed border and foundation plantings, a planted stone terrace, and an intimate rose allee.

Built in 1846 in the newly fashionable Gothic Revival style, Roseland Cottage depicts the summer life of Henry and Lucy Bowen and their young family. Prominently situated across from the town common, Roseland Cottage epitomizes Gothic Revival architecture, with its steep gables, decorative bargeboards, and ornamented chimney pots. The interior of Roseland Cottage is equally colorful, and features elaborate wall coverings, heavily patterned carpets, and stained glass, much of which survives unchanged from the Victorian era.