Daniel Benton Homestead facts for kids
Daniel Benton Homestead
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| Established | 1970 (house built in 1720) |
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| Location | 154 Metcalf Road Tolland, Connecticut 06084 United States |
| Type | Historic house museum |
The Daniel Benton Homestead is a very old house in Tolland, Connecticut. It is now a historic house museum. This house was built way back in 1720. It is the oldest house in Tolland.
Since 1970, the Tolland Historical Society has taken care of it as a museum. The Benton Homestead is one of Tolland's four main historic places. The others are the Old Tolland County Jail and Museum, the Tolland County Courthouse, and the Hicks-Stearns Family Museum.
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What Does the Daniel Benton Homestead Look Like?
The Daniel Benton Homestead is built in a style called Cape Cod. It has an extra part, like a wing, called an ell. The house has ten rooms and five fireplaces. It also has a large cellar.
The house has been fixed up and painted in its original colors. The wood panels in the main living room were painted to look like walnut wood. This was a popular style in the early 1700s.
History of the Benton Homestead
Daniel Benton built this family home in 1720. He was the son of Samuel Benton, one of the first people to settle in Tolland. Daniel built the house on 40 acres of farmland.
The house stayed in the Benton family for six generations. This means it was passed down through the family for a very long time. A famous person from this family was U.S. Senator William Benton.
The American Revolution and the Benton Homestead
During the American Revolutionary War, something interesting happened at the Benton Homestead. About twenty Hessian soldiers were held in the house's cellar. Hessians were German soldiers who fought for the British.
The prisoners carved designs into the wooden beams in the cellar. These carvings are hard to see now. The Hessians were treated well. After they were set free, some of them even decided to stay and live in Tolland.
The homestead was also part of a sad love story. Daniel Benton's grandson, Elisha Benton, was born in 1748. He fell in love with Jemima Barrows, who was born in 1759. She was the daughter of a local person who made furniture.
Elisha and two of his brothers joined the Continental Army to fight in the war. They were captured during the Battle of Long Island. They were held for many months on crowded British prison ships. Elisha's brothers sadly died while they were prisoners.
Elisha was later set free in a prisoner exchange. He came home in January 1777, but he was very sick with smallpox. Jemima tried to help him get better. But Elisha died on January 21. Jemima also got smallpox and died on February 28.
In those days, there were rules about where people could be buried. Elisha and Jemima were buried a short distance apart on the Benton land.
The Homestead in the 1900s
In 1934, the Chapin family sold the house. They were related to the Bentons. A woman named Florrie Bishop Bowering bought it. She was a radio host and a teacher at the University of Connecticut.
Florrie Bowering fixed up the house. She lived there until 1968. Then, she sold it to William Shocket and Charles Goodstein. These new owners gave the house and its furniture to the Tolland Historical Society. This happened on December 13, 1969. The house opened as a museum the next year. You can visit it for tours on Sundays from June to September.
Some people say the house is haunted. They believe the ghosts of Hessian soldiers and of Elisha and Jemima are there. Florrie Bowering's maid once said she saw a young woman in a wedding dress crying in the house. Other visitors have reported strange lights, sounds, and even seeing ghosts.
Images for kids
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Daniel Benton Homestead
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Historic marker for Elisha Benton and Jemima Barrows at the Benton Homestead
See also
In Spanish: Hacienda de Daniel Benton para niños
