At 102 Front Street in Noank is a small building with board-and-batten siding that is believed to have been the community’s original railroad station. It was built in 1858, with the completion of the last major section of the Shore Line Rail Road, connecting Boston and New York City. Since the discontinuation of railroad service, the building has been used as a store, with an extension erected on the Front Street side.
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The house at 21 Gravel Street in Mystic was built in 1840 by Capt. Elisha W. Denison. In 1854, It was acquired by Capt. Martin Smith, a sea captain who commanded the ships Niagara, Simoon and Selma. The house’s grand front porch was added around 1900.
The construction of the craftsman-style shingled bungalow at 20 Cove Street in Noank is described in an article in The Day (of New London) from July 2, 1909:
George MacDonald may well be proud of the general appearance of the cottage which he has recently built for Mrs. Harriet Arnold of New York city. The location is one of the finest in the village, being situated on the shore of the west cove and commanding a view of Fishers Island sound. The cottage although not thatched is of the bungalow plan and contains six large rooms, besides butler’s pantry and baths and covers quite a space of ground. The broad piazza will be a source of much comfort and convenience. The interior is finished in hard wood and the open rafters add to the attractiveness. The open fire place and outside chimneys, built of cobblestones, are also pleasing features. The cottage is equipped with all the improvements and the grounds although not extensive are among the finest in town. Freeman Rogers had the contract for decorating the interior. Mrs. Arnold and family are expected to arrive as soon as all work is finished.
The house at 20 Pearl Street in Noank was erected c. 1850. About 1890 it was remodeled with Queen Anne-style elements, including the addition of a tower. The house was the residence of Roswell B. Fitch (1833-1908), who is described in Picturesque New London and Its Environs (1901):
Roswell Burrows Fitch ,of Noank, was born in Groton, Connecticut, April 19th, 1833. His parents were Elisha and Mary P. Fitch. At twelve years of age he commenced to be self-supporting, and from then until he was fourteen, occupied a clerkship in a general store. Later his summers were spent in fishing for a livelihood, and his winters in attending school. Subsequently he again became clerk in a store, and was afterwards engaged to assume the management of a union store which was erected for the special purpose of being placed under his charge. In 1851 he became an active partner in the business, and bought out, one-by-one, the twelve other owners, until he possessed absolute control. In May, 1890, he sold his business, and closed an active commercial career of thirty-five years duration. In October, 1854, Mr. Fitch married Ellen Elizabeth Wilbur, who died February 13th, 1874, leaving a son, Walter Wilbur Fitch, who was born in 1859, and died December 26th, 1888. Mr. Fitch married again, in 1875, Olive Elizabeth Wilmot. Mr. and Mrs. Fitch have a daughter, Elizabeth Wilbur Fitch, born April 10th, 1884.
Built in 1880, the house at 28 Pearl Street in Mystic was originally the home of Parmenas Avery (1842-1886), a veteran of the Civil War who was a plumber/tinsmith and served as Mystic River postmaster and in the state General Assembly in 1882. In the collections of the Mystic River Historical Society is an invitation to a reception held at the new house the evening of Thursday, December 22, 1880.
Two houses on Park Place in Mystic (1 Park Place and 5 Park Place) have historic markers indicating that they were the home of John Prentice, a carpenter. I don’t know if it was the same man or, perhaps, a father and son. According to The History and Genealogy of the Prentice, Or Prentiss Family, in New England, Etc., from 1631 to 1883 (1883), by C. J. F. Binney, there was a John Prentice, born “January 16, 1823; house-carpenter, and for last fifteen years cotton-gin builder.” The house pictured above, at 5 Park Place, was erected in 1853. According to the sign on the door, a later owner was Capt. Henry Ashby.
Very similar to the neighboring Greek Revival house at 1 Park Place in Mystic is another house built in the same year, 1860. Located at 3 Park Place, its first resident was William Cann (1831-1906), a ship’s carpenter. He was born in Sidney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and in 1855 married Mary Ann Pendleton (born 1837) in Mystic.
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