The Amos Eno House, also known as the Simsbury 1820 House, is a historic home at 731 Hopmeadow Street in

Simsbury Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670. History Early history At the beginning of the 17th century, th ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Prior to Amos Eno

The house was built in 1822 by Elisha Phelps, who was given the land by his father, Noah. Noah Phelps was a graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, a lawyer and a judge. The first floor contains a center hallway with a kitchen, breakfast nook and parlor. The second floor also has a center hall and two rooms on each side. The house is decorated throughout with detailed woodwork and glass that show the wealth of the original occupants. Elisha and his wife had three children: Mary,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, and Lucy. John grew up to be the Governor of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

and became a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. Mary married John Allen, and their son became a representative to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

Amos Eno summer residence

Lucy married Amos Richards Eno of Simsbury. They moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

where he and a cousin opened a profitable dry goods business. Amos parlayed his profits into real estate investment in Manhattan, New York. In 1856–59 he built the famous

Fifth Avenue Hotel The Fifth Avenue Hotel was a luxury hotel located at 200 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City from 1859 to 1908. It had an entire block of frontage between 23rd Street and 24th Street, at the southwest corner of Madison Square. S ...

at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. It was here that he and relatives established the Second National Bank of New York. The Eno family would visit the house in Simsbury every summer. One of their grandchildren was

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsy ...

, conservationist and Governor of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, who was born in the house. In 1884 scandal hit the family when one of Amos' sons, John Chester, embezzled millions of dollars from his father's bank and then fled to Canada to avoid prosecution. After settling his son's debts, Amos retreated to the family summer residence. He built additions onto it in order to accommodate visits from his large family, including numerous bedrooms and a new wing. When the expansion was complete, the house had over thirty rooms. Amos' daughter Antoinette Eno Wood who aided her disgraced brother lived in the house caring for her father. After his death she refused to leave the home and paid her brother, Amos a life tenancy to remain there. She refurbished the home and renamed it Eaglewood, a nod to her last name and to the family's patriotism. She also carried out a series of renovations on it, including landscaping by the

Frederick Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co ...

firm, who designed

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

in New York. The home became a very important fixture in Simsbury's social atmosphere in the summers. It overflowed with guests to the point that the house would be filled and the guest house would have to be used. She also hosted ice cream socials on the

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

. She also hosted a meeting of the Connecticut Woman's Suffrage League in the home. Present at this meeting was Katharine Houghton Hepburn, mother of actress Katharine Hepburn.

After the Eno Family

Upon her death, the house was passed through her brother Amos Frederick's will to his minor nephew, who eventually sold it. It became a restaurant, then was sold to a developer, who built a community on the property. The town of Simsbury purchased the house in 1960 but did little to maintain it except to paint it in 1976 for the bicentennial. Finally, in 1985, extensive restoration was done to the inside and out.

Current use

The house is now an inn, cafe and reception hall that hosts wedding parties up to 120 people.

Eno Family legacy

The Eno family made many contributions to the town of Simsbury, including: *The Simsbury Free Library was started with money from a trust by Amos Eno *Eno Memorial Hall was built with money given by Antoinette Eno Wood as a memorial to her parents. It used to serve as the town hall; now it is home to the Social Services Department, the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Simsbury Community Television and the Simsbury Senior Center

*The Capt. Elisha Phelps House was owned by Elisha Phelps, brother of Noah Phelps. It served as a tavern and museum from 1786 to 1849. It is now the Phelps Tavern Museum.

*The Town Farm Dairy of Simsbury was donated by Amos R. Eno to be used as a

poor farm A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been th ...

for citizens in need.

The farm originally produced vegetables, dairy, chickens and tobacco. Currently, it is a dairy farm, and the residence is used for affordable housing.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Houses in Simsbury, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut