The Leffingwell Inn (now known as Leffingwell House Museum) is a historic inn at 348 Washington Street in the

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 ...

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 ...

. With a construction history dating to 1675, it is one of Connecticut's oldest buildings, and was an important meeting place during 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 building 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 1970.

Description and history

The Leffingwell Inn is located just south of the junction of Town and Washington Streets, at the southern end of the Norwichtown area. It is a -story wood-frame structure, built in stages in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its oldest part, the northeastern corner, dates to 1675 and was built by Stephen Backus. The Inn was founded by Thomas Leffingwell 2nd, the son of Norwich co-founder Thomas Leffingwell.Mahan, Russell, Thomas Leffingwell: The Connecticut Pioneer Who Rescued Chief Uncas and the Mohegans; Historical Enterprises, Santa Clara, Utah, 2018. Over the next century it was altered and expanded several times, reaching its present configuration, which is a roughly square structure with two main facades and long sloping roof lines along the other two facades, as if two

saltbox A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a woode ...

houses had been joined at a corner. It has many features dating primarily to the 18th century, including casement windows, wooden paneling, and several kitchen hearths, a further indication of the building's evolutionary construction history. Most of the architectural features of the house are the handiwork of Benajah and Christopher Leffingwell, who made the most significant alterations and additions in the 18th century. Christopher, in addition to operating the inn, established Norwich's first paper mill, as well as a stocking factory. The inn is locally historically important as a meeting point during the

. It is now a museum property owned by a local historical society. and

References

External links

Leffingwell House Museum
* {{National Register of Historic Places Hotel buildings completed in the 17th century Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Historic American Buildings Survey in Connecticut Historic house museums in Connecticut Museums in New London County, Connecticut Saltbox architecture in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Norwich, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut 1675 establishments in Connecticut Buildings and structures completed in 1675

Description and history

See also

References

External links