Brewster Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Brewster Homestead
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| Location | 306 Preston Rd., Griswold, Connecticut |
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| Area | 137 acres (55 ha) |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001561 |
| Added to NRHP | December 28, 2000 |
The Brewster Homestead is a very old and important house located at 306 Preston Road in Griswold, Connecticut. It was built around 1740, making it one of the oldest buildings still standing in the town! For many years, six generations of the Brewster family lived here. It was once the center of a huge farm that covered about 250 acres. This historic house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Explore the Historic Brewster Homestead
What Does the Homestead Look Like?
The Brewster Homestead is in western Griswold. It's a two-and-a-half-story house made of wood. It has five windows across the front and two small chimneys inside. The outside is covered in vinyl siding, but underneath are the original wooden boards from when it was built around 1740.
A smaller, one-and-a-half-story section extends from the back of the house. The front of the house has five sections, with the main door right in the middle. A porch with a sloped roof, added in the late 1800s, covers the main entrance. Inside, you can still see many original parts. These include plaster walls, special "gunstock posts" in the wooden frame, and fancy wood panels around the fireplaces. In the basement, you can find the old foundation of a very large chimney. This chimney was removed in the 1800s, which is also when the original main staircase was changed.
A Journey Through Time: The Homestead's Story
The land where the homestead stands was once part of a much larger property. This land was given to Johnathon Brewster by Uncas. Uncas was a powerful leader, called a sachem, of the Mohegan people. Johnathon Brewster was the son of William Brewster. William Brewster was a very important founding elder of the Plymouth Colony.
Simon Brewster, who was William Brewster's great-great-grandson, started a farm on this 250-acre piece of land in 1740. He probably built this house around that time, right in the middle of his farm. The house stayed in the Brewster family for many generations, until 1996. That's when Ron and Kate Bauer bought it. They turned it into a lovely bed and breakfast called Homespun Farm, which they ran for 15 years.
Over time, some parts of the original farm were sold off. For example, a golf club is now located across Preston Road on land that used to be part of the estate. Today, the house is connected to about 137 acres of land, much of which is open space.
