St. Joseph’s School (1907)

The building at 21 Valley Street in Willimantic was built in 1907 as a school by St. Joseph Catholic Parish. As described in A Modern History of Windham County, Connecticut, Vol. I (1920)

The school was established by the late [Rev.] Florimond DeBruycker, and he was the first principal, taking a constant and devoted interest in the work, from the beginning in 1878 until his death in 1902.

The first school sessions were held in April, 1878, with six Sisters of Charity of Tilburg, Holland, in charge. Sessions were held in the basement of the church for the boys and in the convent (now the Nurses’ Home) for the girls. The number of children increased so rapidly that another building was erected two years later on Valley Street, which remained in use until torn down in 1907 to make room for a more pretentious structure.

Today, St. Mary-St. Joseph School is located next door, at 35 Valley Street. The former St. Joseph School building has most recently been used as an adult education center.

George O. Bingham House (1841)

The Greek Revival house at 70 Hebron Road in Andover was built in 1841 by George Oliver Bingham (1810-1892). The land on which the house was built had been in the Bingham family since 1752, when it was acquired by Eleazer Bingham. It passed to Eleazer’s son, Stephen, and then to Stephen’s son, Harvey. In 1841, Harvey’s daughter, Sarah L. Bingham, sold one and a half acres to her brother, George, who built the house. Nearby, at 55 Hebron Road, is another Greek Revival house, built around the same time by George’s brother, John F. Bingham.

All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Ivoryton (1905)

All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Ivoryton was founded in 1895 as St. Mary’s Church, which met in various places, including private homes, until a church was erected at 129 Main Street. Land for the church was given in 1904 to the Missionary Society of the Diocese of Connecticut by Isabell J. Doane, daughter of Marsena Whiting Comstock of Comstock, Cheney & Company. The cornerstone was laid in 1905 and the church was consecrated on January 7, 1906. A parish hall was added to the church in 1948 and the neighboring house was acquired as a vicarage in 1959. The house was built in 1886 by William Griffith and his wife Lillian, another daughter of Marsena Whiting Comstock.

Keeney Schoolhouse (1751)

The Keeney Schoolhouse in Manchester was built around 1751 on Keeney Street. Little is known of its subsequent history until 1975, when the Town’s Bicentennial Committee voted to restore the building and relocate it to the grounds of the Cheney Homestead to become a museum, furnished and maintained by the Manchester Historical Society. The former schoolhouse had long been used as a farm building by that point and was in such a deteriorated condition that a restoration was not possible. Instead a replica was constructed, complete with rounded ceiling. It was rebuilt utilizing as much material from the original structure as possible.