Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Wethersfield

Frank S. Brown House (1880)

The Queen Anne style house of Frank S. Brown, on Hartford Avenue in Wethersfield, was built sometime in the 1880s. Brown was a Hartford merchant who, in 1866, joined with James M. Thomson and William McWhirter to form the dry goods firm of Brown, Thomson & Co., which became a major New England department store. Brown retired from the company in 1890 and in 1893 the house was sold out of the Brown family. Ellsworth S. Grant, the Connecticut historian, former mayor of West Hartford and brother-in-law of Katharine Hepburn, was later born in the house. In 1920, Minnie Pricone and Mary Rometta, with their husbands and families, moved into the house. They owned the Marie Phillips Dress Company and tailoring work was done in the basement area of the house.

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Amasa Adams House (1770)

The Amasa Adams House, built in 1770, is on Maple Street in Wethersfield. In 1760, Amasa Adams became a part owner in the old Chester Mill, on Two Stone Brook in the Griswoldville section of Wethersfield. Begun by Leonard Chester in 1637, the mill became known as Adams Mill in 1782 and was run by Amasa and then his sons, John and Joshua Adams. Serving as a cider, lumber and grist mill, the Adams Mill survived into the twentieth century.

John Latimer House (1690)

The oldest parts of the house of Captain John Latimer, on Main Street near Wethersfield Cove, date to around 1690. The house is right next door to the Captain Samuel Latimer House. The John Latimer House is currently for sale.

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David Talcott House (1822)

The David Hills House in Wethersfield was built in 1822 and is transitional between the Federal and Greek Revival styles. The house, located on Main Street, was built as a gift for the 1822 wedding of Amelia Talcott and Maj. David Hills. Interestingly, Hills’ second wife was also named Amelia Talcott.

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Wellington Macdonough House (1937)

The Wellington MacDonough House, which faces Broad Street Green in Wethersfield, is a Colonial Revival home inspired by the many Colonial structures in Wethersfield’s Historic District. It was built in 1937 on a site once occupied by the house of John Chester, which stood until 1869. The property had also been owned by Franklin Comstock, of Comstock, Ferre & Co.

Warner Homestead (1750)

The Warner Homestead, on Middletown Ave in Wethersfield, was built in the 1740s or 1750s. In 1788, the house was left by William Warner to his son, also named William. Sold to a nephew in 1813, it remained in the Warner family until 1890. It was restored in the 1970s, when a later front porch and asbestos roof shingles were removed.

Joshua Adams House (1891)

The Queen Anne-style house of Joshus Adams, on Church Street in Wethersfield, features wood shingles and a sunburst pattern in the front gable. Generations of the Adams family of Wethersfield were involved in various forms of woodworking: Josha Adams was the great-great grandson of Amasa Adams, who owned a half-interest in the Chester Mill, afterward known as Adams Mill, at Mill Woods (PDF).