Lathrop House (1752)

14 Elm Ave

The house at 14 Elm Avenue in Norwich was built between 1747 and 1752 by William Morgan of Groton. In 1757 he sold the house to Nathan Stedman, an attorney. In 1764 Stedman sold the house to Azariah Lathrop, who enlarged it or rebuilt it. Azariah lived with his son, Dr. Gurdon Lathrop, who was a druggist and had a shop across the Norwichtown Green. Another son of Azariah, Gerard Lathrop, inherited the house in 1810. According to the 1895 book Old Houses of the Antient Town of Norwich, by Mary E. Perkins:

Gerard Lathrop had seven children, three of whom were born in Norwich. In 1814, he conveys his property in Norwich to his brother-in-law, Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely of Philadelphia, and later resides in Savannah and New York City. The house had then for many years a variety of tenants. Capt. Elisha Leffingwell resided here for a time. In 1823, it was sold to Capt. Bela Peck. In 1853, it passed into the possession of the Lanman family, and is still owned by the widow of Peter Lanman, who occasionally resides here.

Sabbath Day House, Durham (1780)

Sabbath Day House

In the colonial period, Connecticut residents were required by law to attend all-day church services on Sunday. Meeting Houses were unheated and a mid-day break allowed people to eat and warm up before the afternoon services. For those who lived too far away to return home during this break time, towns sometimes built small “Sabbath Day Houses” where they could take shelter. Several Sabbath Day Houses were once located on Durham Green, but were taken down as the attendance requirement ended at the start of the nineteenth century. One surviving structure, built around 1780, was moved to Indian Lane in Durham and converted into a residence. Facing destruction in 1966, it was moved back to the Green and restored by the Durham Historical Society.

A description of Durham’s Sabbath Day Houses is related in William Chauncey Fowler’s History of Durham (1866) as follows:

These houses were from twenty to twenty-five feet in length, and from ten to twelve feet in breadth, and one story high with a chimney in the middle dividing the whole space into two rooms with a partition between them, for the accommodation of two families, who united in building the house. The furniture consisted of a few chairs, a table, plates and dishes; some iron utensil, it may be, for warming food which had been cooked. Besides the Bible, there was sometimes a book on experimental religion, like Baxter’s Saints’ Rest, or Allein’s Alarm. On the morning of the Sabbath the mother of the family with provident care, put up her store of comforts for the dinner, substantial or slight fare as most convenient, a bottle of cider almost of course. The family then set off from their home in a large two horse sleigh, or on saddles and pillions. They stopped at the Sabbathday house, kindled a blazing fire, and then went forth “to shiver in the cold during the morning services.” At noon they hurried back to their warm room. After they had taken their meal and by turns drank from the pewter mug, thanks were returned. Then the sermon came under review, from the notes taken by the father of the family, or a chapter was read from the Bible, or a paragraph from some favorite author, the service concluding with prayer or singing. After again visiting the sanctuary, the family would return to the Sabbath-day house if the cold was severe, before they sought their home. The fire was then extinguished, the door was locked, and the house remained undisturbed during the week.

In time the custom of repairing to these houses changed; the houses themselves became dilapidated or furnished a refuge for the poor. They were better suited to those times when so much was thought of private family religion, than they would be to ours, when religion has become more of a public and social concern. The last Sabbath-day house which I remember, stood on the land owned by the first minister. It was occupied by John King, a Hessian deserter from the British army. It was owned by one of the Nortons. The present writer can recollect as many as half a dozon of these houses. They grew up out of the type of religion which existed at that time. It was a family religion, rather than a public one.

Abraham Woodward House (1785)

Abraham Woodward House

The house at 96 Fair Street in Guilford was built in 1785 for Abraham Woodward, who sold it in 1797. A century later it was owned by Edward M. Leete, who had a funeral business, and his wife Eva Bishop Leete, who was a respected antiques dealer. The house was passed on to their son, Earle B. Leete. In 1998-1999, the house was renovated to become the new home of the Women and Family Life Center.

Lewis-Zukowski House (1781)

Lewis-Zukowski House

At 1095 South Grand Street in Suffield, near the East Granby town line, is a house built in 1781 by Hezekiah Lewis, a farmer. It is an early vernacular example of a house constructed of brick, which had not been a common material for Connecticut houses up to that point. Stylistically and structurally, the builder simply transferred the typical architecture of center-chimney wood houses to the new material. The house is not far from Windsor, which was the center of Connecticut brick making at the time. In 1794, Lewis married the widow Ruth Phelps. He died in 1805. Later in the nineteenth century, Lewis’ successors as owners of the farm began to focus more and more on growing broadleaf tobacco, which had come to dominate the agriculture of the area. Michael Zukowski, who arrived in Suffield in 1888, purchased the farm in 1905, becoming the first Polish landowner in town. His descendants continue to own the house.

Christopher Huntington House (1720)

Christopher Huntington House

Christopher Huntington (1660-1735) was the first male child born to the English settlers of Norwich. Known as Christopher Huntington II or Deacon Christopher Huntington, he was a surveyor and extensive land owner who served as first townsman (selectman) and town clerk. He married Sarah Adgate (1663-1705) in 1681. His second wife was Judith Stevens Brewster, widow of Jonathan Brewster, who he married in 1706. Christopher Huntington had four daughters and seven sons. His house in Norwich, built c. 1720, is located at 410 Washington Street.