Butler-McCook Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Butler-McCook Homestead
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Butler-McCook Homestead, rear view
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 396 Main St., Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1782 |
| Architect | Weidenman, Jacob |
| Website | Butler-McCook House & Garden |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000907 |
| Added to NRHP | March 11, 1971 |
Imagine stepping back in time! The Butler-McCook Homestead is a special old house in Hartford, Connecticut. It's now a historic house museum where you can learn about life long ago. Built way back in 1782, it's one of the oldest houses still standing in Hartford. This amazing place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Today, it's known as the Butler-McCook House & Garden and is cared for by Connecticut Landmarks.
Contents
Discovering the Butler-McCook Homestead
The Butler-McCook Homestead is located in Hartford, Connecticut. You can find it south of the city center on Main Street. This historic home is a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a classic look with a sloped roof and two chimneys inside.
The front of the house has five windows and a main door in the middle. A small porch with round columns covers the entrance. The roof on the front has three dormer windows, which are windows that stick out from the roof. The back of the house has an old colonial kitchen on the first floor. An extra second floor was added to this part of the house in the 1800s.
Exploring the Gardens and Grounds
The house sits on about 2 acres (0.81 hectares) of land. Part of this land features beautiful formal gardens. These gardens were designed by Jacob Weidenman, a famous landscape architect. He also helped design Hartford's well-known Bushnell Park. On the right side of the house, there's a smaller, one-story building. This part was added in the late 1800s.
Who Lived Here? A Family's Story
The main house was built in 1782 for Dr. Daniel Butler. He was a doctor who used a room in the house as his office. Later, another important person lived here: Reverend John James McCook. He was a professor at Trinity College and a church leader in East Hartford.
Generations of the McCook Family
Reverend McCook's son, Dr. John Butler McCook, also became a doctor. In 1897, he added the wing on the right side of the house to use as his own office. The Butler and McCook families lived in this house for about 200 years!
Today, the house is a museum. You can see many items that belonged to the family. These items show how people lived from the Colonial times all the way through the Victorian era. The house also has a special Main Street History Center. Here, you can learn even more about Hartford's rich history.
Other Historic Places to Visit
The Butler-McCook Homestead is just one of many amazing historic places. If you enjoy learning about the past, you might also like to visit these other sites:
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut
- Amos Bull House, which is nearby and houses the offices of Connecticut Landmarks.
Connecticut Landmarks also takes care of several other historic house museums, including:
- Amasa Day House in Moodus
- Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden in Bethlehem
- Buttolph–Williams House in Wethersfield
- Hempsted Houses in New London
- Isham-Terry House in Hartford
- Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry
- Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden in Suffield
