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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.

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John Hollister House (1649)
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7 thoughts on “John Hollister House (1649)

  • December 7, 2007 at 12:34 am
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    Great to see that the homestead continues to watch over the birthplace of the Hollister family in America! Winston Hollister

  • February 10, 2017 at 5:32 pm
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    John Hollister Jr. and his family lived in the small farmhouse that his father built in 1649, on the bank of the Connecticut River. Because of frequent flooding,in 1675 he moved his family to a dryer spot.(14 Tryon St.) He built a plain rectangular house with four rooms, two below and two above and placed the hearth stone above the high water mark. Whether it was all new construction or included any of the original riverside farmhouse is unknown. His tenant farmers never occupied this house. In 1651 they leased land from William Gibbons and occupied a house he built in 1649. John Hollister Sr purchased the Gibbons property in 1655 and continued to lease to farmers until 1663 .

  • December 16, 2017 at 2:59 pm
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    Periodically I look up the Hollister House because I love old houses and this one bears my name. My Brother is William Goodrich Green, and a cousin is John Hollister Miller. We are direct descendants: An Elizabeth Hollister married a Steele, a Steale married a Davis, a Davis married a Miller, a Miller married a Green. Cheers!

  • February 6, 2018 at 2:37 am
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    Just started my genealogy and found this. Hollister married and Stuck and then to me! Very glad to see this

  • April 13, 2018 at 12:52 pm
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    So sad to see the house in disrepair. Visited in 1976 with my parents and it was newly added to the National Historic Register and in great shape. Saw in 1988 after college, and was on the decline. My brother just visited while on a college tour with his son, and it really looks in even more disrepair than the 2007 photo above. Anyone interested in setting up a GoFundMe and creating a “Hollister Museum”? I am a 12th generation direct descendant of John Hollister. My grandfather was born in a West Coast “Hollister Adobe” in San Luis Obispo in 1893 that is still standing on the grounds of Cuesta College. We could create a wonderful place with our rich American history.

  • August 4, 2018 at 3:37 am
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    I grew up in that house.

  • October 9, 2018 at 12:48 pm
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    Is the Hollister House ever open to the public?

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