Thomas Lathrop’s mansion in Norwich was built in 1783 on a hill off Washington Street. The Georgian and Federal style house, possibly with later Greek Revival and Colonial Revival embellishments, also had a garden in the rear and commands an impressive view of the Yantic River below. Thomas Lathrop, together with his cousin, Daniel Lathrop Coit, imported goods from Europe and conducted the apothecary business begun by their uncle, Dr. Daniel Lathrop.
The Italianate style house built around 1864, for Jonathan W. Hooker, who sold real estate, is on Union Street in Norwich. The home’s porch and side wing may be later additions.
The home of Lucius Wyman Carroll, on Broadway in Norwich, remained in his family until it was acquired by the Phillips family in 1983. Carroll was an industrialist who owned textile mills. The construction date of 1850 (cited in a brochure PDF file) seems early for a Second Empire style house with a Mansard roof. Perhaps it was built later or the roof was added later.
The William M. Williams House, on Broadway in Norwich, was built around 1878 and features elements of the Queen Anne and Stick styles. Williams was a partner with the Amos W. Prentice & Co hardware store in Norwich. The house is currently for sale.
The oldest section of the Leffingwell House, on Washington Street in Norwich, dates to 1675 and was built by Steven Backus. Sometime later, the house was sold by Backus to Ensign Thomas Leffingwell, son of Lt. Thomas Leffingwell, who had given assistance to the Mohegan Chief Uncas in 1645, when he brought supplies at time when Uncas was under siege by the Narragansett. Leffingwell converted the building for use as a tavern in 1701, adding more rooms. The house is now named for his descendant, Christopher Leffingwell, who later inherited the tavern. He was a merchant and entrepreneur, who eventually built several mills. During the Revolutionary War, Leffingwell was a deputy commissary to the Continental Army and George Washington occasionally stayed at the Leffingwell Inn. In 1957, the house was moved to its present location when a connector was built linking Washington and Town Streets. Today, the Leffingwell House Museum is open to the public and operated by the Society of the Founders of Norwich.
The Italianate house of Henry Bill (1824-1891) was built in 1856 on Broadway in Norwich. Bill, a book publisher who sold many illustrated bibles, supported the education of former slaves after the Civil War. The house was acquired by the Norwich Free Academy in 1930, but is today a private home which has been restored by the current owners.
Hello to Melissa and Brett, who accompanied me on my most recent picture-taking trip in Norwich.
The Perkins-Rockwell House, on Rockwell Street in Norwich, is an interesting stone Federal Style house. It was built around 1818 by Joseph Perkins, a merchant and Revolutionary War soldier. The house was inherited by his daughter, Mary Watkinson Perkins, who married John Arnold Rockwell, a lawyer and politician, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. The house was inherited, in 1924, by Mary Watkinson Rockwell Cole. Today it is a museum, operated by the Faith Trumbull Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.