Amos Baldwin House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Amos Baldwin House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 92 Goshen St. E, Norfolk, Connecticut |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1765 |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000450 |
| Added to NRHP | July 19, 2016 |
The Amos Baldwin House is a very old and important house in Norfolk, Connecticut. It was built around 1765, which means it's over 250 years old! This house is a great example of what homes looked like during the colonial period in America. It's special because it has a unique "gambrel roof," which is one of the oldest of its kind in the area. In 2016, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's recognized as a historically important building.
The Amos Baldwin House: A Historic Home
The Amos Baldwin House stands in a quiet, country part of southern Norfolk. You can find it on the west side of Goshen Street East. This house is a great example of how people lived and built homes a long time ago.
What Does It Look Like?
The house is a 1-1/2 story building made of wood. It has a special roof called a gambrel roof. This type of roof has two different slopes on each side, making it look a bit like a barn roof. The house also has a chimney in the middle and its outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboards.
The front of the house has five sections, or "bays," across. On each side of the main front door, there are two windows. Above the front door, there's a small window with four panes of glass. On the steeper part of the roof, there are three small windows that stick out, called dormer windows. At the back of the main house, there's a smaller, single-story section with a pointed roof.
Inside the house, it follows a common design for homes with a central chimney. The main entrance area used to have a winding staircase. Now, it has a closet instead. Even so, many original parts of the house are still there. These include special wooden panels around a fireplace from the Federal period and the original fireplace in the kitchen.
Who Lived Here?
The Amos Baldwin House was built around 1765. It is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Norfolk. This area was first settled in the mid-1700s.
It's believed that Captain John Watson built the house. He owned the land from 1763 to 1774. Later, Amos Baldwin became a well-known owner of the house. He was a farmer and also involved in local politics in the early 1800s.
In 1928, a man named Richard Leach bought the house. For a short time, he ran a private school here called the Norfolk School. The school opened in 1937 and operated at this house from 1940 until it closed in 1943. This school was a boarding school for boys in grades eight through twelve. It helped students get ready for college. The back part of the house was even used as a dormitory, a place where students could sleep.
