Loren P. Waldo House (1860)

The house at 31 Tolland Green in Tolland was built in 1760 and has had a number of alterations over the years, including the addition of Greek Revival-style detailing and two Victorian bay windows. For a time in the nineteenth century, it was the home of Judge Loren Pinckney Waldo (1802-1881), who later sold it to Henry Underwood. Henry’s daughter Miriam was the last of the family to live in the house.

A lawyer, Loren P. Waldo served in various state offices. He served terms as a state representative, state attorney general and judge of probate. In 1849-1851, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Unsuccessful at reelection, he next served as Commissioner of Pensions under President Pierce (1853-1856) and then was a Judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut (1856-1863). He later practiced law in Hartford until his death in 1881. Waldo’s address to the Connecticut Historical Society on The Early History of Tolland was published in 1861. (more…)

Judge Albert E. Purple House (1850)

The house at 34 Plains Road, across from Moodus Green in East Haddam, was built c. 1850. It was the home of Judge Albert E. Purple (1823-1924), an owner of three successful twine mills in Moodus. In 1878 he formed the Undine Twine Mills. He was also a partner in the Purple & Stillman dry goods store, a bank president, a judge of probate, a state legislator and a primary benefactor of the East Haddam Public Library, donating funds and land for a building. At the time of his death, he was the wealthiest man in town.

Benjamin Adams House (1760)

A sign on the house at 355 Middletown Avenue in Wethersfield notes that it was “Built About 1760 by Benjamin Adams” (it may also date to 1766 or 1794). Benjamin Adams (1735-1816) was a carpenter who built several houses in the south end of town and assisted in building the Rev. James Lockwood House. Later, he operated the Chester Mill. The house remained for several generations in the Adams family, being the birthplace of Benjamin’s great-grandson, Judge Sherman Wolcott Adams (1836-1898). During the Civil War, Adams served as acting assistant paymaster of the U.S. Navy. After the War, he served in the state legislature, was for six years was associate judge of the Hartford police court, and served as president of Hartford’s park commissioners, during which time he worked actively for the erection of the Soldier and Sailors Memorial Arch. The sign, mentioned above, notes the house was his birthplace and describes him as “Author of Wethersfield Histories.” Adams wrote several chapters in the Memorial History of Hartford County (2 vols., 1886). He also wrote about the Maritime History of Wethersfield. His extensive historical collections were used as the major source for Henry R. Stiles’ History of Ancient Wethersfield.

Henry Barbour House (1760)

The house at 225 Barbourtown Road in Canton began as a story-and-a-half house, built around 1760 by Moses Gaines, who was married to Lucy Barber. He sold it to John Barber, Jr., in 1775. It was acquired by Henry Barber/Barbour in 1819 and in 1822 he added the second floor and attic, reusing the original attic beams. The house was later owned by the Gillette family. In 1930, Kent Gillette sold the house and extensive property to F. Morgan Cowles, Jr., who used it as a summer home. Frederic (Ted) Morgan Cowles III, moved into the house with his wife, Jan, in 1987. They constructed an addition that is now rented out. In 2007, the couple donated an easement of about 32 acres of the property to the Canton Land Conservation Trust to preserve it from development. (more…)