The Meigs–Bishop House is a historic house at 45 Wall Street in

Madison, Connecticut Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census. Madison was first settled in 16 ...

. With a construction history dating to about 1690, it is one of the town's oldest surviving buildings. 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 1988. It is now used for commercial purposes.

Description and history

The Meigs-Bishop House is located in Madison's central business district, on the west side of Wall Street at Brookside Road. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, large central chimney, and clapboard exterior. Its main facade is five bays wide, with a slightly asymmetrical placement of sash windows around a nearly centered entrance. The entrance is simply framed, with a six-light transom window topped by crown moulding. Original interior features include wide floorboards, exposed posts and beams in the front rooms; the fireplace surrounds in these rooms are later alterations. The house was built in stages, the oldest portion being a single three-bay pile dating to c. 1690. A second pile was added in the early 18th century, with the addition of the rear leanto c. 1725 to give the house a

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 ...

appearance. There were further additions in the late 19th century. It is believed to be Madison's second oldest house. Its initial construction was by Janna Meigs, who represented what was then

Guilford Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford. Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to: Places Australia * Guildfor ...

in the colonial assembly. It was later owned by Phineas Meigs, who served in 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 ...

, and was killed defending the area from a British raid. In the 20th century, it was adapted for commercial use.Front Parlour website retrieved on 2009-05-13

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Madison, Connecticut Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Houses completed in 1690 Houses in New Haven County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut 1690 establishments in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References