Jabez Smith House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jabez Smith House
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Jabez Smith House photographed in 2014
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 259 North Rd., Groton, Connecticut |
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| Area | 2.4 acres (0.97 ha) |
| Built | c. 1783 |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000615 |
| Added to NRHP | May 15, 1981 |
The Jabez Smith House is a very old house in Groton, Connecticut. It was built around 1783. Today, it is a museum where you can learn about life long ago. This house is special because it's the only farmhouse from the 1700s still standing in the Poquonock Bridge area of Groton. This area used to be a big farming community. The town of Groton now owns the house. You can visit it on weekends from April to November. Inside, you'll see furniture and items from the 1700s and 1800s. The Jabez Smith House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 1981.
Contents
What Does the Jabez Smith House Look Like?
The Jabez Smith House is located in Groton, a bit outside the main downtown area. It sits on the east side of North Road. The house is a 1+1⁄2-story building, which means it has one full floor and a half-story above it. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides, called a side gable roof. In the middle of the house, there's a large chimney. The outside walls are covered with a mix of wooden shingles and clapboards.
Inside the Historic House
The front of the house has five sections, or "bays," with a door in the middle. Above the front door, there's a small window with four glass panes. Inside, the house has a common layout for homes with a central chimney. The rooms are simply decorated. You can still see the original plaster on the walls and the old wooden details.
The History of the Jabez Smith House
The Jabez Smith House was built around 1783. It was likely built by Jabez Smith himself. He was the great-grandson of Reverend Nehemiah Smith, who was one of the first people to own land in Groton. The house actually stands on a foundation that Jabez's grandfather built way back in 1663!
A Special Farmhouse in Groton
This house is very important because it's the only farmhouse from the 1700s that remains in the Poquonock Bridge area. This part of Groton was once the main area for farming. Around the property, you can still find other old foundations. One is from a barn built in the 1800s. Another is from an old outhouse, where a new, similar building has been put up. The Smith family owned this house for a very long time, until 1974. Then, they gave it to the town of Groton.
See Also
