Capt. Giles Wilcox House (1786)

The center-chimney house at 455 East Street in the Westfield section of Middletown was built in 1786 by Giles Wilcox (1750-1838), a prominent citizen and militia captain, on land he had acquired from the estate of his father-in-law David Doud. The house, known as “Ashcroft,” remained in the Wilcox family until 1943, when it was acquired by the Brainard family. The house had to be repaired after an ash tree crashed through the roof during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.