John Hollister House (1649)

johnhollisterhouse.JPG

The oldest House in Glastonbury was built in 1649, by Lt. John Hollister, and originally stood on the bank of the Connecticut River. Due to frequent flooding, it was moved to its current location, on Tryon Street, near Roaring Brook, in 1721. The rear lean-to, added around 1830, gave the house a saltbox shape. Hollister probably did not live in this house himself, as he maintained his main residence in Wethersfield, across the river. Instead, he rented it to three tenants, the brothers Josiah, Jonathan and John Gilbert, who farmed his land on the east side of the river. Hollister’s descendants would later make the house their ancestral home for many generations.

Hartford Fire Insurance Company Building (1921)

the-hartford.JPG

The Hartford neighborhood of Asylum Hill got its name from the American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, which was founded there in 1817. A century later, the organization changed its name to the American School for the Deaf and moved to West Hartford. Its Hartford property was purchased by the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, which had been founded in 1810. This firm was the first of many to leave downtown Hartford and build a new headquarters in Asylum Hill. The headquarters of the company, which is now known as The Hartford Financial Services Group, was constructed in 1921 in a Classical Revival style, designed by Stevenson & Dodge, with Parker, Thomas & Rice.

Wetmore-Starr House (1752)

jehosaphatstarrhouse.JPG

Built around 1752, on Washington Street in Middletown by Jeremiah Wetmore, on property that had once been part of the 1670 land grant to Rev. Samuel Stow, the town’s first minister. The house was purchased by Jehosaphat Starr in 1756, who enlarged the original central chimney home with an addition to the east elevation. This was done to accommodate his large family, which eventually grew to 14. Starr, a Major during the Revolutionary War, was married to Sarah Stow, who was a great-grand niece of Rev. Samuel Stow. The house remained in the family until 1851.

South Glastonbury Public Library (1828)

southglastonburylibrary.JPG

The building on High Street in Glastonbury, which is currently the home of the South Glastonbury Public Library, was originally built in 1828 as a Methodist Church. Constructed by Parley Bidwell, who also built Glastonbury’s first Town Hall, the church had separate entrances for men and women. In the 1860s, the building was used as an unofficial African-American church and anti-slavery rallies were held there. By 1910, the local cotton mills had closed and the Methodist congregation had greatly decreased. The building was sold and used only for summer services until 1927, when the South Glastonbury Library first opened. At that time, the building was owned by Mrs. Helen Walsh Thompson, who allowed it to be used as a library for a nominal fee until 1941, when she gave it to the South Glastonbury Library Association.

Hollister-Kinne House (1849)

hollister-kinnehouse.JPG

Built in 1849 (the date 1841 is on the chimney in the attic), on Tryon Street in South Glastonbury, by the Hollister family (the 1649 John Hollister House stands nearby). Martin Hollister owned a gristmill and later a woolen mill up Roaring Brook. He was also a judge involved in the case of the Smith sisters. The house was later sold to the Kinne family, who still own the house. Since the 1970s, Nayaug Stables, an equestrian center, has been located on the property.

Lorin and Florence Hollister Curtis House (1840)

curtishouse.JPG

The front porch was added later to this c. 1840 Greek Revival house, located on High Street in South Glastonbury. The house was once occupied by Lorin Curtis, a Civil War veteran, and his wife, Florence Hollister Curtis, who wrote a history of Glastonbury in 1928. Now a two-family home, the house also features a rear addition, built as a studio by the artist Dick Wilton, who lived in the house in the 1980’s.