Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Glastonbury

Asa Welles House (1852)

Currently dedicated to office use, the Italianate house at 2534 Main Street in Glastonbury was built circa 1852. It was originally the home of Asa Welles, who may be the same Asa Welles (1821-1869) who was a silversmith.

Col. John Hale House (1784)

At 1278 Main Street in Glastonbury is a center-chimney house built c. 1784 by Colonel John Hale. A 1789 deed conveyed the property from Deacon David Hale (1727-1796) to his son, Col. John Hale, whose house had already been built. Col. John Hale (1759-1817) served in the state General Assembly from 1796 to 1799 and as Glastonbury Town Clerk from 1804-1817.

Laurilla Smith Cottage (1857)

Its steeply pitched roof makes the Laurilla Smith Cottage, at 1626 Main Street in Glastonbury, a distinctive building. The cottage was planned in 1853 by Laurilla Aleroyla Smith (1789-1857) and finished after her death by her family in 1857 as a memorial to her. An artist, Laurilla A. Smith was a student at Sarah Pierce’s Female Academy in Litchfield and later taught at at Emma Willard’s School in Troy, N.Y. and Catharine Beecher’s Hartford Female Seminary. She was the sister of Julia and Abby Smith, the famous activists who lived in Kimberly Mansion, the house across the street. Smith had planned for the cottage to be her art studio. It is now used by artist Harry White.

William Miller House (1704)

William Miller III (born in 1659 in Northampton, Mass.), a farmer, settled in Glastonbury on land his father had purchased in 1660. Miller married Mary Bushnell of Old Saybrook in 1693. He built the house at 1855 Main Street in 1704 (the date and his initials were carved on the kitchen door latch) and died a year later.

Talcott-Hollister House (1851)

Various dates have been given for the Federal/Greek Revival house at 2146 Main Street in Glastonbury. Some claim 1780, while the Historical Society of Glastonbury records give 1850/1851. Notable for its tin roof, it is known as the Talcott-Hollister House. Replacing an earlier Talcott Homestead, torn down in 1850, it was built the following year by Jared Talcott. It was next home to his son, Capt. Charles H. Talcott, and later to Charles‘ daughter Charlotte and her husband, Norman E. Hollister (1845-1923).

Second District School, Glastonbury (1906)

Built to replace an earlier schoolhouse on the same site, the Glastonbury’s former Second District School was constructed at 2252 Main Street in 1906. The two-story Colonial Revival hip-roofed building was used as a school until 1930. It served as Glstonbury’s Town Hall until 1960 and is now a law office.

Matthew Miller House (1786)

The house at 1846 Main Street in Glastonbury was built in 1786 for Matthew Miller, the grandson of William Miller, whose 1704 house is nearby at 1855 Main Street. A brick from the house’s chimney bears the impression of both sides of a Piece of Eight, a Spanish coin. It was probably a ballast brick, carried on a ship traveling from South America or the West Indies. The brick is on display at Glastonbury’s Museum on the Green.