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HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORYBUILDING AND STRUCTURESHIST·6 NEWS 77

FOR OFFICE USE ONL y

2 TOWN CITYI

(Hislo,ic /

un., :1Si'. No 377

•STA TE OF CONNECT lCUT

CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL COMMISSION59 SOUTH PROSPECT STREET, HARTFORD. CONNECTICUT 06106

(203) 566·3005 QUAD:/

OISTRICT

Os ONR I'FNR SPECIFYo Actual 0 Pot .. tiol

Phelps. Noah L•• Houset. BUILDING NAME (CO"'.OD'

, VILLAGE I COUNTY

~ Farmington Hartfordi= t-:,n~r1,Tn,R~~E~'Erlo!;A[j, NN~DI'i"'i.NiiiuITJMDiliBI1!E''lrRI;':;a;';;"::id-;;.o';"".i:/OC;;:-;.;;lI-::,,;;'''/.--L-------------------...L _-eUI&.

i=z S & D AssociatesI&Ih~~~7.:':~=::..:;.;:.",:,.---------------77:':::_::::7.":7------------- _o S USEt Pr« .•r"'J 11/"""""

Residence I Residence

5 Waterville Road4. OWNER(S)

DPublie 0Privot.

7 5TYLE OF

Transitional Colonial/Feder~l

6 'I EXTERIORV6lBLE FRQhIPUeLC ROAD I INTERIORACCESSl8LEI'F YES EXPLAINACCESSIBILITY r;;'l 0 0 rYI. TO PUBLIC: ~ V.s No Vas L:JNo

DATE OF CON~ '!.U~ lUI

1809I ......_

~Clapboa,d

(lilli/ca •• Us. 01 IUCSlIOII wftrll approprralf"o Asbestos Siding oBrick OOthe,(Specify} _

o Wood Shingle

o 'Boo,d & Biltten

o Asphalt Siding o Fieldston.

o Stucco o Cobbl.stone

••OAluminum 0 Conc,e,e. Siding Type: r::I Cu' stone brownstone foundation~ Type:

9 STRUCTURA\. SYS':"EM

GSJ Wood frame (!] Pas' and beam

o Load b~a'ing ma~on,y

o balloon 0 Othe, (Specify) _

o S',uctu,ol i,on 0' s'eel10 ROOF, T""~'GJ Gable 0 Flo. o Monso,d oMoni'o, o sowtooth

o Shed OHiP o Round O Othe,I Speedy/ _zo

i=CLi¥u\It1&1o

DRoll 0Asphalt Tin

~ Asphalt shingle 0 BUIlt up 0 Tile

[] Wood Shingle o Slate

Othe,D'Spre"yJ

I I NUMBE~ OF S 'ORIEl> APPROXIMATE" DIMEN~IONS

26 X 35II CONO ION i ssr», tu,.. . '":Xh'''''''

o E.eellent [J Good ~ Foi, ODeteroo,oted / 0 E.eellen' 0 Good 0 Foi, 0 Dete,io,ot.d~'~~~~i""~':~v~ I WM~E"~N~.~--~.~~~~I,~I~;7:~:7h~·~-·~-N=O=~I~IF~~~:~Sre-E~;~;~:~A~I~N~---~~---~~~~~~~------

14 "~LA ·£0 OU reUILOINv~ uR LANDSCAPf FA uRES

~ Bo,n rJ Shed 0 Garog.. 0 O,he, landscape 'eotu,es 0' buildings' Sp e elly'

O Carriagehouse o Shop 0 Gorden

'S SURROUNDING

=:J Open land

ENVIRONMENT

O Wood· nland 00 R.... den"ol

~o Seo" .., e d buddings v. sibl .. f,om S""

•0 CommercIal 0 :~i~~s, 0 Rural ~lHigh budding de nS;Iy

t-,;;6:'-;,";:N:-;l'f"R:;;.."[;:-·7"L-;A.l'"":lio:;:N~s7M:-:,-i;p~o;,..rr-:,.-:Jl7JI~l::;O~,..,.,N:rG-.A..,.,N"'o:-rSU:-;-;;-RnR"'O",V7;Nc:cO~IN7;G",s,..--------=----...:....---:.---.-----------h-----:h.----The Noah L. Phelps House is sitea on the west side of Watervllle Road. To t e nortand south stand other historic houses. The Farmington Country Club is located acrossthe street to the east and the Farmington River is to the west.

o Private o D.l.,io,ollon o Zoninll o Explanotion .

