Historic homes in Mystic, Connecticut, bring state's past to life
Brayton Grist Mill and Marcy Blacksmith Museum
Route 44
Pomfret, CT 06258
Phone: 860-928-0304
Open: Memorial Day to Labor Day, Sundays 2-5 p.m.
This fine example of a one-man mill operation of the 1890's has original milling equipment. The tool exhibit represents the craft of three generations of blacksmiths. Maintained by the Pomfret Historical Society. Admission: Free; donations welcome.
Brick School House
Merrow Road
Coventry, CT
Open: Mid-May to Mid-October, Sundays, 1 - 4 pm
This structure was the one-room district school from its construction in 1825 until 1953. In 1976, the Coventry Historical Society restored the building, which houses school artifacts and furniture from the mid 19th century. Free admission.
Burnham-Hibbard House
185 Main Street
Hampton, CT
Open: June - October, 1st Sunday of each month
Built in the early 19th century, this home is open for visitors as a representative house of the period. Informational exhibits combine with reconstructed rooms to give visitors an introduction to life in 1800's New England.
Butler-McCook Homestead
169 West Town Street, on the Green
Lebanon, CT
Open: Mid-May to Mid-October, Tues, Thur, Sun, 12-4 pm
Although the property was finished in 1782, exhibits here focus on the Victorian period. Includes a garden built in 1865 and a special holiday display in December.
Chaplin Museum
1 Chaplin Street
Chaplin, CT 06235
Phone: 860-455-9209
Open: Mid-July–September 30, Sundays, 1-4 p.m.
This one room museum features historic memorabilia and local artifacts. Themed exhibits are changed every year. Admission: free.
Daniel Putnam Tyler Law Office
Route 169
Brooklyn, CT
Phone: 860-774-7728
Open: Memorial Day - Labor Day, Wednesdays and Sundays, 1-5 pm
Office of Daniel Putnam Tyler, the great-grandson of Revolutionary War Hero Israel Putnam. In use from 1822 until Tyler's death in 1975.
Dr. William Beaumont House
169 West Town Street, on the Green
Lebanon, CT
Open: Mid-May to Mid-October, Saturdays, 1 - 5 pm
Birthplace of Dr. William Beaumont, the "father of gastric physiology," built in 1760. The Lebanon Historical Society maintains this site, which features a small exhibit of historical medical instruments.
Grove Street Cemetery
Grove Street
Putnam, CT
Here visitors will find the grave of Thomas L. Taylor, an African-American who fought in the Civil War. He was stationed on the Union's iron ship, the Monitor.
Gurleyville Grist Mill
Stone Mill Road
Mansfield, CT
Open: End of May to Mid October. Sundays 12-4 pm, Saturdays 1-5 pm in August only
Built in 1830 on the Fenton River, this stone grist mill remains intact with the original equipment. Near the mill is the miller's house, also once home to Governor Wilbur Cross. The house now contains a museum. Free admission.
Jillson House Museum
627 Main Street
Willimantic, CT 06226
Phone: 860-456-2316
Open: Call for hours of operation
This home was built in 1825 for a mill owner. The structure is made from stone taken locally from the banks of the Willimantic River. Exhibits include artifacts, antique furniture and local memorabilia.
Jonathan Trumbull House
169 West Town Street
Lebanon, CT
Phone: 860-642-7558
Open: Mid-May to Mid-October, Tues-Sat, 1-5 pm
This home, built in 1735, was home to the only colonial governor to back the rebels during the Revolutionary War. Visitors will see period furniture and household items. Maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Admission $2 for adults, children under 12 free.
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. House
Route 87
Lebanon, CT
Phone: 860-642-6100
Open: Open by appointment only
Currently under renovation, this home features 18th century furnishings and artifacts, as well as eight corner fireplaces with elegant cornice-work.
Mansfield Historical Society Museum
954 Storrs Road (Route 195)
Storrs, CT 06268
Phone: 860-429-6575
Open: June-September, Thursday and Sunday, 1:30-4:30 p.m.; library open year-round by appointment
Collection of furnishings, costumes, photographs and historical artifacts relating to local history, housed in the former town office building and Old Town Hall (1843), changing exhibits, research library. Admission: Adults, $2; children 12 and younger, free.
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center
110 Pequot Trail
Mashantucket, CT 06338
Phone: 800) 411-9671
Open: Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., last admission at 3 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving day, December 24 and 25, December 31 and January 1
Permanent exhibits on the Native and natural history of southern New England include a cool descent into a glacial crevasse from 18,000 years ago. Walk through a 1550 Pequot Village. Interactive computer programs, films providing additional information and interpretation of the exhibits. Two research libraries, one for children. Museum store and restaurant.
Admission: Adults, $15; seniors, $13; children age 6-15, $10; under 6 free.
Monte Cristo Cottage
325 Pequot Avenue
New London, CT 06320
Phone: 860-443-0051
The Monte Cristo Cottage was the only permanent home of Eugene O’Neill from his birth in 1888 until 1917, as well as the setting for two of the playwright’s best known works, Long Day’s Journey Into Night and Ah, Wilderness!. Named in honor of his father James O’Neill’s most popular role, the dashing Edmund Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, the 1840’s cottage is both a Registered National Landmark and a museum for O’Neill, America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright. It features a Eugene O’Neill portrait and poster gallery and a permanent exhibition on the life and works of the playwright.
Museum of the Fife and Drum
Highland Terrace at 63 North Main Street
Ivoryton, CT 06442
Phone: 860-767-2237
Open: June 30 through Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; third weekend of July and fourth weekend of August reserved for private activities
Exhibits focus on the fife and drum, not only as an important symbol of American patriotism during the Revolutionary period, but as an integral part of military strategy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The museum is a visual and musical history of America on parade, from the Revolutionary War to the present. Theme displays feature drums, fifes, military swords, music, uniforms, medals, awards and photographs. Admission; Adults, $3; youth age 13-17, $2; seniors, $2; children under age 12, free.
