North Stonington Bicentennial Walking Tour 3

North Stonington Bicentennial Walking Tour

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House ca 1870

19 Wyassup Road

Although this house has been modified, it is a good example of the Italianate style in its overall cross gable form and in some of its detailing such as the window hoods with consoles.

House ca 1844

13 Wyassup Road

This house was constructed about 1844 and appears to have been altered around 1860. At one time, this house was the parsonage of the Third Baptist Church in North Stonington Village. In the 1940s, this house was occupied by Calvin Vivian Geer.

The overall form of this house with its paired gables on a flank gable roof and the simple vergeboards is typical of the Gothic Revival style. The details of this house, however, are more typical of the Italianate style, including the round-arched windows and door lights; doorhood with oversized brackets and pendants; and the octagonal bay window.

Center School 1870

9 Wyassup Road

This building was constructed in 1870 as the new District #2 School House and was called the Center School. The cost of the new school was approximately $4000 and was built by Henry A. Tomlinson. At the time of construction, North Stonington had 16 district schools. Many meetings were held in the Center School until the Grange Hall was built in 1912.

Although this building has been altered with an exterior end chimney on the principal façade, it is a good example of a Greek Revival school house with its fully-pedimented front gable roof, round attic vent, and elongated 9/9 sash windows. An elliptical fanlight transom is extant on the north façade.

District #2 School House ca 1820

7 Wyassup Road

A portion of this building was the District #2 School House that was originally located in the North Stonington Village center. The school house was moved by Stephen Main and incorporated into this building when it was constructed in about 1870. This house was originally owned by Frank York.

Although this house has been altered with non-traditional siding and roofing materials, it is a good example of the Italianate style with its double round-arched windows in the gable-end and 2/2 double-hung sash windows.

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Levi Robinson House ca 1802

62 Main Street

This house was built ca 1800 by Colonel Nathan Wheeler. Nathan Wheeler was the brother of Hosea, Ephraim, and Russell. Nathan’s son, Giles, acquired the building after his father and probably built the store on the abutting property. Levi Robinson owned a trip hammer works where iron was forged.

This house is an excellent example of the Federal style with its fanlight transom, open-bed pedimented door crown, symmetrical five-bay façade with central entrance, graduated clapboards, and interior end chimneys. Italianate influence is exhibited in the principal door with two round-arched door lights. The house has also retained integrity of materials with wood clapboards and wood shingle roofing.

S. B. Wheeler House ca 1860

64 Main Street

Although the siding and roofing materials have been altered, this house retains a basic Greek Revival form with its front gable roof with cornice returns and also retains a Greek Revival style door surround. This house also exhibits a wrap-around Queen Anne style front porch that was probably added in the late 19th century.

Theodore S. Main House ca 1900

66 Main Street

This house was built ca 1900 by Theodore S. Main (Stephen Main’s son). Stephen Main was a large landholder throughout the mid-late 19th century.

Although this house has been moved and heavily altered, some Queen Anne features are intact, such as the turret and variety of surface textures created by square and staggered imbricated shingles.

Village Green

The present Town Green, created in 1976, was the site of a blacksmith’s shop, a bark mill, and a cobbler’s shop. Nearby on Main Street were cabinetmaker’s shop and a hatter’s shop. In the 1970s, the houses on the site had to be removed because of inadequate sewage facilities, which threatened the brook that ran under one or two of the homes. The last to be torn down had served as the Masonic Hall. Larson’s Store, known as the arcade, which sold a variety of necessities including ice cream, candy, newspaper, toiletries, band-aids, and bread, was also torn down.

The Green was planted by the North Stonington Garden Club in 1976 as a project for the national bicentennial and included a flag pole with several memorial plantings. The beauty of the brook may also be observed by crossing the bridge to the other side of the Green. Across the bridge is an oak tree which was given as a seedling to the town from the State of Connecticut during the 1976 bicentennial celebration. This seedling came from the Original Charter Oak Tree of Connecticut.

A Garden Club project to replant and create walkways in 2003 resulted in eight regional and national awards. The current bridge and wooden pergola were projects built by local boy scouts so that residents of North Stonington could further enjoy some quiet time at the village green.

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House ca 1815

5 Wyassup Road

This house was built about 1815 and was known as the Jeremiah Fellows House. This house has also been called the Bee Hive and the Potter House (the house was never owned by Potters). The Fellows family sold the house to Stephen Main.

Although the massive central chimney is more indicative of the Georgian style, this house is an excellent example of a Federal style house with its symmetrical five-bay principal façade with a central entrance, 9/6 double-hung sash windows, and a Federal style door surround with slender fluted pilasters, a flat entablature, and transom lights.

HOUSE ca 1790

3 Wyassup Road

This house was built about 1790. Calvin A. Snyder lived here (probably in the late 19th century). Snyder was a clerk at Judge Hillard’s store in North Stonington Village (1884-1906) and the town clerk and treasurer. After Hillard sold his store to Charles N. Brown in 1906, Snyder devoted his time to his town duties. Snyder was one of the men who frequently socialized at the Brown and Stone General Store. This house is a good example of an asym-metrical Georgian style house with a principal façade of five bays and a central door. The house exhibits late 2/2 double hung sash which was common in the late 19th century. The Colonial Revival central porch obscures the original form of this house.

Stephen Main House

1 Wyassup Road

The Stephen Main House was first owned by Luther Avery in 1781, the owner of Avery Mills. Stephen Main, born in North Stonington on June 8th, 1805, went to New York City at age 17 where he ran a very successful butter stall and became an extensive dealer in real estate. Stephen returned to North Stonington in 1856 and ran a grist and shingle mill. He bought the house in 1861.

The house was later owned by artist Fred Stewart Greene, who lived in North Stonington, Westerly, and also had a studio in Clearwater, FL. His will left the property to “Ezekiel Main and William Stewart Memorial Association.” It was deeded in 1980 to the North Stonington Historical Society. It now serves as their headquarters and houses the A. Morgan Stewart Memorial Library.

HILLARD’S GENERAL STORE

60 Main Street

This building was built between 1816 and 1828. It housed Hillard’s Store in the early 1900s. Before the Town Hall was established in 1904, the Town Clerk’s office was located here. It had the first telephone in town. Although this building was probably built in an earlier style (Federal) due to its construction date (ca 1816), it is a good example of the Greek Revival style with a fully pedimented front gable and fine details. Greek Revival details include medallions, the triangular gable-end window, and the front porch which is supported by octagonal posts and also ornamented with medallions.

The Post Office once housed in the Holmes block (now the hardware store) moved to this location, where it functioned until August 1986. It was home to the law office of William H. Hescock, Esq.

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