-.'1'7 ""jO:;;T"H"£'iiR;-:N:;;O:;;T"A"S"L"'i£"f"E;:;A:-;T~U::::R';'E~S"l::O"'='f'":S:":'U:":"1L~D~I~N"'='C;"'O"'R""S""I""T""E-"-,,,-~-,,-,"-.-n-:-tJ-,"-~ '-'~-'-IC-"t: .::n:~U ~"lIn 1906 this house featured a full-length, open, Victorian-period porch and a gableroof which capped the building's two stories. Today the house appears differentlydue to the removal of the porch and the addition of a half story, giving the gableroof a steep pitch. The front facade boasts four bays and twelve-aver-twelve sash.Note the new, but Federal-Greek Revival-style, door surround and west addition. Twogable-roofed dormers, also twentieth-century additions, extend from the roof as doesthe brick chimney. The no~th addition was probably added during the 1800s.

11.1UZ<CUIi.

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U LIM NIn 1807 Pomeroy Strong, William F. Hill, and Noah L. Phelps (1778-1861) divided landjointly owned by them (FLR 35:528). The land consisted of four acres bounded by "TownStreet", now Farmington Avenue, on the south and a highway "not yet opened" on the east,today's Waterville Road. Phelps received a one acre, one rood, 80 rod piece of land lyingbetween pieces owned by Strong and Hill. In April of 1807 he mortgaged this piece .fo r$300 to the State of Connecticut (FLR 35:357). By June of 1809 Phelps had completed theconstruction of this house which he again mortgaged to the Estate of Thomas M. Norton(FLR 36:270) and to Levi Clark (FLR 36:287). Apparently several of the mortgages wereforeclosmas by 1817 Abner Bidwell, a merchant, had quit-claimed the property to LeonardWinship for $640 being "the same transferred to me by decree of the Supreme Court of HartfordCounty"(FLR 39:118). Winship (1792-1872), who lived on ~ain Street, probably rented thishouse, may have enlargec it, and in 1856 sold it to Fanny ~1. Steexe'for $1200 (FLR 55:132).Steele next sold it to Robert Lawrence, a farmer,for $1400 (FLR 60:256). Lawrence, bornin 1821, was from Ireland and his wife was Mary Gallagher (1821-1905) also from Ireland.They raised eight children over ten years. This fact suggests that the house may havebeen enlarged a second time to accommodate Lawrence's growing family. Upon Lawrence'sdeath in 1912 the estate was divided between his three daughters: Emeline (1849-1926),Isabella '(1857-1942), and Electa (1862- ? ) (FLR 74:285). It remained in the familyuntil 1952. (see below)

Farmington Land Records; Farmington Probate Records; Farmington Vital Records; FarmingtonCemetery Inscriptions, W.P.A., 1934; Avon Cemetery Inscriptions, W.P.A., 1934; 1853 E.H.Woodf~rd Map; 1855 E.H. Woodford Hap; 1869 Baker and Tilden Hap; 1878 a.H. Bailey & Co. Hap.P~ent1se, DU~ley. History of Farmington Houses. 9 vols., N.p., 1974; Farmington HouseF~le Collect10n. N.p., 1950-52. Brandegee, Arthur L. Farmington, Connecticut, TheV1llage of Beautiful Homes. Farmington, Conn: Author, 1906.

~ DATE

~ Ruth B. Matteson 3/86~nrJfl:DmiT1i1)jNr-----------..J...--------I~ Greater Middletown Preservation Trust'ih~:Ifr~----:.....::..--:.....::...:.-.:.--...:....:~:..-:.....::..--------Iou

o...~ h;;r.;;----~----,......,Nc:-;E.-:C;:-:A:-::T~IV,.."E=-=O.,.,.N-:f,..,.IL,...,E=--..L-------~

Ao

4/86

W 19:2A

19. cont. The Noah L. Phelps House built by 1809,

•contr~bu~es to the historic streetscape due to its

soc1at10n with the early development of Watervilleoad.

