Ichabod Cottage (1795)

The village of Gales Ferry in Ledyard is named for Roger Gale, who from 1759 to 1764 owned the ferry there that crossed the Connecticut River. One of his successors was John Allyn, Jr., who owned the ferry rights from 1774 to 1793. He then built the cottage at 54 Hurlbutt Road in 1795. After his death in 1798, the cottage passed to his widow, Priscilla. In 1804, she leased her property to James Eldrege, who who eventually purchased it in 1806. According to tradition, the house was used as a training school by Commodore Stephen Decatur during the blockade of New London in 1813-1814. Ichabod and Dorcas Babcock bought the cottage in 1815. Ichabod Babcock (1758-1848) was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Their daughter Caroline married Stephen Gray, who built the house next door in 1842. Thomas Latham acquired both houses in 1863 and later rented the 1795 house, which he called “Ichabod Cottage,” to various tenants. Latham, a teacher, may have used the cottage for his private school. The building now has dormer windows, which were added sometime in the twentieth century.

Old Y.W.C.A. Building, Bridgeport (1941)

The central portion of the building at 263/265 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport was built for the Y.W.C.A. in 1941, with rear wings added in 1959. The building replaced an earlier house on the site, built for Albert Bishop and torn down in 1936. The new building was designed by architect C.W. Walker to reflect the style characteristics of the Bishop House. It was built by the E & F Construction Company. When the picture above was taken a few years ago, the building was serving as the city’s Dwight D. Eisenhower Senior Center, which has since moved to a new address at 307 Golden Hill Street. The building is also home to the Downtown Cabaret Theatre.

Elliot B. Plumb House (1860)

A plaque on the house at 1885 Huntington Turnpike in Trumbull indicates it was built in 1860 and was the home of Elliot B. Plumb.

The only references I can find relating to Elliot B. Plumb relate to the following, as reported in the Journal of the Senate of the State of Connecticut for 1887:

Senate Resolution No. 92. Senator Hill of the Thirteenth District, introduced a resolution appointing Charles Beard of Huntington, and Elliot B. Plumb of Trumbull, Commissioners of the Wells Hollow Turnpike for two years from July 1, 1887.

The resolution was passed.

Senate Resolution No. 93. Senator Hill of the Thirteenth District, introduced a resolution appointing Charles Beard of Huntington, and Elliot B. Plumb of Trumbull, Commissioners of the Huntington Turnpike for two years from July 1, 1887.

The resolution was passed.