Dr. Charles L. Smith House (1829)

Dr. Charles L. Smith built the house at 9 Long Hill Road in Middle Haddam (in East Hampton) in 1829, replacing a smaller house that stood on the site. In 1854 the house was purchased by Sophie Gardner, whose husband Edward C. Gardner was the first captain of the clipper ship Comet. Built in 1851 by William H. Webb in New York, the Comet was an extreme clipper, a very fast sailing ship that under Captain Gardner’s command gained a high reputation for speed. In February to May 1853, she raced the Flying Dutchman, another clipper built by Webb, from San Francisco to New York, beating her by 30 hours in a time of 83 days and 18 hours. She made a record time in December 1853 to March 1854, sailing from San Francisco to New York in 76 days 7 hours anchor to anchor (76 days pilot to pilot). She later sailed from Liverpool to Hong Kong, arriving there in 4 days 16 hours anchor to anchor (83 days 21 hours pilot to pilot) on September 9, 1854, another record time. Her best days run on that voyage was 350 miles. E. C. Gardner was captain of the Comet until August 1855. Gardner descendants owned the house in Middle Haddam until 1928, using it as a summer home called “Lawn View.” The Federal-style brick house was altered in the mid-nineteenth century, when an ell was constructed.