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

Ebenezer Hayden II House (1795)

Ebenezer Hayden II (the first Ebenezer Hayden was a brother who was born earlier but had died) probably built his Georgian and Federal style house, located on Main Street in Essex, in stages in the late 1790s. The doorway, featuring a semi-circular fanlight window, may have been added around 1800. The Hayden House was the first home in the lower Connecticut River Valley to have a hipped roof, which may have been constructed by the noted builder Thomas Hayden of Windsor and shipped down the river in sections to be placed on the building. The Ebenezer Hayden House is the third home up from the river and one of many homes built by members of the Hayden family in the vicinity of the Hayden Shipyard. Ebenezer II married Sarah, the daughter of Grover L’Hommideau, who had created the town’s first ropewalk.

Lynde Point Lighthouse (1838)

A wood lighthouse on Old Saybrook’s Lynde Point was first lit in 1803. It was replaced by the current brownstone tower in 1838, which is similar to the earlier New London Harbor and Faulkners Island Lights, but is considered to be the finest of the three buildings. Lynde Point Light is an also referred to as the Saybrook Inner Light, in contrast to the Outer Light, or Saybrook Breakwater Light. A seawall was constructed to protect the original tower in 1829. The first keeper’s house stood from 1833 to 1858. This was followed by a Gothic Revival gambrel-roofed home, demolished in 1966 and replaced by a duplex, which houses Coast Guard employees. The Light was electrified in 1955 and automated in 1978.

Groton Battle Monument (1830)

The Groton Battle Monument commemorates the Battle of Groton Heights, fought during the Revolutionary War on September 6, 1781. The battle was a result of the British raid on New London, led by Benedict Arnold. Fort Trumbull, on the New London side of the harbor, and Fort Griswold, built on the heights on the Groton side, were built to protect the strategic port of New London. Arnold had information from an American turncoat which enabled the British to avoid the fire from Fort Griswold‘s guns and surprise the Americans. The British forces then burned New London and, after a fierce battle, in which 150 rapidly assembled American defenders faced a British force of 800, Fort Griswold was captured. The American commander, Col. William Ledyard, is said to have been killed by his own sword after surrendering to the British. According to American sources, a massacre of the Americans followed the surrender, although British sources mention neither the death of Col. Ledyard or a massacre.

Today, the remains of Fort Griswold are part of a Connecticut State Park. Also on the park grounds are the Monument House Museum and the Groton Battle Monument. The Monument is a granite obelisk, constructed between 1826 and 1830. It is the oldest monument of its kind in America, preceding the Bunker Hill Monument and the Washington Monument. The Groton Monument has a marble plaque listing the names of those who fell defending Fort Griswold. In 1881, the centennial anniversary year of the battle, the top of the monument was enclosed and its height raised to 134 feet. Visitors to Fort Griswold can climb the tower and reenactments of the battle are also held at the Park.

Jared Pratt House (1803)

Jared Pratt built a house on Main Street in Essex around 1803, after his marriage to Polly Bull. In 1854, Captain Isaiah Pratt purchased the home from his father, although his parents were allowed life use. Isaiah, who later altered the house in the Second Empire style, sold it to his sister, Mary Pratt, in 1868. In 1922, the main section of the building was moved from Main Street to what is now called Pratt Street to make room for the construction of a new town office building (now the Post Office).

Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse (1886)

Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, a 49-foot cast-iron tower, first activated in 1886, is located at Fenwick Point, near Old Saybrook. Commonly known as the “Outer Light,” it assists the earlier Lynde Point Light, which is located a mile-and-a-half away, in marking the mouth of the Connecticut River. Saybrook Breakwater Light was built on a large sand bar at the harbor entrance and the interior was lined with brick to provide insulation. It was equipped 1,000-pound fog bell in 1889, but this was replaced with a smaller one after residents objected to the noise. The light was automated in 1959. An image of the lighthouse is also featured on the state’s popular “Preserve the Sound” license plate. In 2007, the Federal Government announced that he lighthouse would be sold under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, although the planned sale is currently on hold. The Coast Guard will continue to maintain the light, while the eventual new private owners will maintain the historic structure. Edit: There is HABS info on this building.

E.G. Robbins House (1790)

The E.G. Robbins House, on Main Street in Wethersfield, was originally a gambrel-roofed structure, built by Elijah Wright around 1790. Wright served as a militia captain in the Revolutionary War. The house was extensively remodeled in the Italianate style around 1850, probably by the seed company owner, Silas W. Robbins. By 1869, the house was owned by Robbins’s brother, Edward Griswold Robbins. It was later the Pyquaug Inn and now the building houses ~~a hair salon~~ The Charles restaurant.

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The Jacob and Abigail Strong House (1698)

With this post, Historic Buildings of Connecticut celebrates its second anniversary! That’s two years of daily entries of historic buildings! There are many more to do (that’s an understatement!), so please keep reading!!! For our Second Birthday Post, the featured building is the Jacob and Abigail Strong House (also known in the past as the David Strong House) in East Windsor Hill (South Windsor). This is an early “First Period” or Post-Medieval English home, built in 1698. Originally the home of Jacob Strong and his wife, Abigail Bissell, the house is now the residence of Edward Sunderland of Sunderland Period Homes.