H

~ None' knowr. o VondoliAm o D.y.lope'A o O'her -----------

HIS' 6 ....r.," 77 'RACK

DATE BUILT: ca 1807

ACME 51 ..,!·,p

OWNER'S NAME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ADDRESS:

FOR:

ARCHITECTMASTER-BUILDER

ss

REFERENCES:tlFarmin ton Conn.1906" 79Baker & Tilden Atlas 32

20

P.strong,e.on new road to Northington,s.on Augustus Bodwell,w.onC.Deming.said ~and having been formerly conveyed to SQ. William &Horace by Noah L.Phelps by deed of mortgage 611011809!! (no record of

.said mortgage) 3/7!1815,Vol.38 p.182:Phelps,Noah L.with P.Strong andWilliam Hill had purchased four acres extending from Brid~e Street,northand had divided their land by agreement of distribution 4116!1807,Vol.35,p.528-see sketcn on sheet of Eleanor B.Skinner.Noah L.Fheips hadtaken this section with no house on it,the only house on that fouracres being the old house which is now the rear of the Skinner homestead.N.Phel~s ,P.Strong & Wm.Hill purchased the 4 acres 416/1807, Vol.35,p.30l: they mortgaged same to State of Conn.,4/7~1807,Vol.35,p.303and the agreement of distribution 4/1611807,Vol.35,p.528.

L ;5 5 1- 15 Waterville Road

This house is pictured on page 59 of the FarmingtonBook as the residence of Robert Lawrence. The chart on page xxiof Mrs. Hurlburt I s'"Town Clerks", shows this property to havebeen part of parcel No. 103, with original owners:

Thomas NewellMatthew WebsterJoseph WoodfordSamuel Newell

1646,1660,1666,1717.

and

Of Joseph Woodford it is said on page 376 of "TownClerks", that "his dwe1linghouse stood on the highway leadinginto the meadow, now the corner of Hartford Road and CollegeHighwayll. That would have been about on the site of 1 t4atervilleRoad, presently the IDC building.

It also says: "Thomas Newell lived next west, the twohouses probably being rather close together~. These are now joinedto make the building mentioned above, the IDC building.

On page 368 is stated: "Thomas Newell gave his son Samuela fifteen acre parcel of land for plowing and planting, north ofhis homestead, with a convenient way for carts and carriages. Thiswas probably the beginning of the present Avon Road, now known asCollege Highwayu.

The writer believes that the house at 5 Waterville Roadprobably stands on part of the land given his son by Thomas Newell.

For more on both the Newell and Woodford families, see theaccount of I Waterville Road.

The card in the Village Library regarding this house statesthat it was built, or moved here, in 1807, by Noah L. Phelps. Seemore resard'ng Mr. Phelps in the account of 122 Main Street.

en June 10, 1809, it appears that he mortgaged thisproperty to a syndicate comprised of William Mather of Simsbury,Horace Cowles of Farmington, and Martin Wells, of ~ewburgh, NewYork.

On October 10, 1814, this same syndicate quit-claimed theproperty to Abner Bidwell. His claim to title was disputed, but in1816 the court approved his claim. In 1817 Mr. Bidwell quit-claimedto Leonard Winship, formerly of West Hartford.

Leonard Winship was a cabinet maker and wood-worker.His granddaughter Mary Lewis Root, who married Edwin W. Tillot-son of TOlolnFarm Roadj; tells the following of Mr. Winship:

see following page

September 14, 1973

r351- 2

"The house the \Jinships lived in, now the Lawrence home, v''

when they first came to town from Hartford, was not far from thecanal, and grandfather had a turning lathe, now in Mr. Tim Root'scellar. The power to turn the lathe came from an outlet of thecanal, the use of which he was allowed for the care of the overflowin high water. The brook which ran into the canal at this pointwas Poke Brook, sometime since named Boulder Brook, and his shop' wasbuilt over it, and that must have been where he made the mahos-apyfurnishings for the church. He afterwards moved up the hill onMain Street to the house now owned by Mr. John Thompson, south ofMr. Sneath's house".

Mrs. Winship had to jump into the canal one day to saveher small son Franklin from drowning, as he had fallen in, asstated one time much later by her daughter.

Mr. Gay, in an address delivered at the Library Meetingof September 13, 1899, and quoted on page 135 of the FarmingtonBook, tells of Mr. Winship's involvement with the canal as follows:

'IA considerable source of ,,,aterwas from the numerousbrooks which emptied into the canal, and, lest the supply should,during a protracted storm, be in excess, a contrivance called thewaste~gates was, built on the line of Poke Brook. Hither, afterevery storm, Mr. Leonard Winship might have been seen hastening toraise' the gates. In consideration for his services he waS allowedto build a turning shop on the north bank of the brook adjoinin~the tow-path, and use the surplus water to turn his wheels. Onome memorable occasion the water supply WaS so much in excess ofhis needs as to carry off his big overshot wheel' well nigh to theriver and threaten the whole establishment. I remember seeing thewheel standing under an apple tree where it had lodged all onesummer. It was finally got back into place before the c~nal cameto an inglorious endl•• '"

On May 7, 1831, Nr. Winship purchased from Abner Bidwellthe house at 16 Main Street. He and his family moved up there,selling this house to Frances M. (Fannyt Steele~

Nothing is known of Fanny Steele, but she appears tohave owned this for some time, as the next purchase listed isthat of Robert Lawrence in 1865.

