In the mid-nineteenth century, Captain William Hall arrived in the Bridgeport village of Black Rock. He purchased the four shipyards in Black Rock and began large-scale shipbuilding operations, which lasted until his death in 1860. At one time, he employed 90 men, one of whom was Curtis Raymond, whose house still stands at 245 Ellsworth Street in Black Rock. Built in 1856, the formerly Italianate-style house has undergone much remodeling over the years and has lost its front veranda.
February is Black History Month! At 61 F.D. Oates (formerly Mahl) Avenue in Hartford is a house constructed about 1897. It is one among the many two-family houses on the street constructed by developer Frederick Mahl between 1893 and 1898. The house at No. 61 is notable because it was the home of Marietta Canty (1905–1986), an African American actress who appeared in theater, radio, motion pictures and television from the 1930s to the 1950s. She is best remembered for her roles in such films as Father of the Bride (1950) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). The house was purchased by her father, Henry Canty, in 1930. Marietta Canty lived in the house after her retirement from acting in 1955 to care for her father. She also continued her social and political activism, for which she received many awards.
Several generations of the Pratt family continuously operated a smithy in Essex for almost three centuries. It was established by John Pratt, Sr., who began his shop in Saybrook and then moved it to Essex. His son, John Pratt, Jr., was a part-time blacksmith who built the Pratt Homestead in Essex. Next to operate the smithy was Lt. John Pratt, who passed it to his son Asa Pratt, followed by Asa’s son John Pratt, John’s son Elias Pratt, Elias’s son Edwin Pratt, James Lord Pratt (who was featured in the September, 1938 issue of National Geographic Magazine) and finally James’s nephew Edwin Pratt, who closed the smithy due to difficulties obtaining raw materials during World War II. At that time it had been the oldest continuously run family business in America. The old smithy building that survives today was built in 1848 by Elias Pratt. After the smithy closed, the building was used for various different businesses.
The former Town Records Building in Burlington is a brick structure built in 1906. Today it is the office of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.
At 38 Main Street in the Plainfield village of Central Village is a house built around 1850. Known as the Sally Ann Benedict House, it may have once had additional ornamentation in the Gothic Revival style.
The building in Collinsville that today houses the Canton Historical Museum is one of the original buildings of the Collins Axe Company. Built in 1865, it was used by the company for finishing agricultural plows. In 1924-1925, the building was converted to become a recreational facility for employees, with bowling alleys and a rifle range. At that time, the verandas and chimney were added to the north side of the building. Today, the museum features artifacts and memorabilia on three floors.
The house at 1 Library Road in Canterbury Center was built around 1820. It has a front porch added around 1900. In the nineteenth century, it was the home of Charles R. Ray, a carpenter.
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