The William Tully House, also known as Hartsease or Heartsease, is a historic house at 135 North Cove Road 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 ...

. Built about 1750, it is a well-preserved and architecturally unusual example of period architecture. It also has a well-documented history, having association with one of Connecticut's leading physicians of the early 19th century, and an incident in 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 ...

. 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 ...

in 1982.

Description and history

The William Tully House is located on the north side of North Cove Road, between it and the eponymous North Cove in eastern Old Saybrook. North Cove Road is a historic road dating to the mid-17th century. The house is a -story wood-frame structure, four bays wide, with a central chimney and centered doorway. Architectural evidence suggests it was originally built as a single-room house, with an attic loft and basement kitchen, which was later enlarged. The house's name, Heartsease, is of uncertain origin. There is no documentation why this name came about, but it could be in relation to the flower ''

Viola tricolor ''Viola tricolor'' is a common European wild flower, growing as an annual or short-lived perennial. The species is also known as wild pansy, Johnny Jump up (though this name is also applied to similar species such as the yellow pansy), heartsea ...

'' (also known as heartsease) once growing in the yard. It could also be related to its use as a summer house for working girls during the 19th century. The house was built circa 1750. The exact construction date is not documented, but William Tully's father divided his land holdings in 1745. This event, and the 1779

incident described below, guided architectural historians to date the house at about 1750, assuming that William Tully built the house soon after receiving the land. The house was the site of a minor incident on August 8, 1779, in which

Tories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

from Middletown sought release of some of their own goods to sell to the British. The second William Tully defended the property, killing two of the attackers. The house was later owned by Dr. William Tully (the fourth with that name), described as one of Connecticut's leading scientific doctors of the first half of the 19th century and a teacher at the

Yale Medical School The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. The primary te ...

. and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tully, William, House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Houses in Old Saybrook, Connecticut Colonial architecture in Connecticut Houses completed in 1750 National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References