James Humphrey House (1790)

The house at 285 Cherry Brook Road in Canton was built by James Humphrey, Sr between 1790 and 1800. The house has two ells that were added later: one in the rear and a large one on the south side that at various times has housed a second family. The Richardson family occupied the house for several generations. Teachers often boarded in the house during the years that the Center District School was located across the meadow road.

Interview with Daniel Sterner & Upcoming Presentations

I recently did an interview with Identidad Latina:


I also have three presentations on Hartford this month: 
“A Walk Through Hartford Old East Side/Front Street Neighborhood” October 8, 1:00 PM at the South Windsor Senior Center
“Nook Farm: the Hartford Neighborhood of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe”October 22, 1:00 PM at the South Windsor Senior Center
“Hartford’s Old Insurance Company Buildings”October 30, 10:30 AM at the Elmwood Senior Center in West Hartford ($4 for non-members)

Willimantic Linen Company Store House & Inspection Building (1873)

One of the numerous structures that were built for the Willimantic Linen Company (later the American Thread Company) was a Store House & Inspection building. Located east of (and now connected to) Mill No. 2, it was constructed in 1873 and was possibly built by Nathaniel Olin, the builder of both Mill No. 1 and Mill No. 2. It is similar in style to those earlier structures and is similarly constructed of granite gneiss. Used for the storage of skeins and product inspection, the building was originally two stories and had a gable roof. It was doubled in height in 1907 with the addition of two stories, constructed using stone from two demolished company house (built in 1858 and part of what was once called “stone row”). The building was later used for the company’s credit union and health care facility and more recently has contained offices and light manufacturing.

Alexander Catlin House (1778)

The Alexander Catlin House, built in 1778, is located at 258 North Street in Litchfield, where the street splits into Goshen Road and Norfolk Road. The colonial home features a gambrel roof and widow’s walk. The house was built by Alexander Catlin, one of the founders of the Litchfield China Trading Company. This may be Alexander Catlin, Sr. (son of John Catlin), who was born in Litchfield in 1738 and died in Burlington, Vermont in 1809. Later owners of the house included Stephen Deming and M. W. and K. L. Buel.

Canaan United Methodist Church (1873)

The first Methodist sermon preached in what is now the town of North Canaan was given in 1786 at the Lawrence Tavern (the Isaac Lawrence House on Elm Street). A Methodist church was erected in 1816 and remained in use until the current Canaan United Methodist Church was erected in 1868-1873. It is located at 2 Church Street, at the west end of Main Street where it divides into Church and West Main Streets. The original church building was sold to a farmer. The large stained glass window at the front of the church was installed in 1905. The church merged with the Falls Village Methodist Church in 1966. That church’s first structure, built in 1793, was the first building for Methodist worship erected in the New England states.

Gideon Kinne House (1840)

The house at 1392 Main Street in Glastonbury was erected c. 1840. In the mid-1850s, it became the home of Gideon Kinne (1807-1890), a stone mason and farmer. He was the son of Aaron Kinne, Jr. (1773-1815), a merchant, who was the first member of the Kinne family to settle in Glastonbury. Gideon married Sally (or Sallie) Ann Taylor and had four children. Two of his sons, Aaron and James, were Civil War veterans who became merchants in Fort Edward, New York. The house has extensive rear additions.