William Smith House (1730)

The William Smith House at 166 Silver Lane in East Hartford is thought to date to as early as 1730, a year before the dirt path in front became town property. Smith had to arrange with his neighbors and the town to get road access to his home. Smith also owned the house next door, at 158 Silver Lane, which he ran as a tavern. Both buildings have been much altered over the years. In the 1920s, the house was the first in East Hartford to be decorated with electric Christmas lights. By the 1930s and 1940s owner Raymond C. Dunn’s elaborate holiday displays attracted people from far and wide, causing traffic jams. A police officer was needed to direct traffic. A contest for the best Christmas display each year was discontinued because he won every year.