The Ward-Heitman House is a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...
at 277 Elm Street in
West Haven, Connecticut. The house displays furnishings and objects that might have been used by families that lived here in more than 250 years of residential occupancy. The house 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 2003.
Description and history
The Ward-Heitman House is located north of the center of West Haven, occupying on the north side of Elm Street between Campbell Avenue and Ward Place. It is a -story timber-frame structure, with a heavy post-and-beam frame finished in wooden clapboards and covered by a gabled roof. It has a three-bay front facade, with sash windows arranged symmetrically around the main entrance. The second story has a slight overhang, and there is a large brick chimney at the center of the building. One ell extends to the rear, and a second extends to the west side. A 20th-century addition which extended to the east has been removed. The interior of the main block was originally two rooms on each floor, separated by the chimney.
[ With ]
The house's exact construction date is not known but could date to as early as 1684. It was certainly on the site by 1725.
Historic Buildings of Connecticut It was most likely built by Ebenezer Clark, who owned the land in this area at that time through his marriage to Rebecca Brown, daughter of Ebenezer Brown, the first colonial grantee. The property was acquired by Thomas Ward in 1788, and his descendants (including the Heitmans) remained on the property until 1909. It went through a number of owners in the 20th century, before being given to the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
in 1995. The trust deeded the property to a local nonprofit, which now operates it as a historic house museum.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven County, Connecticut
*List of the oldest buildings in Connecticut
This article lists the oldest buildings in the state of Connecticut, United States of America. The dates of construction are based on land tax and probate records, architectural studies, genealogy, radio carbon dating, and dendrochronology. Buildi ...
References
External links
Ward-Heitman House official website
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
Houses completed in 1725
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
West Haven, Connecticut
Historic house museums in Connecticut