Historic Buildings of Connecticut - Exploring the Nutmeg State One Building at a Time

Hezekiah Nichols House (1810)

Interestingly, the house at 1810 Huntington Turnpike in Trumbull was built in 1810. A sign on the house indicates it was the home of Hezekiah Nichols. The Nichols family gave their name to the village where the house is located. The name on the sign may refer to the Hezekiah Nichols (1781-1835) who is mentioned in the Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut (1899):

Hezekiah Nichols of Nichols, a son of Andrew Nichols, Esq., succeeded to the homestead and a goodly portion of the estate of Nichols. He was related to the Rev. James Nichols, the last Episcopal clergyman who went to Scotland for ordination, and to the first ordained in America — Rev. Philo Shelton.

His first wife, Prudence Polly Shelton, was his cousin and a cousin of Rev. Shelton. As related in Part II of Rev. Samuel Orcutt’s A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City Bridgeport, Connecticut (1886):

Hezekiah Nichols became a member of the Congregational Church of Trumbull, but his second wife, Avis Peet, retained for many years her fondness for the Episcopal Church, in which she was born and reared, and the Rev. Mr. Rutledge, rector of Christ Church, Stratford, held mission services in the “north and south rooms” of Hezekiah Nichols’ house at Nichols’ Farms, which aided in preparing the way for the present Trinity parish of that place.

[. . . .] At the time of Mr. Nichols’ death his estate, in addition to tracts of land in Stratford and Huntington, extended from Huntington turnpike to Bear swamp road, a distance of nearly a mile. The greater portion of his lands at Nichols’ Farms is now in possession of his eldest son, William Grandison Nichols.

Judge Aram Tellalian Building (1891)

The former residence at 5892 Main Street in Trumbull was built in 1891. It was the home of a member of the Burroughs family, which produced cider at a mill across the street. The house was purchased by the town in 2002 and moved slightly to the south to serve as a town hall annex named in honor of Judge Aram Tellalian.

Nichols United Methodist Church (1981)

The Methodist Church in the historic village of Nichols in Trumbull began holding services in an old schoolhouse in 1828. A church building, facing Nichols Green, was dedicated on December 12, 1848. The building was enlarged and altered in 1905, 1960 and 1962. The current Nichols United Methodist Church, at 35 Shelton Road, replaced the earlier structure in 1981.

Bellin Building (1917)

The Bellin Building is an early twentieth century vernacular “triple decker” commercial building (with an intact storefront) at 14-16 Bank Street in Seymour. It was built in 1917.

Rev. Noah Benedict House (1760)

The house at 256 Main Street South in Woodbury was built in 1760-1763 by Rev. Noah Benedict (1737-1813), who served as the third minister of Woodbury’s First Congregational Church from 1760 to 1813. He dug and stoned the well with his own hands. Rev. Benedict built another house for his son nearby in 1795 and his own home was occupied by his widow until her death in 1861. The house then passed to Nathaniel Benedict Smith, son of Rev. Benedict’s only daughter, Ruth. It was acquired in 1874 by George Crane, who sold it to Charles Harvey in 1888. The house, originally a saltbox, has been much altered over the years, with chimneys replaced and eventually removed.

William Hooker House (1771)

The house at 148 High Road in the Kensington section of Berlin was built by William Hooker in 1771. In its early years it was used as an inn.

Russell Gladwin House (1825)

The house at 416 Saybrook Road in the village of Higganum in Haddam displays the architectural features of the Federal style. It was built in 1825 by Russell Gladwin (1799-1824), a ship carpenter, shortly after his marriage (February 18, 1824) to Susan (aka Susannah) Dickinson. The couple had a dozen children and the house remained in the Gladwin family until 1900. In the mid-twentieth century, Harriet and Warren Smith lived in the house and Mrs. Smith rented rooms upstairs to returning veterans of World War II.