Miles Blackstone House (1831)

The Greek Revival house at 18 Pine Orchard Road in Branford was built in 1831. It is known as the Miles Blackstone House. This may be the same Miles Blackstone (1806-1875) who is described in Vol. II of A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County (1918):

Miles Blackstone was for years an active and honored resident of the town of Branford, where he was prominently connected with agricultural interests. He was born April 1, 1806, [. . . . He] spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Branford and was indebted to the public school system of the locality for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed and which qualified him for life’s practical and responsible duties. He was early trained to farm work and became much interested in that pursuit, which he chose as a life vocation. He concentrated his entire time and attention upon farming and kept in touch with the most progressive methods of planting and developing his crops. Industry, economy and unswerving integrity were among his sterling traits and brought to him a gratifying measure of success as the years passed on. He brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and added to his place many modern improvements. The latest machinery was used to facilitate the work of the fields and his labors were at all times most intelligently directed, so that substantial results followed his work.

[. . .] He passed away in the faith of the Episcopal church, of which he had long been a devoted member. He always attended the church services and contributed liberally to its support. His political endorsement was given to the republican party and he kept well informed on the issues of the day, which he studied closely, so that he was able to support his position by intelligent argument. Of him a contemporary biographer has written: “Mr. Blackstone was a most unassuming and modest gentleman of the old school, with a kindly heart, and was greatly honored and respected in the community in which he lived.”