Eleazer Williams House facts for kids
|
Eleazer Williams House
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Storrs Rd. (Rte. 195), Mansfield Center, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1710, 1750–1775 |
| Architect | Georgian |
| Part of | Mansfield Center Historic District (ID72001337) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000910 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | March 11, 1971 |
| Designated CP | February 23, 1972 |
The Eleazer Williams House is a very old and special house in Mansfield Center, Connecticut. It sits on Storrs Road, also known as Connecticut Route 195. This house was finished in 1710. It was once the home of the town's very first minister.
What makes this house so interesting is how it changed over many years. It shows us how people built and changed houses way back in the 1700s. The Eleazer Williams House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is also part of the Mansfield Center Historic District.
What Makes the Eleazer Williams House Special?
The Eleazer Williams House is in the village of Mansfield Center. You can find it on the east side of Storrs Road. It is just south of where Storrs Road meets Dodd Road.
This house is two and a half stories tall. It is made of wood and has a roof that slopes down on the sides. The outside is covered with wooden boards called clapboards. These boards were probably put on in the late 1700s. They were attached with nails made by hand!
The front of the house has five windows and a door in the middle. The front door has a fancy porch with columns. This style is called Colonial Revival.
How the House Was Built and Changed
Work on the house started in 1709. A man named Samuel Fuller began building it. But the town bought the unfinished house from him in 1710. They wanted it for their first minister, Reverend Eleazer Williams.
Reverend Williams was the son of John Williams, a minister from Deerfield, Massachusetts. This house was the minister's home for 75 years. It was called the town parsonage.
The house changed a lot between 1750 and 1775. It was updated to look more like the Georgian style. It also got a special shape called a saltbox. This means the roof slopes down very far in the back.
Around 1800, the house was changed again. The roof in the back was raised to make the house two full stories tall. Later, in 1853, the chimneys from the 1760s were taken out. The Eleazer Williams House is a great example. It shows how a colonial-era house can change and grow over time.
