On Brightwood Lane in West Hartford is a Shingle-style house, built in 1900-1901. It was once part of the extensive agricultural estate of the Beach family, known as Vine Hill Farm. The farm was begun by Charles Mason Beach, who had earlier established with his two brothers the Hartford firm of Beach & Co., dealers in paints, aniline dyes and other chemicals. Beach settled in the area of South Main Street in West Hartford in 1859, purchasing a farm house. He began buying land for a dairy farm, which soon gained a reputation in the area for its high-quality milk, cream and butter. Beach’s son, Charles Edward Beach, managed Vine Hill Farm for many years and became a prominent citizen of West Hartford, serving on the town Board of Selectmen and being elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1907. In the 1860s, Charles E. Beach’s father had hired a German immigrant named Louis Stadtmueller, who planted the vines on the property which gave Vine Hill Farm its name. His son, Frank Stadtmueller, developed the farm’s process of producing infant milk formula that would keep for two to three weeks. Stadtmueller was later appointed Connecticut’s State Dairy Commissioner.

The house that Charles E. Beach built on Vine Hill Farm has an asymmetrical exterior covered with wood shingles, while the interior has rich architectural details. Parcels of Vine Hill Farm land began to be sold to developers in the 1920s, with the last piece of farmland being sold in 1948 by Charles Frederick Beach, grandson of Charles M. Beach. Smaller houses, built on the subdivided land, now surround the Beach House. The home’s original cobblestone port-cochere is now to the rear of the house, because the laying out of Brightwood Lane led to the entrance being shifted from South Main Street to the newer road.

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Charles E. Beach House (1900)
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9 thoughts on “Charles E. Beach House (1900)

  • October 26, 2010 at 5:18 am
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    beach houses are nice because you can swim anytime you want and the beach is a great view too::.

  • November 12, 2010 at 3:09 pm
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    beach houses are really nice and it would always be a warm and relaxing place ~~’

  • August 24, 2011 at 12:22 am
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    I love reading through and I believe this website got some truly utilitarian stuff on it! .

  • December 10, 2012 at 2:05 pm
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    house too cute i am not old enuff to buy 1

  • March 12, 2014 at 9:06 pm
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    I think it’s worth mentioning that several of their Tiffany windows went to the Mark Twain house during its restoration! This family were no mere farmers.

  • February 13, 2016 at 8:11 pm
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    My mom’s family lived in the Beach house for many years (they called it “the Beach Estate”). So wonderful that it’s now part of the National Register of Historic Places – Mom would be thrilled! We proudly displayed a photo of Mom’s childhood home wherever we lived. My grandfather arranged for us kids to take a tour of the house in the 1980s; the architecture was stunning. I was in awe of the home’s sheer immensity. Just beautiful! 🙂

  • June 29, 2016 at 10:50 am
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    This is grandfather great grandfathers house !

  • June 29, 2016 at 10:50 am
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    *** this is my grandfathers , great grandfathers house !

  • July 6, 2018 at 1:00 pm
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    I’m researching the Beach family in connection with a furniture project. Would you be willing to answer some questions to help my efforts? Thanks!

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