The Wauregan Hotel, originally known as the Wauregan House, was built in downtown Norwich in 1855 and soon became known as one of the finest hotels in New England. When Abraham Lincoln came to give a campaign speech in Norwich in 1860, he stayed in a room at the Wauregan. The Hotel was expanded in 1894 with the absorption of the neighboring Clarendon building, by which the Wauregan added a dining room and a ballroom. By the 1940s, the building’s Italianate cast iron ornamentation had been removed. Abandoned for many years and in a deteriorating condition, the Wauregan Hotel was in danger of demolition, but a preservation effort was successful: the building was restored to its original level of architectural detail and the interior has been adapted for reuse as an apartment building.
Col C. F. Simonds the owner in 1899 was my ancestor. My family has his Civil war diary. We would like to know more about the family.
I have a menu of the waregan Hotel & gentleman’s club dated 1941 in downtown Norwich Conn. it was my mothers she collected menu’s from different restaurants in Norwich & cone Island any interest I love looking at these things The prices alone are well I wish that was the case now! Spaghetti & meatballs 1.25?
To Steven who posted above… According to the 1880 census, my great great great grandfather (Dwight Doolittle) was the Innkeeper at the Wauregan in 1880. Do you know when your ancestor purchased the Hotel? I’d be curious to know if he was the owner during this time or if my ancestor owned it. Very interesting and very exciting to be putting together some of the puzzle pieces of the earlier generations!
Daniel and Steven…I have newspaper clippings showing my 2nd Great Grand Uncle Chauncey W Johnson purchased the Hotel in 1871, 1870 census shows him as the Hotel Keeper.
I have an Antique Chandelier and am looking to get it appraised. My grandmother acquired it years ago and my mother gave it to me.
“Norwich a College Town?” A major school like the University of Connecticut could establish a satellite campus in the Norwich downtown district. This plan would encourage high tech and other companies to move to this historical city. Think about it.
My grandfather Harry M Land managed to retain ownership of the hotel and the building immediately to the right after the depression. When my grandmother died in 1948 my brother and I inherited the building next door but we never learned when the family sold the hotel . The irony is that I served as finance counsel to the connecticut housing finance authotity when it financed the conversion of the hotel for low and moderate housing rental.
Like all owners of buildings in that area we sold the inherited building for taxes in the 1960s. It was valued in 1948 at $70 ,000
Hello, I metal detect up here in Maine. I was detecting the Piscataquis river in Doverfoxcroft the other day and found one of the room tags for the hotel. It was inscribed ” Wauregan House A4 “. I read that Lincoln stayed there one night. Curious what room he stayed in 🙂 If you would like I could email you a pic of it 🙂