The Nathaniel Backus House, at 44 Rockwell Street in Norwich, was built as a Colonial era house in 1750, but is notable for its later Federal-style detailing. The house is named for Nathaniel Backus, Jr., who married Hannah Baldwin in 1726. Backus was one of only six men in Norwich who owned their own carriages in the years before the Revolutionary War. The house originally stood on lower Broadway. In 1951, it was saved from demolition and moved to Rockwell Street by the Faith Trumbull Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Together with the neighboring Perkins-Rockwell House, the Backus House is operated as a museum by the DAR.

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Nathaniel Backus House (1750)
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3 thoughts on “Nathaniel Backus House (1750)

  • January 30, 2012 at 11:28 am
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    This house is a Federal-style house built ca. 1830. It is a well-preserved and detailed example of the style. While the lot it once occupied in the downtown might have been owned in the 18th century by the Backus family, it is clearly an early 19th-century building.

  • March 25, 2019 at 10:25 am
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    How might I arrange for a tour of the Nathaniel Backus House?

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