List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut facts for kids

Connecticut is home to many amazing historic places! Some of the most special ones are called National Historic Landmarks. These are places that the United States government officially recognizes as super important to the history of our country. Think of them as VIPs among historic sites! While there are many historic spots listed on the National Register of Historic Places, only the very best and most significant ones get the special title of National Historic Landmark.

Connecticut's National Historic Landmarks

Connecticut has many incredible National Historic Landmarks. Let's explore some of them!

Homes of Famous People

Many landmarks are houses where important people lived or worked.

A. Everett Austin House

This house in Hartford was once the home of Arthur Everett Austin Jr.. He was a very creative director of the Wadsworth Atheneum museum. His house was known for being a lively social spot!

Henry Barnard House

Also in Hartford, this was the home of Henry Barnard. He was a very important educator who helped create the public school system we have today in America.

Henry C. Bowen House (Roseland)

Located in Woodstock, this beautiful Gothic Revival summer house was visited by three different U.S. presidents! It's also known as Roseland Cottage.

Bush-Holley House

In Greenwich, this house was the center of the Cos Cob Art Colony from about 1890 to 1920. Many American Impressionist artists gathered and created art here.

Russell Henry Chittenden House

This New Haven home belonged to Russell Henry Chittenden, who is often called the "father of American biochemistry."

Prudence Crandall House

In Canterbury, this house was the home of Prudence Crandall. She was an abolitionist and educator who fought for equal rights and education for African American girls.

James Dwight Dana House

This New Haven house was designed by Henry Austin and was the home of James Dwight Dana, a famous Yale geologist.

Silas Deane House

In Wethersfield, this was the home of Silas Deane. He was a member of the Continental Congress and America's very first diplomat!

Oliver Ellsworth Homestead

This homestead in Windsor was the home of Oliver Ellsworth, who became the third Chief Justice of the United States.

Florence Griswold House and Museum

Located in Old Lyme, this house was a popular boarding house for American Impressionist artists like Henry Ward Ranger and Childe Hassam. It's now a museum!

Hill–Stead

This Colonial Revival house in Farmington is also an art museum. It's a beautiful example of early American design.

Samuel Huntington Birthplace

In Scotland, this old "saltbox" style home was where Samuel Huntington grew up. He was a very important American statesman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the first president of the Congress of the Confederation.

Philip Johnson Glass House

This amazing house in New Canaan is a modern masterpiece made of glass and steel. It was designed and lived in by the famous architect Philip Johnson.

Kimberly Mansion

This Glastonbury mansion was the home of sisters Abby and Julia. They were suffragists who bravely fought their town over the issue of "taxation without representation" – meaning they didn't want to pay taxes if they couldn't vote!

Othniel C. Marsh House

This New Haven house was the home of Othniel Marsh, a Yale paleontologist who studied ancient fossils. It's now part of the Yale School of Forestry.

Stephen Tyng Mather Home

In Darien, this was the home of Stephen Tyng Mather. He was a conservationist who helped create the National Park Service and was its first director.

Lafayette B. Mendel House

Another New Haven home designed by Henry Austin, this house belonged to Lafayette Mendel, a Yale biochemist.

James Merrill House

This house in Stonington was the home of James Merrill, a very important American writer from the second half of the 20th century.

Monte Cristo Cottage

In New London, this cottage was the home of Eugene O'Neill, a famous playwright who won the Nobel Prize.

Edward W. Morley House

This West Hartford home belonged to physicist Edward W. Morley. He is known for his work on the atomic weights of hydrogen and oxygen, and for the famous Michelson–Morley experiment.

Charles H. Norton House

In Plainville, this was the home of Charles H. Norton, who invented important precision grinding equipment.

Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House

This house in Stonington was the home of Nathaniel Palmer, a brave explorer and seal hunter who was one of the first to explore Antarctica!

Frederic Remington House

In Ridgefield, this was the home of painter and sculptor Frederic Remington. He is famous for his amazing artworks showing the American West.

John Rogers Studio

This studio in New Canaan was where John Rogers, a popular 19th-century sculptor, created his famous works.

Samuel Wadsworth Russell House

This beautiful Greek Revival mansion in Middletown was designed by Ithiel Town. It's now part of Wesleyan University.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

In Hartford, this was the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was a famous writer and abolitionist in the 19th century, best known for her powerful book Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Jonathan Sturges House

This early Gothic-revival cottage is located in Fairfield.

Ida Tarbell House

In Easton, this was the home of Ida Tarbell, a famous journalist and author known for her "muckraking" investigations that exposed problems in society.

John Trumbull Birthplace

This home in Lebanon was where Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull lived, and where his son John Trumbull was born. John Trumbull is known as the "painter of the Revolution" for his historical paintings.

Mark Twain Home

From 1874 to 1891, this Hartford house was the home of the famous author, speaker, and satirist Mark Twain. He wrote many of his classic books here!

Noah Webster Birthplace

This house in West Hartford was the birthplace of Noah Webster, the American lexicographer who created the first American dictionary.

