The Old Saybrook South Green 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 cer ...

that encompasses the historic town green and nearby streets in

Old Saybrook, Connecticut Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybroo ...

. Established in the 1630s, most of the buildings arrayed around the green were built between 1760 and 1900, and reflect the prosperity of the town, which was a major port and shipbuilding center. The district 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 ...

in 1976.

Description and history

Old Saybrook was founded in 1635 as the starting point of the

Saybrook Colony The Saybrook Colony was an English colony established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River in present-day Old Saybrook, Connecticut by John Winthrop, the Younger, son of John Winthrop, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. ...

, a Puritan English colonial settlement. It was initially limited to the Saybrook Neck, a peninsula separating North Cove from

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

on the west side of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Islan ...

. The colony flourished as a shipbuilding and maritime trade center, and its center of civic activity migrated westward to where the town center is now located, on the west side of the cove. The town green was laid out about 1760, and was soon lined with large and architecturally high-quality houses of successful businessmen and politicians. The area saw economic success into the late 19th century, and its architectural heritage reflects this. The historic district is roughly triangular in shape, bounded by Main Street, Old Boston Post Road, and Pennywise Lane. The oldest building in the district is the c. 1767 Gen. William Hart House, which is also separately listed on the National Register. The c. 1785

Humphrey Pratt Tavern The Humphrey Pratt Tavern is a historic house at 287 Main Street in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Built in 1785, it was associated with the locally prominent Pratt family for many years, and served as a tavern and stagecoach stop in the 18th and 19 ...

and the James Pharmacy are also individually listed on the National Register. Prominent non-residential buildings include the Gothic Revival Grace Episcopal Church (1872) and the Greek Revival Masonic Hall (c. 1830). and

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Old Saybrook, Connecticut Mid 19th Century Revival architecture in the United States Early Republic architecture in Connecticut Colonial architecture in Connecticut Historic districts in Middlesex County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut New England town greens Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut 1976 establishments in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References