John Palmer House (Lisbon, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John Palmer House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 291 N. Burnham Hwy., Lisbon, Connecticut |
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| Area | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| Built | 1790 |
| Built by | John Palmer |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 04001461 |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 2005 |
The John Palmer House is a very old and special home in Lisbon, Connecticut. It was built way back in 1790. This house is a great example of a "Cape style" farmhouse from the 1700s. Because it is so well-preserved, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. This means it's an important historical site!
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Discovering the John Palmer House
The John Palmer House is located in a quiet, countryside area of northern Lisbon. You can find it on the west side of North Burnham Highway. This road is also known as Connecticut Route 169. The house sits on a large piece of land, about 38 acres. It's set back a bit from the road. A stone wall and some old trees separate it from the highway.
What Does It Look Like?
The main part of the house is a one-and-a-half-story building. It's made of wood and has a roof that slopes down on two sides. There's a chimney right in the middle of the house. The outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboards.
The front of the house faces south. There are also parts of the house that extend out to the back. The front has five windows or doors across it. The main door is in the center. Above the door, there's a small window with four glass panes.
Inside the House
The inside of the house was carefully fixed up after a fire in 1968. The main living room, called a parlor, is on the left side. What's interesting is how the stairs are set up. Usually, in houses from this time, the stairs would be right by the front door. But in the John Palmer House, the stairs to the upstairs are in a room at the back of the house. This room was often used for daily activities and cooking.
Who Was John Palmer?
John Palmer was the person who built this house in 1790. He moved to this area and created his home here. Palmer was an important person in the church in nearby Scotland, Connecticut. He played a big role in starting a new church group. This group was called a Separatist congregation.
The First Great Awakening
This happened during a time called the First Great Awakening in the 1740s. This was a period when many people became very interested in religion. New church groups formed. John Palmer's group wanted to be separate from the main church at the time, which was the Congregationalist church.
In the 1770s, John Palmer successfully asked the state government for something important. He wanted his church members to be free from paying taxes to support the Congregationalist church. This was a big deal for religious freedom back then. After John Palmer passed away, his church group became smaller and eventually closed down.
Why Is This House Special?
The John Palmer House is important for a few reasons. First, it shows building methods that were a bit old-fashioned for its time. It used styles that were more common in the mid-1700s. Second, we have good records of how the house was fixed up in the 20th century. This helps us understand how old homes can be preserved for the future.