Henry Whitfield House

Located in Guilford, this is the oldest house in Connecticut, built all the way back in 1639!

William Williams House

In Lebanon, this was the home of William Williams, another signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Oliver Wolcott House

This Litchfield home belonged to Oliver Wolcott, a soldier and politician who also signed the Declaration of Independence and served as Governor of Connecticut.

Important Buildings and Sites

These landmarks are significant buildings or areas that played a big role in history.

Barnum Institute of Science and History

This building in Bridgeport is the only one left that is connected to the famous 19th-century entertainer P.T. Barnum.

Birdcraft Sanctuary

Located in Fairfield, this is the oldest bird sanctuary in the United States! It's where Mabel Osgood Wright started the idea of "birdscaping" – designing gardens to attract birds.

Buttolph–Williams House

This house in Wethersfield is a great example of traditional early New England design.

Cheney Brothers Historic District

In Manchester, this district includes a 19th-century silk mill and a traditional "company town" where the workers lived.

Coltsville Historic District

This historic district in Hartford was originally just the home of arms maker Samuel Colt, called Armsmear. Later, it grew to include the Colt Armory (where guns were made), worker housing, and Colt Park.

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

This New Haven site is home to the very first state agricultural experiment station, where scientists study plants and farming.

Connecticut Hall, Yale University

This building in New Haven is the oldest building at Yale University.

Connecticut State Capitol

The beautiful Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford was designed by Richard Upjohn. It features Gothic and French Renaissance styles and has a famous gold leaf dome.

First Church of Christ

This church in Farmington is famous because it was where the freed slaves from the La Amistad ship found refuge.

First Presbyterian Church

Also known as the Fish Church, this church in Stamford is a major example of Modernist church design.

Fort Shantok Archeological District

This important archaeological district in Montville was a Mohegan settlement and the home of the 17th-century leader Uncas.

Grove Street Cemetery

This cemetery in New Haven is the final resting place for many famous people from Yale and New Haven, including Roger Sherman, Noah Webster, and Eli Whitney.

Litchfield Historic District

This district in Litchfield is a very well-preserved New England town from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was the state's first historic district!

Lockwood–Mathews Mansion

This grand mansion in Norwalk was built in 1864 in the Second Empire style.

Mashantucket Pequot Reservation Archeological District

This large area on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation in Ledyard contains important archaeological remains that tell the story of Pequot history.

New Haven Green Historic District

This large town green in New Haven includes three historic churches and is a central part of the city's history.

Old New-Gate Prison

In East Granby, this was a colonial prison. During the American Revolutionary War, people who supported the British (called Loyalists) were held here.

Old State House

This Federal-style building in Hartford was designed by Charles Bulfinch and finished in 1796. It served as Connecticut's state house for many years.

Portland Brownstone Quarries

These quarries in Portland have been active since 1690! They were the source of huge amounts of brownstone used to build many buildings in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and other cities.

Tapping Reeve House and Law School

Located in Litchfield, this was the first law school in the United States that was separate from a college or university. Famous graduates included Aaron Burr, Jr. and John C. Calhoun.

Stanley-Whitman House

This house in Farmington is a classic example of a 17th-century New England "saltbox" style home.

The Steward's House, Foreign Mission School

In Cornwall, this site was part of the first "foreign" mission school located in the U.S. It tells us a lot about education and social ideas in the early 19th century.

Joseph Webb House

This house in Wethersfield was the site of a very important meeting in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. General George Washington met with French General Rochambeau here.

Austin F. Williams Carriagehouse and House

In Farmington, this house served as temporary living quarters for the Africans from the Amistad ship. It was also a "station" on the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom.

Yale Bowl

This famous stadium in New Haven was a model for other "bowl" stadiums like the Rose Bowl. It's home to the Yale Bulldogs football team and hosts "The Game" against Harvard.

Historic Ships

Connecticut is also home to some very old and important ships!

Charles W. Morgan (Bark)

Moored at Mystic Seaport, this ship is the only wooden ship left from the 19th-century American whaling fleet. It's a true survivor!

Emma C. Berry

Also in Mystic, this vessel is one of the oldest commercial ships still existing in the United States.

L. A. Dunton (schooner)

This classic fishing schooner, found in Mystic, is one of the last fishing vessels built that relied only on sails.

Sabino (Passenger Steamboat)

The Sabino, located in Mystic, is one of only two remaining "mosquito fleet" steamers. These small steamboats used to travel on the inland waters of the United States.

USS NAUTILUS (nuclear submarine)

In Groton, you can see the USS Nautilus. This was the world's first submarine powered by nuclear energy!

Former National Historic Landmarks

Sometimes, a landmark might lose its special status. This usually happens if the building is destroyed or changed too much.

First Telephone Exchange

This building in New Haven was where the very first commercial telephone exchange was located. Sadly, the building was torn down in 1973 and replaced by a parking garage.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Connecticut
• List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state
• List of National Natural Landmarks in Connecticut