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

George Greenman House (1839)

George Greenman was the eldest of three brothers who founded the shipyard in Mystic known as George Greenman & Co. His house on Greenmanville Avenue was built in 1839 and was enlarged and further ornamented later in the nineteenth century. Greenman’s brothers initially resided in the house with him, until they built their own homes nearby on Greenmanville Avenue. The Greenman home is reported to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Mystic Seaport living history museum acquired the house from George Greenman‘s great-granddaughter in 1970. The house has a Historic Structures Report.

The Diodate Shailer House (1816)

Diodate Shailer built his house on Saybrook Road in Haddam in 1816, the year of his marriage to Elizabeth Rutty. His son, Charles, later lived in the house until 1852, when it was sold to Capt. Leonard Buell, whose descendants owned the home until 1947. The Federal-style wood shingled house had later nineteenth century side porches added, which have since become additional rooms.

Beebe Phillips House (1838)

The Beebe-Phillips House is an 1838 farmhouse, located in Waterford. The house was moved to Historic Jordan Green in 1974 and is one of several historic buildings on the Green which constitute a museum operated by the Waterford Historical Society.

Fairfield County Courthouse (1899)

Three successive courthouses have stood on the same spot on Danbury’s Main Street. The first was built in 1785 and the second in 1823-1824. This latter building was enlarged in 1879, but the need for an even larger structure led to the building of the Fairfield County Courthouse of 1899. The architect was Warren R. Briggs of Bridgeport, who also designed the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport (1888) and the Connecticut Building for the World’s Colombian Exposition (1893). Today, the copper-domed Courthouse in Danbury serves as the Courthouse for Juvenile Matters.

Edgecomb-Gates House (1835)

The house at 15 Gravel Street in Mystic was built around 1835 by Daniel D. Edgecomb, a carpenter who made coffins in his basement workshop. In 1847, the house was acquired by Captain Gurdon Gates, who added the intricately detailed porch. The oldest of four brothers, who all became sea captains, Gurdon Gates was known for his record run in 1866 around the Horn in the clipper ship, Twilight. He also commanded other ships, including the steamship, Victor, during the Civil War. After his retirement from the sea, he was involved in business and politics, serving in the Connecticut Assembly. Gravel Street was known as “Captain’s Walk” because all of the homes there but one once belonged to sea captains.

52 Main Street, Cheshire (1840)

The vernacular house at 52 Main Street in Cheshire was built around 1840. It was purchased by St. Peter’s Episcopal parish in 1852 for use as a parsonage. The hip-roofed entry porch was added around 1875 and the side porch in the 1930s. The building is now owned by Cheshire Academy.

The Richard Douglass House (1801)

The Richard Douglass House, on Green Street in New London, is a gambrel-roofed house built in 1801. Richard Douglass was a cooper and served in the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. The house has a MySpace page.