Oliver Ellsworth Homestead facts for kids
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Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 778 Palisado Avenue, Windsor, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1781 |
| Architect | Samuel Denslow; Thomas Hayden |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000707 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 06, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | December 20, 1989 |
The Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, also known as Elmwood, is a historic house museum located in Windsor, Connecticut. This special house was built in 1781. It was the home of Oliver Ellsworth, an important American lawyer and politician, until he passed away in 1807. Because of his connection to the house, it was named a National Historic Landmark.
Oliver Ellsworth (1745–1807) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He helped write the United States Constitution, which is the main set of rules for our country. He also served as the third Chief Justice of the United States, which is the top judge in the country. Plus, he was a United States senator for Connecticut. Today, the house is owned and cared for by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution. You can visit it for tours if you ask ahead of time.
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Discovering the Ellsworth Homestead
The Ellsworth House is in the northern part of Windsor, Connecticut. You can find it on the east side of Palisado Avenue, which is also called Connecticut Route 159. This road is very old and used to be the main path for traveling north and south along the west side of the Connecticut River.
The House's Design and Features
The house is a two-and-a-half-story wooden building. It has a sloped roof and its outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboards. The front of the house has five windows across. On the south side, there's an extra two-window section that is set back a bit. This part shares the same roof, which is held up by fancy columns. The original part of the house has chimneys on each end. The main front door is in the middle and has a small, gabled porch from the 1800s covering it. Inside, you can still see many things from the late 1700s, including furniture and decorations that belonged to Oliver Ellsworth and his family.
A Home Through History
A house was first built on this spot in 1740 by David Ellsworth, who was Oliver Ellsworth's father. Oliver grew up in that first house. Records show that in 1781, after Oliver inherited the property, he decided to build a new house right where the old one stood. He might have even used some parts of the old house, like its foundation. His family moved into the new house the next year, in 1782. It remained his home until he died in 1807. The two-window section on the south side was added in 1788.
Why It's Called Elmwood
The name "Elmwood" comes from the thirteen elm trees that Oliver Ellsworth planted. He planted one tree for each of the original Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States. This house was even visited by two sitting Presidents! George Washington came to Elmwood on October 21, 1789, and John Adams visited on October 3, 1799.
The Ellsworth family lived in the house until 1903. Then, they gave it to the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The homestead was carefully fixed up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Now, it serves as a museum where people can learn about its history. The property also has a meeting hall that was built in the 1930s. The DAR uses this hall for events and gatherings.
The Oliver Ellsworth Homestead was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Later, in 1989, it was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark, showing its great importance to American history.
See also
