The East Plymouth Historic District is a
historic district in the town of
Plymouth, Connecticut
Plymouth is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England. The population was 11,671 at the 2020 census, down from 12,243 at the 2010 census. The town of Plymouth includes the villages of Plymo ...
. It encompasses a small rural village in the northeastern part of the town, whose main focus is the 1792 St. Matthew's Church, one of the oldest surviving Episcopal church buildings in the state. The district runs along East Plymouth Road on either side of its junction with Marsh Road, and includes predominantly Greek Revival residential buildings erected in the early to mid-19th century.
The district was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1985.
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Description and history
The area that is now East Plymouth was sparsely settled until after the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. The junction of East Plymouth and Marsh Roads was a minor road junction, that assumed importance with the founding in 1792 of St. Matthew's Church. This church was founded by Plymouth Episcopalians unhappy with a recent decision to build a new church at the western end of the town (now Thomaston), and by Congregationalists of Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
unhappy with their preacher. The crossroads grew into a small village as parishioners moved to the area, and there were soon a tavern and blacksmith established. The area was dependent on agriculture, and declined economically in the late 19th century, as people moved to find work elsewhere.[
The historic district extends along East Plymouth Street, a short distance from its junction with Marsh Road. It includes eight 19th-century houses, as well as the former 1792 St. Matthew's building, now converted to a residence. That building is of historic significance as one of a small number of surviving 18th-century church buildings in the state. The houses and associated outbuildings are mostly in vernacular versions of the Federal and Greek Revival styles popular in the first half of the 19th century. Some houses remained within ownership of the same families well into the 20th century.][
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See also
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References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Plymouth, Connecticut
Historic districts in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut