Elisha Sage (1755–1801), of the Upper Houses of Middletown (now Cromwell) served in the Revolutionary War. A mason, he built bridges and worked on the construction of the Old State House in Hartford. Sage married Martha Montague. His house, at 64 West Street in Cromwell, was built circa 1776.
The house at 350 Main Street in Cromwell was built around 1870 on land purchased by Stephen P. Polley in 1869. Born in Chatham (Portland), Polley and his brother, Hiram Nelson Polley, moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, along with Levi Austin Hart of Southington and established Hart & Polley, a machine shop and metals manufacturing company. Stephen P. Polley later returned to Connecticut and founded the Cromwell Dime Savings Bank in 1871. He served as Cromwell’s town clerk from 1872 to 1878 and again from 1879 to 1881. After he died in 1887, his widow Catherine (from North Carolina) lived in the house until her death in 1891.
The manufacturing village of Taftville in Norwich was established in 1866 and centered on the Taftville Mill, which later became the Ponemah Mill, the largest textile mill in the world under one roof. The company gave land to the village’s Congregational Society, which built the Taftville Congregational Church in 1904. The asymmetrical building has a shingled exterior.
Shubal Smith, an attorney, purchased property on Towne Street (now now 176 South Main Street) in Colchester in 1839 and around that time constructed a Greek Revival house. By 1854 the house was owned jointly by Smith and Enoch Brown and passed to Deacon Smith’s son George Smith in 1868. The house was sold to Norman Palmer in 1879. His heirs, Isabelle A. Worthington, Flora Brown and Etta Miner, sold the house to John Condren in 1912. The house’s front porch was added sometime after 1903.
The house at 105 Middlefield Road in Durham was built circa 1774-1778 for Thomas Lyman IV (1746-1832). A native of Durham, Thomas Lyman spent time in the south, where his family claimed a grant of land, before returning to Connecticut. He served as quartermaster of the First Connecticut Regiment in the Revolutionary War and as a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1818. Lyman is said to have visited Thomas Jefferson for a week at Monticello and to have have entertained Lafayette at the house in Durham on several occasions. Lyman married Rachel Seward in 1771. The house was built on land that Lyman inherited from his brother Stephen, who died in 1775. It is a hipped-roof structure, which was uncommon for colonial Connecticut. Perhaps Lyman was influenced by his time in the South. The house remained in the Lyman family for many years. It was recently donated to the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, which has put the house up for sale, with the proceeds to be used to launch a new Revolving Fund for preservation projects around the state. (more…)
Built circa 1820, the Justin Swift House is a brick Federal-style residence at 9 North Road in Windham. Justin Swift (1793-1884) is described in the first volume of the Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties (1903):
Justin Swift, son of William, was born in Lebanon, Conn., Nov. 3, 1793, and married Lucy, daughter of John and Sally Lathrop. Mrs. Swift was born June 8, 1799, and died Sept. 20, 1876. To Justin and Lucy Swift came children as follows: Abby, born Jan. 22, 1821, died Sept. 14, 1835; William was born March 16. 1823; Sarah, born April 26, 1830, died Sept. 1, 1835; Julia A., born May 21, 1832, resides in Windham. and is the efficient librarian of the Windham Library. At the age of twenty-two years Justin Swift came to Windham. When a mere boy he engaged in merchandising, as a clerk, and later for himself, carrying on a general store in Windham for many years. For a period of five or six years he was interested with others in the manufacture of boots in Windham, but this venture was not successful. For a short time, also, he was interested in cottonmaking at Willimantic, and purchased the old paper mill property at North Windham, put in cottonmaking machinery, and carried it on very successfully until 1862, when he disposed of the property to the Merricks. This property was twice destroyed by fire, the first time by the torch of an incendiary, and second by lightning. Through life Justin Swift was an active, energetic man. In politics he was first a Federalist, then a Whig, finally a Republican, and he was a factor in the public life of the town. Twice he served as Representative, elected in a strong Democratic town, on the Whig ticket, after holding all of the local offices, including those of selectman, assessor, member of the board of relief, etc. For many years he was judge of probate, remaining in office until disqualified by the age limit, seventy years. In belief he adhered to the Christian religion, and he was one of the leading men of his day. His death occurred in Windham, Oct. 17, 1884.
The house at 183 Prospect Street in Willimantic was built around 1887 to be the home of Arthur I. Bill, editor and publisher of the Willimantic Journal. He also had a printing plant on lower Church Street in Willimantic, having started the Hall & Bill Printing Company in 1884.
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