Norwichtown is a historic neighborhood in the city of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. It is generally the area immediately north of the
Yantic River
The Yantic River forms at the confluence of the Deep River, Sherman Brook, and Exeter Brook about east of Colchester, Connecticut. It runs for and flows into the Shetucket River in Norwich, forming the Thames River.U.S. Geological Survey. Nation ...
between
I-395 and
Route 169.
The portion of the neighborhood from the Norwichtown Green and east of it is a locally designated
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
that was also 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 1973 as the
Norwichtown Historic District
Norwichtown is a historic neighborhood in the city of Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich an ...
.
[ The district includes 48 ]contributing building
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
s and one other contributing site over area.
The earliest settlement of Norwich, in 1659, was in Norwichtown. Initial settlement, by 35 English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
settlers who relocated fro
Saybrook Fort
under the leadership of Major John Mason and bought land from Uncas
Uncas () was a ''sachem'' of the Mohegans who made the Mohegans the leading regional Indian tribe in lower Connecticut, through his alliance with the New England colonists against other Indian tribes.
Early life and family
Uncas was born n ...
, sachem of the Mohegans
The Mohegan are an Algonquian Native American tribe historically based in present-day Connecticut. Today the majority of the people are associated with the Mohegan Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe living on a reservation in the east ...
, was centered on the Norwichtown Green.[Walking Guide to Historic Norwichtown]
(1995)
The Last Green Valley, Inc.
/ref>[Carol Davidge and Erwin Goldstein, "Norwichtown Green & Old Burying Grounds,]
Walking Guide to the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor
page 5
History
The Green is triangular in shape, with an area of about . It is surrounded by shade tree
A shade tree is a large tree whose primary role is to provide shade in the surrounding environment due to its spreading canopy (forest), canopy and crown (botany), crown, where it may give shelter from sunlight in the heat of the summer for peopl ...
s and bordered by Town Street, East Town Street and Elm Avenue. These streets are lined with 18th and 19th houses and shops that face the Green.[Norwichtown Green]
TownGreens.com, accessed September 26, 2009 There are four houses in Norwichtown that were built in the 17th century: the 1660 Bradford-Huntington House, built c. 1660; the Olmstead-Lathrop House, dating to c. 1659-1745; Leffingwell House Museum, built c. 1675; and the Simon Huntington House, built c. 1690. The First Congregational Church, built in the Federal style
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...
in 1801, was the third building to house the local congregation.[ Many older homes in the district have been converted to commercial use. The John Mason School is now the central administration for the Norwich Public School System. North of the town's first schoolhouse is the Colonial Cemetery where four Connecticut governors are buried. Four houses from the 17th century remain standing north of the Green area is Meeting House Hill, a cliff of large rocks that is also known as the Meeting House Rocks. It was on this cliff that the village's second and third meetinghouses were established, with the site used as a lookout point.][ The memorial on top of the rocks and pathway are cared for by the First Congregational Church.
Five buildings included in the ]historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
are separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the 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 ...
Leffingwell Inn
The Leffingwell Inn (now known as Leffingwell House Museum) is a historic inn at 348 Washington Street in the Norwichtown section of Norwich, Connecticut. With a construction history dating to 1675, it is one of Connecticut's oldest buildings, an ...
, the Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop, built c. 1772-1774; the Dr. Daniel Lathrop School, one of Connecticut's oldest remaining brick school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
houses, which dates to 1782; the Bradford-Huntington House at 16 Huntington Lane; and the Gen. Jedidiah Huntington House at 23 E. Town Street.[ and ]
Norwichtown was the old center of Norwich, when the town was settled primarily as a farming community in the late 17th century. By the early 18th century, the focus of Norwich became the harbor facilities in the adjacent Chelsea neighborhood east and south of the town center, and eventually the 'center' of Norwich became the small urban center at Chelsea, which was also ringed with industrial mills. The establishment of the city of Norwich in 1784 centered on the Chelsea neighborhood necessitated the distinction of calling the old town center 'Norwichtown'. The city of Norwich was consolidated with the town of Norwich in 1952 relegating Norwichtown to become a residential neighborhood of the city of Norwich.
As Chelsea Parade became a more populated residential district, the residents wanted a church closer than those in Norwichtown. Therefore, the Park Congregational Church was built right next to Chelsea Parade. Stephen C. Earle of Worcester Massachusetts designed the Park Congregational Church and the church was built in 1873. The church was built in the Romanesque revival style.
The Teel House originally built, as a hotel is also located on Chelsea Parade. Joseph Teel of Preston built the Hotel in 1789. The Hotel was known for its fine halls and splendid ballrooms. After Mr. Teel's death, the hotel was converted into a boarding school and day school. Today the Teel House is a residence. The house has an impressive center hall plan and contains eight fireplaces.[Catherine Smith Doroshevich and Marian K. O'Keefe, Norwich Historic Home and Families. (Stonington, CT : The Pequot Press, 1967), 43-74.]
One of the main streets running through Norwichtown and adjacent to Chelsea Green is Washington Street. Along Washington Street is the house of Charles A. Converse. This gothic-styled house was built c. 1870 and is most notable for its steeply pitched roofs and the red and gray roof slates. However, the owner, Charles Converse, is noted more for the Converse Art Gallery that he gave to the Norwich Free Academy
The Norwich Free Academy (NFA), founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a coeducational independent school for students between the 9th and 12th grade. Located in Norwich, Connecticut, the Academy serves as the primary high school for Norw ...
, less than a block away.
