Henry Whitfield House facts for kids
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Henry Whitfield House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Henry Whitfield House, the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 248 Old Whitfield Street, Guilford, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1639 |
| Architectural style | American Colonial |
| Part of | Guilford Historic Town Center (ID76001988) |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001327 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 27, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | September 25, 1997 |
| Designated CP | July 6, 1976 |
The Henry Whitfield House is a very old and important building in Guilford, Connecticut. It was built in 1639, even before the town of Guilford was officially set up! This makes it the oldest house in Connecticut. It's also the oldest stone house in all of New England.
The house has super thick stone walls. Because of these strong walls, it also worked like a fort. It helped protect the early settlers of the community. The house was built for Henry Whitfield. He was a Puritan minister who came from England. He was looking for a place where he could practice his religion freely.
Today, the Henry Whitfield House is a museum. It opened to the public in 1899. It was the very first state museum in Connecticut! The house has been fixed up several times. It was named a special historic place in 1997.
Contents
Building the Old Stone House
The first people who settled in Guilford started building this house in September 1639. It was meant to be the home for their minister, Henry Whitfield. They started building a bit late in the year. Winter weather stopped them from finishing everything. They only completed about half of the main hall and one fireplace.
By the summer of 1640, the rest of the house was done. This included the second floor and the attic. Henry Whitfield and his family then moved in. Local Menunkatuck Native Americans helped the settlers. They carried stones from nearby quarries to the building site.
The walls of the house are almost two feet thick! This is because there was so much stone available. The original "glue" (mortar) for the stones was special. It was made from yellow clay and crushed oyster shells. This was a clever idea because they didn't have other building materials. Inside, the main room had strong oak beams. The inner walls were made from wide pine planks.
What Was the House Used For?
The Whitfield House had many important jobs. First, it was the home for Henry Whitfield, his wife Dorothy, and their nine children.
But it was more than just a home!
- It was a place of worship. People met here before the first church was built in Guilford.
- It was a meeting place for town decisions.
- It was a fort to protect settlers from attacks.
- It offered shelter for travelers. These travelers were moving between the New Haven and Saybrook areas.
- Later, in the 1860s, it was even used as a chapel by the Roman Catholic community.
Today, the house is a museum. It helps us learn about early American life. It's also a special place for history and archaeology.
Inside and Out: The House's Design
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Seen from the South
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Seen from the West
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Floor plans
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Attic floor
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Interior view
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Archaeological dig adjacent to house
The Henry Whitfield House looks different from many other old homes in New England. Its style comes from northern England and Scotland. Other New England homes often copied styles from southern England.
When the first settlers built the house, they made very large rooms. They didn't think about how hard it would be to heat them! They also had lots of wood available. But they chose to build with stone instead.
The original house had a kitchen and a large main hall on the first floor. This hall could be divided into two rooms. A staircase led to the second floor. There were three bedrooms upstairs and a small attic above them.
The main hall was probably the busiest room. It was about 33 feet long and 15 feet wide. This room was used for church services and town meetings. It was also where people ate and travelers stayed. The Whitfield family slept on the second floor. The room above the kitchen was warmest. This made it a good spot for the younger children in winter.
The house originally had six fireplaces. The biggest one is over ten feet wide! It's in the main hall and is still mostly the same today. The other five fireplaces have been changed over the years.
Who Was Henry Whitfield?
Henry Whitfield was one of the people who helped start Guilford. He was also its first minister. He was born in England in 1592. His father was a rich and important lawyer. Henry's mother was related to the famous writer Geoffrey Chaucer.
Henry went to New College, Oxford for school. He first studied law but didn't like it. So, he decided to become a minister instead. In 1618, he became a minister in England. He worked at St. Margaret's Church for 18 years. People came from all around to hear him speak. He was known for being smart, kind, and a good speaker. He was also thought to be one of the richest ministers to move to Connecticut.
Henry married Dorothy Sheafe. They had nine children together. Sadly, three of their children died young.
Under King Charles I, the Church of England was very strict. It treated Separatists and Puritans unfairly. Henry Whitfield started to agree with the Puritans. He didn't like how Archbishop William Laud was treating people. Laud even had spies to find groups who didn't follow the church rules.
Henry tried to get other ministers to follow Laud's rules. But in the end, he couldn't agree with them either. He wrote a book about his religious ideas. In 1638, he was criticized for his beliefs. Soon after, he left his job as a minister.
Moving to America
In 1639, Henry Whitfield sold his property. He planned to move to America with his family and followers. He had met many people who agreed with his ideas. He gathered about 25 families. Most of them were farmers from England. They traveled to the New Haven area.
One person who came with them was Edward Jones. He was an "indentured builder." This means he agreed to help build houses for three years. In return, he got a free trip to America. Many of the people who started Guilford were young men. Dorothy Whitfield's brother and two sisters also came along.