Nathan Hale Homestead
2299 South Street
Coventry, CT
Phone: 860-742-6917
Open: Mid May to Mid October, 1-5 pm daily.
Nathan Hale, CT's state hero, lived in this farmhouse, built in 1776. The exhibits detail Hale's life and activities during the war, as well as life on a farm in 18th century Connecticut.
19 West Ave.
Essex, CT
Phone: 860-767-0681
Colonial home, built in 1734, features antique American furniture and an herb garden. The house documents the life of early Essex through a single family over 200 years.
Hours: June-Labor Day, Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Fee charged.
Prudence Crandall Museum
Junction Routes 14 and 169
Canterbury, CT 06331
Phone: 860-546-7800
Open: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed December 15-January 31; open February and March by appointment only
New England's first academy for Black women (1833-34), established by Connecticut's female state hero. Changing exhibits, period furnishings, research library, gift shop. National Historic Landmark; part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail and the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail. Gift shop. Admission: Adults, $3; seniors and children, $2; children age 5 and younger, free.
Putnam Elms
191 Church Street
Brooklyn, CT
Phone: 860-774-3059
Open: Mid-May to Mid-October, Wednesday and Sunday, 1 - 4:30 pm
Constructed in 1784 by the Putnam family and still maintained by Putnam descendants. The house is open for tours and exhibits the history of Colonel Daniel Putnam, his father General Israel Putnam, as well as the history of the area. Free admission.
Revolutionary War Office
West Town Street, on the Green
Lebanon, CT
Open: Late May through September, Sat. and Sun., 1:30 - 4:30 PM.
At first this colonial structure was home to a store and the office of Governor Jonathan Trumbull, but during the Revolution it became the headquarters of the Council of Safety. On this site, the Council met to plan war strategy. Free admission. Maintained by the Sons of the American Revolution.
Roseland Cottage
556 Route 169
Woodstock, CT
Phone: 860-928-4074
Open: June 1-October 15, Wednesday-Sunday, tours on the hour, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
The bold Gothic Revival style of this summer home built by Henry and Lucy Bowen contrasted sharply with other houses on Woodstock’s town green. Surrounded by its original landscape, the house survives with the family’s furnishings and elaborate decorative schemes. The complex, including an ice house, aviary, carriage barn with private bowling alley, and parterre garden, demonstrates the mid-19th-century design aesthetic popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing. Museum shop.
Admission: $8. Historic New England members free. $7 seniors. $4 students and children.
Strong-Porter House
2382 South Street
Coventry, CT
Open: Mid-May to Mid-October, Saturday and Sunday, 1 - 5 pm
This farmhouse, home to Nathan Hale's mother's family, was built in 1730 and expanded in 1758. Visitors may tour the house, carpenter's shop, barn and carriage shed and view historic artifacts. Admission is $1 for adults, children are free.
Sites throughout Connecticut
The Connecticut Freedom Trail is list of over 60 historic locations throughout the state. Each location played an important role in the African-American journey from slavery to freedom in Connecticut. Places in addition to those listed on the Amistad Trail include historic homes, churches, graves, monuments, and sites on the Underground Railroad.
The Connecticut Freedom Trail is list of over 60 historic locations throughout the state. Each location played an important role in the African-American journey from slavery to freedom in Connecticut. Places in addition to those listed on the Amistad Trail include historic homes, churches, graves, monuments, and sites on the Underground Railroad.
96 Lyme Street
Old Lyme, CT 06371
Phone: 860-434-5542
This 11-acre riverfront campus calls itself the Home of American Impressionism, for its service in the 1910s as a summer boarding house to artists of the Lyme Art Colony. The Krieble Gallery hosts changing exhibitions of American art. The permanent collection includes works by Church, Cole, Twachtman, Hassam, and others. The Griswold House contains a remarkable collection of painted panels and doors left in their original places by the artists who stayed at the Florence Griswold House. Museum offers many seasonal events and activities for children.
Visitors today understand immediately the site's appeal to the artists who stayed with Florence Griswold. Her house, gardens and river view were favored subjects of her boarders. Walking the grounds, one is delighted by the same trees and gentle bend in the river. Visitors stand at the site of Childe Hassam's favorite spot, stroll Miss Florence's lovingly restored old-fashioned garden.
Hours: Krieble Gallery and Griswold House open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Chadwick Studio and Rafal Landscape Center open mid-May through October.
Admission: Adults, $9; seniors, $8; students, $7; children age 12 and younger admitted for free.
Tourtellotte Memorial Room
785 Riverside Drive, Route 12
Thompson, CT
Phone: 860-923-9303
Open: 2-4 pm, 1st Sunday of each month
An exhibit of 19th century antiques and furniture belonging to the Tourtellotte family. Located in Tourtellotte Memorial High School. Free admission.
Waldo Homestead
Waldo Road
Scotland, CT
Phone: 860-456-0708
Open: By appointment only
This structure, built in 1714, is a typical New England saltbox. Home to the Waldo family from 1715 to 1975, exhibits there feature antique furniture, books and farming implements. Free admission.
Windham Textile and History Museum
411 Main Street
Willimantic, CT 06226
Phone: 860-456-2178
Open: Memorial Day-Columbus Day, Friday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; closed January and major holidays.
Museum preserves the textile industry of southern New England at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Exhibits include thread factory floor, rooms from a workers rowhouse and owner’s mansion. Admission: Adults, $5; seniors and students, $3.50; children under age 6, free.
