The Hadlyme Ferry Historic District encompasses a collection of historic buildings related to the
Chester–Hadlyme Ferry in the
Hadlyme village of
Lyme, Connecticut
Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The population was 2,352 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lyme i ...
. It is located at the eastern end of the ferry route across the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
, where ferries have been documented to run since 1769. The district includes six houses dating to the late 18th or early 19th century, as well as the site of the ferry slip. It 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 v ...
in 1994.
[
]
Description and history
The lower Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
was not bridged until the early 20th century. Settled in the mid-17th century, ferry services on the river were important for the movement of people and goods, and also acted as hubs for commerce. The first formal permit to operate a ferry between Hadlyme and Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
was issued in 1769 to Jonathan Warner, but some documents suggest that a ferry may have been run as early as the 1690s. The oldest of the buildings at the ferry was built in 1760; it is a typical Georgian house, to which a Federal style entrance surround was added in the late 18th or early 19th century.[ and ]
The district extends from the ferry slip, up Connecticut Route 148
Route 148 is a state highway in southern and southeastern Connecticut running from Route 79 in Killingworth (near the Durham line) to Route 82 in the village of Hadlyme (in the town of Lyme). Route 148 crosses the Connecticut River using the ...
(Ferry Road) to its junction with Geer Hill Road. The terrain slopes upward from the river fairly steeply, leaving little room for development. The district is bounded on the north by Gillette Castle State Park
Gillette Castle State Park straddles the towns of East Haddam and Lyme, Connecticut in the United States, sitting high above the Connecticut River. The castle was designed and built by William Gillette (1853–1937), an American actor most famous f ...
. The six houses in the district were all built before 1820, and have either Federal or colonial Georgian style. One of the buildings may have served as a shop.[
*Isaac Spenser House, 162-1 Ferry Road, 1790, also Colonial in its 5 bay form, with a Federal style doorway including ]fanlight
A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. Th ...
in doorway's pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedimen ...
.
*William Spencer House, 1805.
*159 Ferry Road, c. 1800, gable-fronted.
*Comstock House, 150 Ferry Road, c. 1820, gable-fronted, later Federal style house with a fanlight in its tympanum.
*Ferry House, 162-2 Ferry Road, c. 1780.
*Ferry slip site.
Non-contributing structures in the district include four garages from early 20th century and assorted small buildings associated with the ferry. Note, unlike in some other historic districts around ferry sites, the course of the ferry itself is not included in the district.[See, for example, ]Millersburg Ferry
The Millersburg Ferry, also known as the Crow's Ferry, is the last operating ferry on the Susquehanna River. It crosses the river between Millersburg in Dauphin County and Buffalo Township in Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The ...
in Pennsylvania and Glastonbury – Rocky Hill Ferry Historic District in Connecticut The modern ferry is regarded as a periodic intrusion into views of the historic district.[
]
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Historic districts in New London County, Connecticut
Federal architecture in Connecticut
Lyme, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut