Preston City is a village and the original town center of the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

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 cap ...

. The core of the village around the junction of Old Northwest Road and Route 164 is designated as the Preston City Historic District, 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 c ...

that is 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 ...

.Note: The historic district does not include all of Preston City. The district is located south of the intersection of Connecticut Route 164 and

Connecticut Route 165 Route 165 is a state highway in southeastern Connecticut running from Norwich to the Rhode Island state line in Voluntown, and continuing as RI Route 165. Route description Route 165 begins at an intersection with Route 2 in eastern Norwich an ...

, an intersection which is labelled as Preston City on U.S.G.S. topographical quadrant map included in the NRHP nomination document. Developed area north of the district appears to be part of Preston City; the district was defined to focus upon a relatively well-preserved area only. The district is located along Old Shetucket and Amos Roads, which, prior to the 1930s, were major thoroughfares. The historic district was listed on the National Register in 1987. It includes 24 contributing buildings, one other contributing structure, another contributing site, and three contributing objects. It includes representation of

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

, Georgian, and Federal architectural styles. Historically, Preston City was one of three distinct settlements in the town, the others being

Poquetanuck Poquetanuck is a village in the town of Preston, Connecticut, located near the banks of a bay known as Poquetanuck Cove that opens to the Thames River. The village includes the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed Poquetanuck Village ...

and Long Society. The first

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

in Preston City was founded in 1698.About Preston
, Town of Preston website, accessed September 9, 2009 Preston City prospered in its early years when the town of Preston was an important supplier of agricultural products to the port of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

on the Thames River, from which local farm goods were shipped to other ports on the east coast. The period of greatest prosperity was between the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and about 1830, and is reflected in the architecture of the homes built by successful local farmers and merchants.

Historical significance

Preston City was established in 1686 as the town center for the newly designated town of Preston. The town of Preston was initially set up as an agricultural community for the port town of

with Preston City as the focus for transporting farm goods to the larger town.

Contributing properties

Contributing properties in the district include a church, a library, a blacksmith shop, a former tavern, and a poorhouse, as well as houses and some barns. All buildings are of wood-frame construction. The Preston City Baptist Church was built in 1812. The building was turned to a different orientation, and its "three-stage steeple and bell tower with a pyramidal roof" were added later, in 1832. The James Treat House is the largest residence and is located prominently on Amos Road. The "Mott and Downer House", a five-bay colonial house, are both on Amos Road and were both built before the American Revolutionary War. The Calvin Barstow House, a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

colonial house surrounded by a picket fence, was built during 1786–1800. It includes a meeting room for the St. James Masonic Temple. The Aron B. Gates House, built c. 1830, on Northwest Corner Road, is a

building. It has a barn built c.1900. The Thomas Meech House, built in 1795, on Northwest Corner Road, is Federal/Colonial. It includes a facade overhang that is unique within the district. The Rev. Augustus Collins House, built c. 1830, on Shetucket Road, is

. The "Old Town Pound" on Amos Road is a stone wall enclosure. It served as a

pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), a unit of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile Symbols * Po ...

, a common feature of British medieval villages (where stray livestock might be held). One house, the Ephraim Jones House, used to be the poorhouse of Preston and was originally built in 1733. Other contributing elements include the Civil War Monument and Mott Memorial, erected in 1898. Non-contributing elements include a Revolutionary War Monument dating from 1967 and the Downer-Doane Memorial Park, which, as of 1986, is maintained by the Preston Historical Society. As of 1986, the district's area included only three modern intrusions. and

References

External links

* * {{authority control Preston, Connecticut Villages in Connecticut Villages in New London County, Connecticut Historic districts in New London County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut 1686 establishments in Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Historical significance

Contributing properties

See also

References

External links