Willington Train Depot (1894)

In 1850, the New London, Willimantic and Palmer Railroad Company erected a train depot near what is now 14 Tolland Turnpike in Willington. The rail line became part of the Central Vermont Railway in 1871. The original depot burned down in 1894 and was replaced that same year by a new train station/freight depot building. The station/depot was originally called the Tolland Station, because nearby Tolland was the county seat. It was later renamed the Tolland & Willington Station, and then the West Willington Station. By 1947 the station had closed and was then used by the Ruby Lumber Company until it was renovated to become a branch of the Savings Bank of Tolland in 1976. The bank moved to a new location at Phelps Way in Willington in 1988 and took with it a collection of train memorabilia, donated over the years by local residents. In 2016, by which time it was a branch of First Niagara (it’s now KeyBank), the bank donated the collection of 22 objects to the Willington Historical Society.

Lockwood-Mathews Carriage House (1864)

The Carriage House of the historic Lockwood–Mathews Mansion in Norwalk (both are located in Mathews Park) was built around the same time as the main house, 1864. It was completed before the mansion and was not designed by the architect of that building, Detlef Lienau. Like the main house, the Carriage House is constructed of ashlar blocks, but the simplicity of its overall architectural effect is far more subdued than that of the lavishly decorated mansion. The Carriage House has a hipped roof that was once surmounted by a cupola, or belvedere, with a widow’s walk. It is thought that the building was originally set up to have carriages in the west wing, horse stables in the east wing, and a multi-purpose work and storage area in the center pavilion, with hay stored in the second story. The City of Norwalk acquired the property in 1942 and converted the Carriage House to a police building. The stables were converted into jail cells. Later, the city planning department moved into the building. In the 1990s the former Carriage House became the home of the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, a state-of-the-art printmaking facility.

Curtis-Vail House (1820)

The house at 286 Naubuc Avenue in Glastonbury is thought to date back to c. 1820, or perhaps even earlier. Its current architectural style is Greek Revival. In the 1850s, the house was the residence of Frederick Curtis, an industrialist. With his brother, Joseph S. Curtis, Frederick built a factory that was the first in the country to manufacture German Silver (also known as Nickel silver, it is made from an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel). It was first called F. Curtis & Company and, later, the Curtisville Manufacturing Company. In the 1860s, the house was the residence of Thomas J. Vail, who took control of the Curtis factory. He added the manufacture of firearms to the operations of the company, which was renamed the Connecticut Arms and Manufacturing Company. It eventually became the Williams Brothers Manufacturing Company.

St. Mark the Evangelist Church (1945)

St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 467 South Quaker Lane in West Hartford, was dedicated on September 30, 1945. It replaced the original St. Mark Church on the site, which was destroyed by a fire of suspicious origin on June 24, 1944. Due to the scarciry of building materials during World War Two, that building had been a portable church, a narrow structure with a heating grate running through its center. St. Mark’s Parish Center was dedicated in 1971. As part of the Archdiocese of Hartford’s reorganization of parishes earlier this year, St. Mark’s merged with two other West Hartford parishes, St. Brigid and St. Helena, to form the new Saint Gianna Parish.

Stanton-Davis Homestead (1670)

Thomas Stanton (1616-1677), an original English settler of Hartford, was a trader who fought in the Pequot War and was appointed Indian Interpreter by the United Colonies of New England. Stanton also became one of the founders of Stonington, beginning construction of his house near Osbrook Point by the Pawcatuck River in 1670. The house was enlarged in 1700. Robert Stanton, Thomas’s great-grandson, put up the house and farm as collateral on a debt in 1764. The note was held by Thomas Fanning of Groton and Ezra L’Hommedieu of Long Island, who ended up taking possession of the property the following year. They rented the farm to John Davis of Long Island, who had married into the Stanton family. Davis bought the farm outright in 1772. The land, recently preserved by conservation easements, has remained in the Davis family and is recognized as the oldest continuously operating farm in Connecticut. The last resident of the house was farmer John “Whit” Davis, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 91. Determined to preserve the historic house, about fifteen years ago Davis had begun working to preserve it and its contents as the Stanton-Davis Homestead Museum. The house, located at the intersection of Osbrook Point Road and Greenhaven Road (address: 576A Greenhaven Road), is currently boarded up to protect it and a committee of volunteers is working to raise funds for its renovation.

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John Randall House (1685)

Off Route 2 in North Stonington is a colonial house that is hidden from the highway down a long driveway (address: 41 Norwich-Westerly Road). Its earliest section dates back to c. 1685, with the main block reaching its present configuration c. 1720. Named for John Randall, it was the homestead of the Randall family. John Randall I (1629-1684), who had settled in Westerly, Rhode Island, purchased the land in 1680 and his son, John Randall II (1666-1720) built the house. His son, Capt. John Randall III (1701-1761) added to the family holdings. Later descendant Darius H. Randall (born 1823) was an abolitionist and his home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The house, acquired by Harvey Perry in 1926, was restored about 1930 by Norman Isham, an early preservationist and co-author, with Albert Brown, of Early Connecticut Houses (1900).

William and Lucinda Clark bought the property in 1986 and the following year opened called Randall’s Ordinary Landmark Inn and Restaurant, where eighteenth-century style open hearth meals were prepared and served by staff dressed in period clothing. The property was acquired by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in 1995 and the restaurant continued in operation until 2006. In 2015, the property was purchased by Carla and Rodolfo Bartolucci, owners of Euro-USA Trading Co. Inc., makers of organic foods under the name Jovial. Last year they opened a new company headquarters facility on the property and they plan to rehabilitate the house and other buildings on the grounds as a restored inn and restaurant.

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