Architectural Style

Second Congregational Church of Coventry (1847)

Coventry’s Second Congregational Church was organized in 1745, to serve the northern section of the town. The first meeting house was built around 1750 and was replaced by a new one in 1792. The current church building, located on the Boston Turnpike (Route 44), was built in 1847 by builder-architect Edwin Fitch of Storrs.

First Congregational Church of Coventry (1849)

The first Congregational meetinghouse in Coventry was built on the green in 1715. In 1842, the congregation became divided over the issue of whether to build a new church or retain the original structure. One group built the current church building, known as the “Village Church,” on Main Street in 1849, while the other repaired the original building and turned it to face the green. The two churches coexisted separately until they were reunited in 1869, thenceforward using the 1849 building, now called First Church. The steeple was destroyed by lightning in 1903 and a replacement was soon constructed.

Collinsville Congregational Church (1858)

The Collins Company paid for the construction of the first Collinsville Congregational Church building in 1836. It was built as part of Collinsville, the village set up in South Canton by Samuel Collins for his workers. When the original church burned in 1857, the company again provided funds (added to the insurance settlement), as did Sam Collins and others in the village. The new Greek Revival-style Collinsville Congregational Church was completed in 1858.

Pettibone’s Tavern (1803)

The original Pettibone’s Tavern, now Abigail’s Grille, on Hartford Road in Simsbury, was built in 1780 for Jonathan Pettibone, Jr., whose father, Jonathan Pettibone, had been killed in the fighting around New York in 1776. The Tavern served as a stagecoach stop on the Boston to Albany Turnpike. The original tavern was burned to the ground by Indians in 1800, but was soon rebuilt and reopened in 1803. In more recent times, the tavern has been a restaurant. It was purchased by the Chart House chain in the 1970s, but under new ownership became known as Pettibone’s Tavern again. In January, the building was damaged after a fire activated the sprinkler system. It was after hours and the sprinklers were not connected to an alarm, so they did extensive damage, which was not discovered until the morning. The Tavern is currently being repaired and will reopen soon under new management. The Tavern is also famous for being haunted, possibly by the ghost of Abigail Pettibone. BOO! The Story of the Pettibone Ghost, a current exhibition at the Simsbury Historical Society, focuses on the Pettibone family and the story of the ghost.

Stephen Bulkeley House (1850)

On the east side of Broad Street Green in Wethersfield are several houses built by members of the Bulkeley family. The earliest is that of Captain Charles Bulkelkey. Another Bulkeley home is the Italiante-style house built around 1850 by Stephen Bulkeley. The Greek Revival home of his father, Frederick Bulkeley, is next door.

203 Cherry Brook Road, Canton (1860)

Near the Alonzo Barber House, on Cherry Brook Road in Canton, is another Greek Revival-style home at #203. The exact date of construction is not known, although it appears on an 1869 map of Canton and one real estate website indicates a date of 1860, which would be quite late for a Greek Revival house. The long veranda is a later addition.

Alonzo Barber House (1843)

Alonzo Barber built a Greek Revival House at 193 Cherry Brook Road in Canton in 1843. He operated a general store in the rear of the house, which was continued after his death in 1853. Warren Humphrey, who purchased the home and business in 1862, eventually moved the store into a building across the road. The house is currently for sale.