The William Williams House is a historic house in

Lebanon, Connecticut Lebanon is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly south of Willimantic, north of New London, and east of Hartford. The farm ...

at the junction of Connecticut Routes 87 and 207, a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. It is significant as the residence of

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

William Williams (1731–1811), who was a delegate from

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

to 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. ...

and a 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 ...

. Williams lived here from 1755 until his death, and it is a well-preserved and little-altered colonial-era house.

Description and history

The Williams house is a -story wood-frame structure, five bays wide and two deep, with a side-gable roof, twin interior chimneys, and clapboard siding. Its main entrance is centered on the front façade with a Greek Revival surround, with sidelight windows and pilasters flanking the door, topped by a cornice with a carved elliptical arch. A single-story ell extends to the rear of the house. The interior follows a center hall plan and retains original features, including fireplace mantels (although most of the fireplaces have been closed up), and wide pine flooring.. The house's construction date and original owner are not known. It was purchased in 1748 by Reverend Solomon Williams, who gave it to his son William in 1755. William was born in 1731 and was trained at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, and he saw provincial militia duty in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

in 1755. He settled in Lebanon that year, and embarked on a career as a merchant, jurist, and politician. He served in the provincial assembly 1757-1776 and the state legislature 1781–1784. He was a steadfast supporter of independence during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, working closely with his father-in-law, Lebanon native and

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

Jonathan Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (October 12, 1710August 17, 1785) was an American politician and statesman who served as Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution. Trumbull and Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island were the only men to serve as gov ...

. Williams personally funded Connecticut militia that captured Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. He was elected to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

, where he signed the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...

and 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 ...

. He was a delegate to the 1788 state convention that ratified the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

. Williams' house was also directly involved in the war effort during the revolution. In the winter of 1780–81, the French cavalry forces of

Lauzun's Legion The 5th Hussar Regiment (''5e régiment de hussards'' or ''5e RH'') was a French Hussar regiment. Formation under the Ancien Régime The 5th Hussar Regiment was formed under the Ancien Régime. It was the last regiment created under the monarch ...

were stationed in Lebanon. Williams' house was allotted to Lauzun's second-in-command Robert Dillon during this time. The house was declared a

and 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 1971.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut Houses in Lebanon, Connecticut Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Historic places on the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut Homes of United States Founding Fathers

Description and history

See also

References