Gideon Welles House facts for kids
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Gideon Welles House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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1937 HABS photo
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 17 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, Connecticut |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1783 |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| Part of | Glastonbury Historic District (ID84001011) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000697 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 6, 1970 |
| Designated CP | August 2, 1984 |
The Gideon Welles House is a historic building located at 17 Hebron Avenue in Glastonbury, Connecticut. This house was built in 1783 and was home to many generations of the Welles family. The most famous member of this family was Gideon Welles, who became the United States Secretary of the Navy during the American Civil War under President Abraham Lincoln. Today, the house is used for businesses. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 because of its important history.
Contents
Gideon Welles House: What Does It Look Like?
The Gideon Welles House is a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides (called a side-gable roof) and a chimney in the middle. The outside is covered with horizontal wooden boards called clapboards.
Front View and Details
The front of the house has five windows and a door, all arranged in a balanced way. The windows have 12 small panes of glass on the top and 12 on the bottom. The main entrance has narrow windows on either side and flat columns next to them. A porch with a hip roof and round columns covers the entrance. On the right side, there's a smaller, one-story section that also has a porch with a low railing on top.
A House Full of History
The land where the Gideon Welles House stands was bought by Thomas Welles in 1655. This particular house was built in 1783 by Captain Samuel Welles for his son, who was also named Samuel. At the time, people thought it was the most impressive house in all of Glastonbury!
Who Was Gideon Welles?
Gideon Welles was born in this very house in 1802. He grew up to be a very important person in Connecticut politics, just like his family before him. In 1861, he became the Secretary of the Navy. This meant he was in charge of the entire United States Navy during the Civil War. He helped the Navy grow and successfully blockaded many Confederate ports.
Saving the Historic House
The Welles family owned the house until 1932. In 1935, there was a plan to tear it down. Luckily, a group of people formed a committee to save it. This group later became the Glastonbury Historical Society. In 1936, the house was carefully moved a short distance to where it stands today. Now, the town owns the house, and it has been updated to hold different businesses.