When they arrived in June 1639, Whitfield talked to other leaders. They decided to buy land from the Quinnipiac tribe. This land was halfway between the New Haven and Saybrook settlements. The Quinnipiac people probably thought they were agreeing to share the land. They didn't realize the English wanted to own it completely.
Whitfield and his group started the Guilford colony in September. They began building his house. It wasn't finished until the next spring because of winter. In the early years, Whitfield was both the minister and the town leader. He gave sermons, performed weddings, and settled arguments.
Returning to England
By the late 1640s, Henry Whitfield started thinking about leaving America. Life in the wilderness was hard. Many young men in Guilford had died. Also, things had changed in England. The strict Archbishop Laud had been arrested and executed. England was becoming more accepting of different religions. Many people were leaving New England to go back home.
Whitfield was invited to return to England. He told his church members he wanted to leave. In February 1649, a public meeting was held. People voted to try and make him stay. They offered him more money and excused his sons from guard duty. But Henry Whitfield still decided to go back.
People think he returned because religious conditions were better in England. But other things might have played a part. Life in the colony was tough. He was getting older and his health wasn't great. He also lost money on the Guilford project. One of the founders said Whitfield wasn't suited for life in the wilderness.
Henry Whitfield left the colony on August 26, 1650. His son John went with him. Dorothy and most of their children stayed in Guilford. Dorothy Whitfield continued to live in the stone house. She looked after their property. Three of their daughters married in New England. Three children eventually returned to England.
Henry Whitfield became a minister again in England. He died in 1657 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. His wife Dorothy inherited everything. She returned to England in 1659 and died in 1669.
Who Lived in the House?
The first people to live in the Henry Whitfield House were Henry Whitfield, his wife Dorothy, and their children. They welcomed travelers, church members, and other people from the community.
When Henry Whitfield went back to England in 1650, Dorothy and some of their children stayed in the house. There was talk that John Winthrop the Younger wanted to buy it. He was the son of the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He later became the Governor of Connecticut. But he ended up moving to East Haven instead.
After Henry Whitfield died in 1657, Dorothy owned the house. Before she returned to England in 1659, the town of Guilford tried to buy the house. They wanted to use it as a grammar school. But the town didn't have enough money.
In September 1659, the house was sold to Major Robert Thompson. He was a merchant from London. His family stayed in England for over 100 years. They rented the house to farmers.
The Thompson family sold the house in 1772. It was sold a few more times quickly. One owner, Joseph Pynchon, used it as a summer home. But he had to flee back to England. He supported the King during the American Revolution. He sold the house in 1776, just before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The Griffing and Chittenden families owned the house for over 100 years. During their time, the house was remodeled in 1868.
Finally, on September 28, 1900, the Henry Whitfield House became property of the State of Connecticut. It was bought for $8,500. Money came from the state, the town of Guilford, local residents, and a group called the Colonial Dames of America. After more work, it became a museum. Today, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development runs it.
How the House Was Fixed Up
The Henry Whitfield House has been fixed up many times. The first big changes happened in 1868. Mary Chittenden owned the house then. She used money from her husband to repair it. Her son-in-law, Henry D. Cone, led the work.
By 1868, parts of the house were falling apart. The roof was caving in, and a wall had collapsed. They had to rebuild much of the south wall. They also removed a chimney and rebuilt the roof. Many inside walls were re-plastered. But they kept as much of the original house as possible. The original foundation was not changed.
The second major fix-up happened in 1902. This was after the museum opened. An expert named Norman Isham led this work. His goal was to make the house look nice for visitors. He re-plastered walls and ceilings. He also changed the five smaller fireplaces. Isham tried to make the house look like old English homes. But some experts thought he cared more about how it looked than how historically accurate it was.
The biggest renovation happened in the 1930s. This was led by J. Frederick Kelly. His goal was to make the house look exactly like it did in 1639. Kelly had worked on the property before. He had turned a barn into a caretaker's house in 1923.
Kelly's work started in 1930 with the kitchen. Then he rebuilt the "ell" (a wing built at a right angle to the main house). Outside, they made the roof steeper. They also added a chimney on the south side. They removed the stucco and put in old-style windows. These windows had diamond-shaped glass held by lead bars.
Inside, they rebuilt a corner window. They also restored the staircase to the second floor. The second floor itself had been mostly removed in the 1700s. They rebuilt it and put back the walls that divided the main hall. This big project cost $26,000. It was paid for by the government and private donors. It was finished in 1937.
The Henry Whitfield House Museum
The Henry Whitfield House officially opened as a museum in 1899. It was the first state museum in Connecticut! The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development runs it today.
When you visit the museum, you can explore the house. You can take a tour with a historian. Or you can walk around by yourself. You can also take online tours on the museum's website.
The museum became famous across the country. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Then, in 1997, it was named a National Historic Landmark.
See also
