Daniel and Mary Lee House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Daniel and Mary Lee House
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Daniel and Mary Lee House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pepperidge Rd. E of Jobs Pond Rd., Portland, Connecticut |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1770 |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal, Postmedieval English |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000365 |
| Added to NRHP | April 3, 1991 |
The Daniel and Mary Lee House is a very old and special home located on Pepperidge Road in Portland, Connecticut. It was built around 1770. This house is a great example of how homes looked in the American colonies. Later, it was updated with a style called Federal architecture. Because of its history, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. This list helps protect important places in the United States.
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Exploring the Daniel and Mary Lee House
This section will tell you more about what makes the Daniel and Mary Lee House special. You'll learn about its unique design and its long history.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Daniel and Mary Lee House stands in a quiet, country area of eastern Portland. It's on the north side of Pepperidge Road. The house has two stories and is made of wood. It has three main sections across the front. A large chimney sits in the middle of the house.
At the back, there's a one-story addition with a sloped roof. This part was built at the same time as the main house. Inside, the house has a "side-hall plan." This means the main hallway is on one side, not in the center. This was unusual for homes built in the 1700s.
Unique Features of the House
The chimney in this house is set further back than usual. Also, experts believe the house was once about six feet longer than it is now. This makes its design even more unique! The long hallway inside allows for a longer main staircase. This staircase has wide steps, which was a nice feature.
Many original parts of the house are still there. These include the old doors and their hardware. In the dining room, you can see horizontal wooden panels on the walls. These are called wainscoting. Some decorative touches from the early 1800s, in the Federal style, are also still present.
The History of the Lee House
The house was likely built in 1770. This was after James Stevenson gave two acres of land to his daughter Mary and her husband, Daniel Lee. This house is the only one of its kind known to still exist in Portland.
The Lee family lived in the house for many years. Daniel and Mary Lee raised ten children there! In 1794, they sold the house and some nearby land to Daniel White. Later, another owner named Daniel Smith probably made the Federal-style changes to the house. He owned a tannery, which was a place where animal hides were turned into leather.
