The Terry's Plain Historic District 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 ...
in the town of
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670.
History
Early history
At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...
that 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 1993.
[ The district is significant as a preserved rural landscape.][ It included 27 ]contributing buildings
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 ...
of various architectural styles, including Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
, Federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
and Late Victorian
Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...
architecture, and 17 non-contributing buildings.[
Thirteen houses that were parts of farm complexes and 14 agricultural outbuildings ranging from sheds to large tobacco barns.]
Contributing sites include:
* A field where the militia drilled in 1683 (or 1685)
* 24 Ferry Lane, barn from , house non-contributing (see #2 in photos accompanying NRHP nomination)[
* Lucius D. Goodrich House, 36 Ferry Lane, , Federal/Greek Revival][
* 64 Terry's Plain Road, Late Victorian][
]
Traine Band (Militia)
Simsbury was founded as a town in 1670. Not long thereafter, the town established a militia, then known as a "traine band". The date of establishment of the militia is not known, but records of assemblies date to 1673. The Grand Committee of the Militia met in Hartford on August 11, 1673 to organize militia against a potential attack by the enemy. The Committee ordered the raising of 500 "dragoones" from the state, of which 160 were to come from Hartford County. At that meeting, Simon Wolcott and John Griffin of Simsbury were appointed to command the Simsbury Traine Band, which at that time numbered seven "dragoones".
The Committee included the following order:
Two years later, John Griffin was confirmed as sergeant of the Traine Band and placed in command.
First home and first ferry
The first home in Simsbury was located in the Terry's Plain area. The land where the house would be built was granted in 1653 to Thomas Ford, although a house would not be built until approximately 1660, when Captain Aaron Cook, the son-in-law of Thomas Ford, built the first home in Simsbury.
In the same general area, a ferry was established to facilitate crossing of the Farmington River. The exact date of the origin of the Pent Street Ferry is not known, but a road to the ferry was commissioned in 1668.
File:First Home and first Ferry sign.JPG, Plaque noting first home and ferry in Simsbury
First school
The first school in Simsbury was located in Terry's Plain. The town agreed, at a town meeting on December 17, 1701, to "agree with and appoint a school master". The first day of school commenced on the first day of January 1702. The town discussed whether the school should be located on the east or west side of the river, and chose both, with the first three months to be held at a location in Terry's Plain, and then at a location in "Weatoug" on the west side.
File:Terrys Plain site of first school sign.JPG, Plaque noting first school site in Simsbury
See also
*
Notes
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut
Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut
Federal architecture in Connecticut
Simsbury, Connecticut
Victorian architecture in Connecticut
Historic districts in Hartford County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut