The Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop is a historic building that was built between 1772 and 1774 on the green in
Norwichtown
Norwichtown is a historic neighborhood in the city of Norwich, Connecticut. It is generally the area immediately north of the Yantic River between I-395 and Route 169.
The portion of the neighborhood from the Norwichtown Green and east of it i ...
, now a section of
Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...
. It is a by -story clapboarded building with a gambrel roof. The interior has a single brick chimney that was used for the forge, but it has been modified and adapted for modern use with modern doors, electric lighting and heat, and a disappearing overhead stairway that leads to the attic. Joseph Carpenter (1747–1804) was a successful of silversmith, clockmaker, and pewterer, and shared the building with his brother, a merchant. The shop was added to 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 ...
on October 6, 1970, and was listed as a contributory property for the
Norwichtown Historic District
Norwichtown is a historic neighborhood in the city of Norwich, Connecticut. It is generally the area immediately north of the Yantic River between I-395 and Route 169.
The portion of the neighborhood from the Norwichtown Green and east of it i ...
on January 17, 1973.
Original occupants
Born in 1747 to Joseph and Elizabeth Carpenter (née Lathrop), Joseph Carpenter was a successful silversmith in
Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...
. The shop was constructed between 1772 and 1774 and Joseph shared it with his brother Gardner Carpenter, who operated a mercantile business from the shop. In 1775, Joseph Carpenter married Eunice Fitch, and they had six children. He died in 1804.
Carpenter was noted to be one of the "most successful of the Norwich silversmiths, clockmakers and pewterers..."
Design
Facing southeast on the Norwichtown green, the Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop is a by -story clapboarded building with a
gambrel roof
A gambrel or gambrel roof is a usually symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side. (The usual architectural term in eighteenth-century England and North America was "Dutch roof".) The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle, ...
. Constructed between 1772 and 1774, the building was built on a stone foundation and has a stone stoop leading to the front entrance. The gambrel roof is framed without a ridge pole. It overhangs the front and back facades by , but does not project the sides. At the time of the National Historic Register of Places nomination, the roof used wooden shingles.
The interior has a single brick chimney that was used for the forge. The main floor was originally open, with only a single supporting post in the center, but this was later partitioned into several rooms. Modern additions to the shop include modern doors, electric lighting and heat, and a disappearing overhead stairway that leads to the attic. The shop's cellar was not described in the survey.
In 1915, the house passed out of the Carpenter family, and it was restored by Norman Isham in 1916.
In 1956, the building came into the ownership of the "Society of the Founders of Norwich, Connecticut, Inc.". According to the 1966 edition of ''Fodor's Modern Guides'', the Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop was "still furnished as it was when Mr. Carpenter plied his trade."
The National Historic Register of Places noted that the partitioning was "recent" at the time of its 1970 nomination.
In 1997, a $5000 grant was used to replace the roof.
Importance
The Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop is an example of a small frame silversmith's shop, and is believed to be the only surviving example in New England. The shop was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 6, 1970 and it was listed as a contributory property for the
Norwichtown Historic District
Norwichtown is a historic neighborhood in the city of Norwich, Connecticut. It is generally the area immediately north of the Yantic River between I-395 and Route 169.
The portion of the neighborhood from the Norwichtown Green and east of it i ...
on January 17, 1973.
[ and ] As early as 1917, the shop was the subject of a preservation effort.
The shop was photographed by the
Historic American Buildings Survey
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
. The shop was featured as part of a historic house tour in 1993's "Reflections on the Past."
See also
*
*
Dr. Daniel Lathrop School, next door
*
Carpenter House (Norwich, Connecticut) - The house of Joseph Carpenter's brother, Gardner Carpenter.
References
External links
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National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
Historic American Buildings Survey in Connecticut
Buildings and structures in Norwich, Connecticut
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut