Darling House Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Thomas Darling House and Tavern
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1774 |
| Architect | Abiel Gray |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002639 |
| Added to NRHP | January 17, 1979 |
The Darling House Museum is a special old house in Woodbridge, Connecticut. It's like stepping back in time! This museum is managed by the Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society. You can visit it by making an appointment or during special events. It's a great place to learn about history.
Contents
Welcome to the Darling House Museum
The Darling House Museum is located at 1907 Litchfield Turnpike. It's a historic house museum, meaning it's an old house kept to show how people lived long ago. The Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society takes care of it.
Building a Colonial Home
In the early 1770s, a man named Thomas Darling wanted a new home. He hired a builder named Abiel Gray from West Hartford, Connecticut. It took Gray two years, from 1772 to 1774, to build the house. The house was built in Amity Parish, which is now part of Woodbridge.
The house has a special roof called a gambrel roof. It also has a "central hall plan," meaning a hallway runs through the middle. Inside, the rooms have beautiful wood panels and details. The ceilings are very tall, over 9 feet high! One fireplace even has special tiles from the 1700s. These tiles show pictures from the Bible.
The Darling Family's Legacy
The Darling family owned this house and the land around it for a very long time. They lived there until 1973. After that, the property was sold to the town of Woodbridge. The Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society then started taking care of the house.
Many of the items and furniture you see inside the museum belonged to the Darling family. This helps visitors imagine what life was like for them.
Exploring the Museum Grounds
The property around the Darling House Museum is quite large. It includes several other old buildings.
- A big barn from the 1700s.
- A horse barn from the 1800s.
- A carriage shed, where old carriages were kept.
- A chicken coop for chickens.
- A pig house for pigs.
- A privy, which was an outdoor toilet from the 1800s.
The town of Woodbridge also takes care of some fields near the house. There are even easy walking trails nearby. These trails go along the base of West Rock, a large ridge.
What You Can See Today
The Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society has many interesting things on display. In the horse barn, you can see a large collection of old farm tools. These tools show how farming was done long ago. Inside the house, you can also see beautiful quilts, linens, and clothing from the past. It's a great way to learn about daily life in earlier centuries.
See also
