The oldest section of the house at 490 Cherry Brook Road in Canton may date back to 1740s, when the land was owned by Thomas Phelps, the earliest known settler on the site, whose brother Benjamin may also have lived with him. Thomas’ grandson was Anson G. Phelps, the New York businessman who founded the town of Ansonia. For many years, going back at least to the 1950s, the property was home to Rusthall Kennels, and is now Cherry Brook Kennels.
Cherry Brook Kennels (1742)
I love seeing your photos of the old places of my childhood. The Phelps home brought back stories of family. Born in NH, I am the great granddaughter of Charlotte (Hancock) and John Hale Phelps of Orford, NH. The story goes that a Phelps from Hebron CT (lived in Andover, drove his buggy thru the snow to attend St. Peter’s) a family member migrated to NH and started this family of my line back in the late 1700s or early 1800s. It wasn’t until the early 1940s that this family moved back to Hebron via Mother. I have migrated to the mid-west but my heart is still in New England. Many Thanks.