The Warner House is a historic house at 307 Town Street in
East Haddam, Connecticut
East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...
. Built in 1738,
it is notable for its high quality interior woodwork and hardware, the latter of which were probably made by some of its owners. 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 1987.
The house is now owned by
Connecticut Landmarks
Connecticut Landmarks is a non-profit organization that has restored and operates significant historic house museums in Connecticut. Headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, the organization was founded in 1936 as the Antiquarian & Landmarks Societ ...
, and in 2019 it opened as 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 ...
.
Description and history
The Warner House is located in a rural-suburban setting of western East Haddam, on the west side of Town Street (
Connecticut Route 82
Route 82 is an east–west state highway in Connecticut running for from Route 9 in Chester to Route 2 and 32 in Norwich.
Route description
Route 82 begins at a trumpet intersection with Route 9 at exit 7 in Chester and heads northeast ...
) near its junction with Petticoat Lane. It is a -story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side-gable roof, large central chimney, and clapboarded exterior. The main entrance is at the center of the symmetrical front facade, sheltered by a gabled portico supported by round columns. The entrance is flanked by simple pilasters. The interior follows a typical period center-chimney plan, with high-quality wood paneling around the main parlor fireplace, and elaborate
millwork
Millwork is historically any Sawmill, wood mill produced decorative materials used in Construction#Building construction, building construction. Stock profiled and patterned millwork building components fabricated by Milling (machining), millin ...
in the second parlor.
The house was built in 1738 by John Warner, and was restyled in 1790, when most of its fine woodwork was added. John Warner was a noted regional maker of interior hardware (hinges, latches, and so on), whose work is probably in this house. His son and grandson, the next occupants of the house, were blacksmiths.
The house was purchased in 1936 by Frederic T. Palmer, a restoration architect, who undertook a careful restoration of the house.
[ and ] In the mid-1940s, Palmer's lover, Howard Metzger, also moved into the house.
The couple were not publicly out, but their status as a couple was well-known in their community. They hosted many gatherings of LGBT friends at the home.
Palmer and Metzger also enjoyed collecting antiques, and the house was featured in ''
Antiques Magazine'' in 1957.
Palmer was a trustee and boardmember of Connecticut Landmarks, who received the property after the death of his partner in 2005.
See also
*
References
External links
Palmer-Warner House at Connecticut Landmarks
{{National Register of Historic Places
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Houses in East Haddam, Connecticut
Houses completed in 1738
LGBT history in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut