Ashlawn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ashlawn
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Potash Hill Road, Hanover, Sprague, Connecticut |
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| Area | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| Built | 18th century |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002649 |
| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1979 |
Ashlawn, also known as the Joshua Perkins House, is a historic two-story farmhouse in Hanover, Connecticut. It was built in the 1700s. The house is named after its first owner, Joshua Perkins. He was a farmer and the son of Captain Matthew Perkins, a very important farmer and a founder of the Hanover Society.
Ashlawn is a great example of Georgian architecture. This style was popular in the 18th century. The house has a special front with five sections and decorative columns called pilasters. Inside, you can see beautiful wooden details like moldings and wainscotting (wooden panels on the lower part of walls). An older part of the house, probably built earlier in the 1700s, is connected to the main building like an "L" shape.
In 2002, a descendant of the Perkins family, Ruth Rosiene, was taking care of the house. Ashlawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1979. It is important because of its architecture and its strong connection to the Perkins family.
Contents
A Look Back: Ashlawn's History
The land where Ashlawn stands was once part of a huge property. This land was bought by Joshua Perkins's grandfather, Joseph Perkins, and his great-great uncle, Jacob Perkins. The nearby town of Lisbon, Connecticut, was first called Newent. This name might have come from the Perkins family's original home in England.
The Perkins Family's Influence
Captain Matthew Perkins, Joshua's father, was a very important farmer. He helped start the Hanover Society in 1761. Matthew Perkins owned about 1,000 acres of land in Hanover. He was a wealthy man for his time. He passed away in 1773.
Joshua Perkins was Matthew's oldest son. He was born in 1740. Like his father, Joshua was a farmer. He also served his community as a selectman (a local official) in 1786 and 1787. Later, he served in the Connecticut state legislature in 1789 and again in 1801. In 1825, when he was older, Joshua gave 400 acres, including the house, to his son Charles Perkins. Joshua Perkins lived a long life and died in 1833 at 93 years old.
How Ashlawn Was Built
Ashlawn gets its name from the ash trees that used to grow in front of the house. It's also known as the Joshua Perkins House because he was its first owner.
Architectural Style and Features
The National Register of Historic Places describes Ashlawn as a "late 18th-century, 2-story, central-hall frame farmhouse." It has a sloped roof and an overhang at the ends. We don't know exactly when the main house or its older "ell" (the L-shaped addition) were built, or who designed them. The house sits on a strong foundation made of fieldstone (natural stones). The cellar even has special notches in the stone, which people believe were used for keeping food cool. The house is a great example of Georgian architecture.
The front of the house has five sections. It features two flat Doric pilasters (flat, decorative columns). Two more pilasters are near the middle, supporting a special broken-base pediment (a triangular shape often found above doors or windows). The original front door was replaced in the 1800s. The new door has a beautiful 20-pane fanlight (a window shaped like a fan above the door). It's also flanked by two flat pilasters that support a broken pediment above it.
The main house originally had two chimneys. A third chimney was added to the east wall in the 1900s for a modern furnace. Most of the windows were replaced in the 1800s with 2-over-2 sash windows (meaning two panes of glass on the top and two on the bottom). However, two attic windows on each end of the roof still have their smaller, original panes.
The Older "Ell" and Other Buildings
Behind the main house is an older, 1.5-story "ell" section. This part seems to have been a two-room building with a central chimney. It was likely built in the second quarter of the 1700s and then connected to the main house. The chimney in this older section was replaced in the 1800s. There's also a storage shed behind the house. The property used to have a dairy barn, which had to be rebuilt after a big storm, the 1938 New England hurricane.
Inside Ashlawn
When you enter the front of the house, you step into a central hallway. The lower part of the walls has paneled wainscoting below a chair rail (a decorative strip of wood). There's also cornice molding (decorative trim where the wall meets the ceiling) and a molded chair rail with runners for inside shutters.
The room on the west side of the front has a paneled fireplace and wainscoting below the chair rail. The back room on the east side is now divided into two, with one part being a bathroom. Upstairs, the rooms also have molded chair rails and special posts. The east front room upstairs doesn't have a fireplace, but the western one does, just like the room below it. The roof of the house is built with strong wooden beams called collar beams and rafters. The chimneys are angled so they look balanced on the roof.
The original entrance to the cellar was in the middle of the east wall, but it now has a modern door. Inside, a winding staircase leads up to the attic. The kitchen is to the north and still has a large, visible summer beam (a main support beam) and original posts, though it now has modern cabinets and wallpaper. The room to the south also has a visible summer beam and its original casing on the posts. The attic walls are finished with vertically placed wooden boards, and the roof is framed with strong rafters.
Why Ashlawn Is Important
The National Register of Historic Places says Ashlawn is important for two main reasons. First, it's a great example of rural Georgian architecture. Second, it's connected to the Perkins family, who were very important in settling the Hanover area of Sprague.
The nomination also calls Ashlawn "one of the finest of its type in the surrounding area." It was a stylish farmhouse built for a prominent farmer. The Town of Sprague considers Ashlawn to be one of many historic places that "add substantial aesthetic value" to the area.
In 2002, Ruth Rosiene, a descendant of the Perkins family and the owner of Ashlawn, was featured in an article by The Day newspaper. Rosiene had been taking care of the house for many years, which included repainting it often. A photo in the article showed a latch on the door that might have been original. The article mentioned that the original sliding shutters were no longer there, even though the original nomination form from 1979 said they were not installed.
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