The Old Saybrook South Green is a
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 encompasses the historic town green and nearby streets in
Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Established in the 1630s, most of the buildings arrayed around the green were built between 1760 and 1900, and reflect the prosperity of the town, which was a major port and shipbuilding center. The 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 ...
in 1976.
Description and history
Old Saybrook was founded in 1635 as the starting point of the
Saybrook Colony, a Puritan English colonial settlement. It was initially limited to the Saybrook Neck, a peninsula separating North Cove from
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
on the west side of 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 ...
. The colony flourished as a shipbuilding and maritime trade center, and its center of civic activity migrated westward to where the town center is now located, on the west side of the cove. The town green was laid out about 1760, and was soon lined with large and architecturally high-quality houses of successful businessmen and politicians. The area saw economic success into the late 19th century, and its architectural heritage reflects this.
The historic district is roughly triangular in shape, bounded by Main Street, Old Boston Post Road, and Pennywise Lane. The oldest building in the district is the c. 1767
Gen. William Hart House, which is also separately listed on the National Register. The c. 1785
Humphrey Pratt Tavern
The Humphrey Pratt Tavern is a historic house at 287 Main Street in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Built in 1785, it was associated with the locally prominent Pratt family for many years, and served as a tavern and stagecoach stop in the 18th and 19 ...
and the
James Pharmacy
The James Pharmacy is a historic building at 2 Pennywise Lane in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Built in an evolutionary manner beginning about 1820, it is significant as the home and workplace of Anna Louise James (1886–1977), who was the first A ...
are also individually listed on the National Register. Prominent non-residential buildings include the Gothic Revival Grace Episcopal Church (1872) and the Greek Revival Masonic Hall (c. 1830).
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See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Connecticut
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Mid 19th Century Revival architecture in the United States
Early Republic architecture in Connecticut
Colonial architecture in Connecticut
Historic districts in Middlesex County, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut
New England town greens
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
1976 establishments in Connecticut