Parker House (Old Saybrook, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Parker House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 680 Middlesex Turnpike, Old Saybrook, Connecticut |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1679 |
| Architect | Parker, William |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002853 |
| Added to NRHP | November 29, 1978 |
The Parker House is a very old and important house located in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It was built way back in 1679 by Deacon William Parker. This house is special because it's thought to be one of the oldest homes still standing in Connecticut! Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
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About the Parker House
The Parker House stands on the north side of Middlesex Turnpike in western Old Saybrook. This road was once an important path connecting towns. The house faces south, towards Essex Road.
It's a 1-1/2 story house, meaning it has one main floor and a smaller half-story upstairs, often under the roof. It has a special type of roof called a gambrel roof, which has two different slopes on each side. The outside is covered in wooden clapboards, which are long, thin boards that overlap. A large brick chimney stands in the middle of the house. The back of the house has a leanto section, which means it looks like it leans against the main part of the house. This part seems to have been built at the same time as the rest of the house.
Inside, the house has a traditional layout with the chimney in the center. When you walk in, there's a small entryway. On either side are rooms called parlors, which were like living rooms. Behind the chimney is a wide kitchen. While the kitchen has been updated over the years, the front rooms still have many of their original features from when the house was first built!
Who Built the Parker House?
The Parker House was built around 1679 by William Parker. He was one of the first settlers in Hartford, Connecticut. He arrived there in 1636 with a group led by Reverend Thomas Hooker. William Parker later moved south to the Saybrook Colony. It's believed he built this house for his son, Joseph. The house stayed in the Parker family for a very long time, until the 1960s!
The Parker Family History
There were a few important people named William Parker in this family. A different William Parker became a Deacon (a church leader) at the First Church of Christ Congregational in Old Saybrook in 1670. He helped represent the town at seven meetings of the general court, which was like the government back then. The town even gave him five acres of land for his hard work! He passed away in 1725 when he was 81 years old.
William Parker II
William Parker II was the son of William and Margery Parker. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1645. He married Lydia Brown in 1676. They had two children: William III, born in 1673, and Lydia, born in 1690.
William Parker II was a Sergeant in the local militia, called a Train-band, as early as 1672. In 1678-1679, the town gave him five acres of land for his service in the Indian wars. He was also a member of the Saybrook Synod in 1708. This was an important meeting that helped create the "Saybrook Platform," which set rules for churches in Connecticut.
Both William Parker II and his wife Lydia were buried in the old cemetery in Saybrook. You can still read the words on their tombstone: "Here lyeth the Body of Deacon William Parker, who dec(d) Aug. 20, 1725, aged 81 years."
