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

John Prentice House (1853)

Two houses on Park Place in Mystic (1 Park Place and 5 Park Place) have historic markers indicating that they were the home of John Prentice, a carpenter. I don’t know if it was the same man or, perhaps, a father and son. According to The History and Genealogy of the Prentice, Or Prentiss Family, in New England, Etc., from 1631 to 1883 (1883), by C. J. F. Binney, there was a John Prentice, born “January 16, 1823; house-carpenter, and for last fifteen years cotton-gin builder.” The house pictured above, at 5 Park Place, was erected in 1853. According to the sign on the door, a later owner was Capt. Henry Ashby.

William Cann House (1860)

Very similar to the neighboring Greek Revival house at 1 Park Place in Mystic is another house built in the same year, 1860. Located at 3 Park Place, its first resident was William Cann (1831-1906), a ship’s carpenter. He was born in Sidney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and in 1855 married Mary Ann Pendleton (born 1837) in Mystic.

John Prentice House (1860)

Built in 1860, the house at 1 Park Place in Mystic was originally the home of John Prentice, a carpenter.

Wright House (1819)

The Wright House, located at 101 East Main Street in Clinton, is an excellent example of Federal style architecture, with a fan light in the gable, dentil molding and an elabortate entryway. The house was erected in 1819.

Dr. E. W. Parsons House (1842)

The Greek Revival house at 52 Broadway in Colchester was built in 1842 and was the home of Dr. Ezekiel W. Parsons. He was a doctor and a member of the Connecticut Medical Society. He was also a member of the American Colonization Society and the Home Missionary Society. Dr. Parsons married Sally Clark in 1822.

Horace Smith House (1840)

The Horace Smith House is a large Greek Revival-style residence located at 12 Broadway in Colchester. It was built c. 1840-1868.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Wethersfield (1958)

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wethersfield was organized on March 21, 1943 and the congregation initially used a vacant store at 689 Wolcott Hill Road for worship. Outgrowing the store after a few months, the congregation acquired the Griswold House at 371 Wolcott Hill Road. The congregation worshiped in a chapel on the first floor its first pastors also lived in the house. After using the house for fifteen years, a new church building was erected on the property and the congregation began worshiping in its new home on New Years Day, 1958. A parish Education Building was constructed in 1968 and a new Fellowship Hall, connecting the Church and the Education Building, was completed in 1996.