Traveling further down Washington Street away from Norwich town there are many other Historic Houses, such as the Learned-Aiken House, Vernet-Lee House, the Eliza Huntington Memorial Home, and the Lathrop-Brewer House.
Running parallel to Washington Street is Broadway. One interesting House located at 189 Broadway is the De Witt House-Lydia Huntley Sigourney School. The house was built in the late eighteenth century. In 1812 the house was used a school for young ladies. Lydia Huntley conducted the school with her friend Nancy Maria Hyde until she was forced to close the school once Hyde became ill.
Continuing down Washington Street toward Norwich town is the most famous of historic homes in Norwich, the Leffingwell Inn
The Leffingwell Inn (now known as Leffingwell House Museum) is a historic inn at 348 Washington Street in the Norwichtown section of Norwich, Connecticut. With a construction history dating to 1675, it is one of Connecticut's oldest buildings, an ...
. Stephen Backus built the original house in 1675. In 1700, Thomas Leffingwell 2nd, the son of Norwich co-founder Thomas Leffingwell, bought the house and converted the original two-room house into an inn. The Tavern Hall, to the right of the entrance is the original part of the house and exhibits one of the few remaining, completely paneled rooms from the century.["Leffingwell House Museum," last accessed March 28, 2012, http://www.leffingwellhousemuseum.org/history/] The House also includes fine works from Norwich silversmiths and clock makers of the 1700s. Christopher Leffingwell, the son of Thomas commissioned Thomas Harland to design a clock for the North Parlor that is still hung in the same exact place that Christopher originally hung the clock. Also, in 1776 supposedly George Washington ate breakfast at the Leffingwell Inn.[Rachel D. Carley, Connecticut Historic Neighborhoods, Norwich. (Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, Inc, 2008), 9.]
Further into Norwich town is the Joshua Prior House. Joshua Prior built the house in 1766. The house still has the original fluted pilasters over the doorways and six-paneled raised double front door.
Dr. Joshua Lathrop House was built in 1763. This house was built in two sections, a saltbox section and then a three-bay Georgian Section. The house has been restored and it still has original fireplaces including a nine- foot cooking fireplace.
Samuel Huntington, signer of the Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
, president of the Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
, first President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
, and governor of Connecticut, lived in Norwichtown. His house is located to the east of the Green and he is buried in the Old Norwichtown Burying Ground.[Bill Stanley]
Huntington a forgotten giant in American history
''Norwich Bulletin'', July 13, 2008 Samuel Huntington Elementary School on West Town Street in Norwichtown, a public school operated by Norwich Public Schools, is named for him.[Samuel Huntington Elementary School website]
/ref>
Fairview Reservoir, one of Norwich's backup reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s, is between Canterbury Turnpike and Scotland Road in Norwichtown.
Norwichtown Historic District
This 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 v ...
(NRHP) in 1973.[ By then, the district was already a local historic district. The National Register application was promoted by the local historic commission, in connection to its opposition to the demolition of a building in the district area. The local commission sought the listing "for the prestige and status that is sometimes found in the recognition by not only a State agency but the Federal government."][
The district includes much of the original settlement area of the town. It includes the Norwichtown Green and Old Norwichtown Burying Ground and "has irregular boundaries on the radiating streets."][ The district consists of two parts: one includes the Green and stretches down to the Leffingwell museum at Washington and Town Streets. A smaller, separated part includes six buildings on Harland Road and/or Harland Place.][
The district's area includes 48 contributing buildings and one other contributing site.][
The district is defined to exclude a large commercial mall, the Norwichtown Mall, and other non-historic areas.
]
Two "outstanding" buildings in the district, both located on the Norwichtown Green, are the Dr. Daniel Lathrop School and the Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop. The school, built in 1783, is believed to be one of the earliest brick schoolhouses still surviving in Connecticut.[
There are five separately NRHP-listed buildings in the district: the Bradford-Huntington House, at 16 Huntington Lane; Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop, at 71 E. Town Street; the 1798 ]East District School
The East District School is a historic school building at 365 Washington Street in Norwich, Connecticut. Built in 1798, it is significant as a rare and well-preserved 18th-century schoolhouse, and as the location of an evening school for adults ...
, at 365 Washington Street; the Gen. Jedidiah Huntington House, at 23 E. Town Street; and Leffingwell Inn
The Leffingwell Inn (now known as Leffingwell House Museum) is a historic inn at 348 Washington Street in the Norwichtown section of Norwich, Connecticut. With a construction history dating to 1675, it is one of Connecticut's oldest buildings, an ...
, 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 ...
at 348 Washington Street, in the southeast corner of the first part of the district.[
Washington Street includes many pre-1800 homes.
The historic district includes part of the original area of the 1660 settlement of Norwichtown. More than 300 years later, the pattern of development is still similar.][ and ]
Gallery
File:Norwichtown Historic District - 10 Elm Ave (New London County, Connecticut).jpg, Sylvanus Jones House (1734)
File:Norwichtown Historic District, First Congregational Church.jpg, First Congregational Church fifth construction, 1801.
File:OldNorwichTownBuryingGround.jpg, Old Norwichtown Burying Ground
File:LathropManorNorwichCT.jpg, Lathrop Manor built 1745.
File:Mason Plaque.jpg, John Mason Plaque
See also
*Neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut
Several neighborhoods of Norwich, Connecticut maintain independent identities and are recognized by official signs marking their boundaries. The following is a list of neighborhoods in Norwich.
Bean Hill
Bean Hill was originally a separate vil ...
*
References
{{authority control
Georgian architecture in Connecticut
Neighborhoods in Connecticut
Norwich, Connecticut
Historic districts in New London County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut