Herbert L. Hoxie House (1898)

The house at 25 Moss Street in Pawcatuck (in Stonington) was built in 1898 for Herbert Leon Hoxie (1857-1934), who moved from nearby Westerly, Rhode Island. As described in Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island, Vol. III (1908):

Herbert L. Hoxie, born Aug. 26, 1857, in Charlestown, spent his boyhood days in his native town and in Richmond, and until 1880 engaged in farming. He worked for Welcome C. Tucker, of Carolina, at blacksmithing for three months, and then came to Westerly, and began to learn the machinist’s trade with Cottrell & Babcock, with whom he has ever since remained.

Mr. Hoxie was married in Charlestown, R. I., to Annie Frances, daughter of Benjamin Tucker and Frances Taylor, and they have had one child, Carroll Walter, born June 24, 1897. He is a member of Pawcatuck Lodge, No. 90, A. F. & A. M.

St. Patrick’s Church, Mystic (1909)

The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 35 East Main Street in Mystic, was laid on August 16, 1908 and the building was dedicated the following year. The parish had previously used a building on Church Street, purchased from the local Methodist church in 1870. The church on East Main has been altered in the years since it was first erected. The original Gothic entryway and tower have been replaced with less architecturally elaborate versions. A one-story parish hall was also added to the building. (more…)

Stanton-Davis Homestead (1670)

Thomas Stanton (1616-1677), an original English settler of Hartford, was a trader who fought in the Pequot War and was appointed Indian Interpreter by the United Colonies of New England. Stanton also became one of the founders of Stonington, beginning construction of his house near Osbrook Point by the Pawcatuck River in 1670. The house was enlarged in 1700. Robert Stanton, Thomas’s great-grandson, put up the house and farm as collateral on a debt in 1764. The note was held by Thomas Fanning of Groton and Ezra L’Hommedieu of Long Island, who ended up taking possession of the property the following year. They rented the farm to John Davis of Long Island, who had married into the Stanton family. Davis bought the farm outright in 1772. The land, recently preserved by conservation easements, has remained in the Davis family and is recognized as the oldest continuously operating farm in Connecticut. The last resident of the house was farmer John “Whit” Davis, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 91. Determined to preserve the historic house, about fifteen years ago Davis had begun working to preserve it and its contents as the Stanton-Davis Homestead Museum. The house, located at the intersection of Osbrook Point Road and Greenhaven Road (address: 576A Greenhaven Road), is currently boarded up to protect it and a committee of volunteers is working to raise funds for its renovation.

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Ebenezer Morgan House (1853)

The house at 61 Denison Avenue (formerly 14 Denison Avenue) in Mystic was built in 1853 for Ebenezer Morgan. This may be the Ebenezer Morgan (1831-1903) whose career is described in the Genealogical and Biographical Record of New London County, Connecticut (1905):

In early life he worked in the old Irons & Grinnell yard as a ship carpenter, later in the Greenman and Mallory yards, in the latter serving as a superintendent, but during the last forty years of his life he was employed in the Light House Department on the Atlantic coast, and for several years was superintendent of construction in the Third Light House District. By his uniform courtesy and characteristic integrity Mr. Morgan commanded the respect of all who knew him. He was well known in Masonic circles throughout the State, being a member of Charity and Relief Lodge of Mystic: Palestine Commandery, of New London; and Pyramid Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport. He had taken the thirty-second degree. He was a trustee in the Methodist Church. Like other members of his family, he was a man gifted in many ways, and he developed talents in ship construction which brought him many important contracts. He designed and built the famous yacht “Dauntless,” the property of Mrs. Colt, of Hartford, and was also the builder of the steam yacht “Britanique,” a vessel 240 feet in length, owned in Baltimore. He was the superintendent of the great work of dredging in the Potomac river and filling in land around the Washington Monument, and under his superintendence the Erie Basin Dry Dock was constructed.