Samuel Smith House (East Lyme, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Samuel Smith House
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Samuel Smith House in 2014
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Location | 82 Plants Dam Road, East Lyme, Connecticut |
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Area | 30 acres (12 ha) |
Built | 1700 |
Architectural style | First Period |
NRHP reference No. | 79002668 |
Added to NRHP | June 4, 1979 |
The Samuel Smith House is a really old and special house located in East Lyme, Connecticut. It was built around the year 1700, making it one of the oldest buildings in the area! Over the years, it changed a bit, showing how houses were built in the 1700s. Because it's so important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1979. This list helps protect amazing historical places.
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What Makes This House Special?
The Samuel Smith House is found in a quiet, countryside part of East Lyme. It's a 1-1/2 story house, which means it has one main floor and a smaller half-floor upstairs.
It has a special roof called a gambrel roof, which has two different slopes on each side. The outside walls are made of wood siding and shingles.
Inside the Samuel Smith House
The house has a big chimney right in the middle. The front of the house has five windows and a door, but they aren't perfectly even.
Inside, the house is set up around this central chimney. The eastern part of the house shows how buildings were made way back in the early 1700s. You can even see special wood panels called featheredged wood paneling.
There's also a rare fireplace in the basement! This suggests that the basement might have been used as a kitchen during the warmer months.
A Look at Its History
The oldest part of the house, the east side, was built around 1700. The main part of the house grew to its current size around 1730.
Who Owned the Land?
The land where the house stands was first given to Thomas Bull. He was one of the people who helped start the city of Hartford. He received the land for his service in the Pequot War in 1637.
In 1692, Thomas Bull's sons sold the land to Nehemiah Smith, Jr. Then, in 1698, Thomas Bull gave the land to his second son, Samuel. Samuel built this house close to the Niantic River. The Smith family owned the house until 1746.