The Abel H. Fish House is a historic house at Buckley Hill Road and Rathbun Hill Road in
Salem,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. Built about 1835, it is a well-preserved example of a vernacular Greek Revival farmhouse. It 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 ...
on March 2, 1982.
Description and history
The Abel H. Fish House is located in the rural setting of northeastern Salem, near the junction of Buckley Hill and Rathbun Hill Roads. It is set well south of Buckley Hill Road, about down a lane that used to be a public road, and is oriented facing south, away from the road. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, four-bay facade, and clapboarded exterior. It has Greek Revival features, including an entry flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters, and topped by a transom window and entablature. To the east is a single-story wing, believed to be an older structure. The interior has a number of unusual features, including a winding staircase near the entrance, and a space that may have been used for the manufacture of
soap
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...
.
The house was built about 1835, and is a typical example of a period farmhouse built for a farmer of middling economic means. Abel Fish bought this farm, then in 1826, where he grew potatoes and raised dairy cows and sheep. He was active an area Baptist congregation, referred to in local records as "Deacon Abel Fish". The house now stands on about , with much of the surrounding farmland still relatively undeveloped.
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See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Abel H., House
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Houses completed in 1835
Salem, Connecticut
Houses in New London County, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut