Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Watertown

Masonic Temple, Watertown (1873)

According to assessor’s records, the Greek Revival building at 175 Main Street in Watertown was built in 1873. Known as the Watertown Masonic Temple, it is home to Federal Lodge No. 17. The first Masonic Lodge meeting in Watertown was held on December 22, 1790. Part of the building, with the address of 179 Main Street, is rented to a retail store. Watertown Grange #122 (organized in 1891) also meets in the building. The nomination for the Watertown Center Historic District lists the building as the Grange Hall and provides a construction date of c. 1850.

Smith-Nettleton House (1850)

The Smith-Nettleton House, also called the Lindsley House, is a former residence at 424 Main Street in Watertown. Built c. 1850, it is transitional between the Greek Revival and Italianate styles. The house was acquired by the town in 1959 and is known as the Town Hall Annex. (more…)

Samuel E. Merwin House (1858)

The house at 186 Woodruff Avenue in Watertown was built 1858 and was the home of Samuel E. Merwin. This is probably the same Samuel E. Merwin (1831-1907), later a resident of New Haven, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1889 to 1893.

Mary E. Woodward House (1910)

The house at 126 North Street in Watertown was built in 1910 for Mary E. Woodward, who bought the land in 1899. A primary school was located in the house for many years during its ownership, until 1940, of the Woodward family. At some point an owner of the house replaced the siding, stripping much of the original decorative trim.

Nathaniel B. Wheeler House (1852)

Nathaniel B. Wheeler, partner in Wheeler & Wilson, manufacturers of sewing machines, acquired land near the Green in Watertown (now 14 Woodbury Road) from Alanson Warren, Sr., on which he built an Italianate house in 1852. Later owners of the house, Harry H. and Charlotte Heminway, hired Waterbury architect Wilfred Griggs to remodel the house. In 1914 it was altered to the Colonial Revival style with the addition of front and rear two-level porches, French doors on the east side and a fanlight over the main entrance.

Lund House (1820)

At 38 Academy Hill in Watertown is a house that was erected in 1820 as a shop. It has been used for a number of different businesses over the years: first as Alanson Warren’s hat shop, then Russell Beer’s shirt factory, Dr. Walter S. Munger’s office (Dr. Munger served for many years as Watertown’s medical examiner and health officer) and finally Peter N. Lund’s tailor shop. It remained the Lund/Rose family residence for over 85 years. The interior was recently completely remodeled by a developer.

John A. Woodward House (1867)

John A. Woodward, a carpenter and Civil War veteran, erected the house at 235 Main Street in Watertown in 1867 (it has since been much expanded). Interesting evidence survives of a method employed to sell the house in 1880 in the form of a $1.00 share in the house, the reverse side of which reads:

Share in the beautiful residence property and lot occupied by J. A. Woodward, situated in the center of the charming village of Watertown, Conn., valued at sixty-five hundred [$6500] dollars, and also entitles the bearer to admission to a grand entertainment to be given at the warren house in that town, on Wednesday Ev., Oct. 27, 1880, at which time the residence will be delivered to the shareholders to be disposed of as they may direct

Update: Further information about the house can be found in the brochure for the 2011 Watertown House Tour. According to this document, the first people to live in the house were Eben and Margaret Atwood. Their daughter Amelia married Howard Miner Hickcox who started the Hickcox Funeral Home in 1884. It remained in the Hickcox family until it was sold to attorney Franklin Pilicy, whose 1980s addition doubled the size of the house.

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