Robert Lawrence, 1821-1912, was the son of George Law-rence and Jane Potts of England, although it is not known thathe was born in England.

Mrs. Lawrence was the former Mary Gallagher, 1820-1905,the eldest of the nine children of William Gallagher and Jane Lamb,all born in Ireland, and all nine said to have come to Farmingtonin the mid-1800ts~

September 14, 1973

1331.

r35 1- 3

It has just occurred to the writer, as he is typing this,that Robert Lawrence and Mary Gallagher had perhaps met and marriedin New Haven, as it has been said that their son Alexander (Sandy)was born there~ and that they then came to Farmington , perhapsbeing the first of both families to have come here. The firstpurchase of land by a Gallagher is thought to have been madearound 1850.

It would seem that the Lawrences lived somewhere in thevillage of Farmington much earlier than their purchase of this housewould indicate. This is brought out by lofissElizabeth Eels Snef'field,who later married Thomas Cow'les and was the mother of Admiral Cowles,as she spoke of rooming with a Mrs. Lawrence in 1843 and 1844, andno other Lawrences have been known to have been here around that time.

Mrs. Lawrence took in sewing and mending to do, especiallyfor the girls who attended Miss Porter's School, and also took inboarders and roomers. Mr. Lawrence's occupation is not known.

The writer has no certain information as to the childrenof the Lawrences, but he believes they may have been the followingiin sequence of birth; taken from grave markers:

AlexanderEmelineRuthDavid W.MaryIsabelleRobertElecta

1899-19261851-19231853-18921855-18981857-19421859-19431862-1926

Alexander Lawrence (Sandy) is said to have marriedtwice, and that William Robert Lawrence was the child of hi~first marriage and Jane of the second. Sandy was Mr. Gay's right-hand man in the nearby store, and also was the telegraph operator,as the store was also the Western Union office. Russell Lee Jonesspeaks of this store and says: "here we bought our marbles and candyand visited with Mr. Erastus Gay and his assistant Sandy Lawrence,and listened to the ticking of the telegraph instrument". Mrs.Quincy Blakely says of him: "Sandy Lawrence WaS a silent personbut he had various grunts which were expressive of approval ordisapproval, and the grunts were noted carefully by the groupwhich was discussing matters of note".

William Robert Lawrence, Alexander's son, was married in1908 to Matilda (Tillie) Rossvall, 1881-1956, daughter of Nils Roos-vall and Mary Nordstrom of Town Farm Road. The William Lawrenceslived for some time at 23 Main Street, and Mr. Lawrence is thoughtto have died while they lived there. Mrs. Lawrence worked for manyyears for tbe Wadsworth family. Their children were Isabella, Robert(who died in infancy) and William Robert Jr. The latter marriedNancy VanSiden Bailey-Gates' of Brooklyn, New York.

Jane Lawrence, Alexander's daughter, was later Mrs. JaneLange of Pachogue, New York.

September 14, 197311'32 r

Note::See pagefive.

Emeline Lawrence, 1849-1926, was almilli:ner',probablylived with her parents a long time. She was unmarried, but after1897, when the old Maxwell house across from the Corner Housewas moved to become 7 Waterville Road, she lived and had her shopin that houaec, More regarding her is written in tha account ofthat house.

Ruth Lawrence, 1851-1923, was married in 1874 to Hi1liamFrazier, and they lived in Hartford. Their daughter, Jane MerrillFrazier, 1875-1952, is buried in the Riverside Cemetery.

David W. Lawrence, 1853-1892, unmarried, occupationnot known.

Mary Lawrence, 1855-1898, is recorded in Town Recordsas having been a schoolteacher in Farmington 1884-85, with asalary of $9.00 per week. She later taught at Somerville, Massa-chusetts, and died there.

Isabelle Woodruff Lawrence, 1857-1942, was a graduatenurse, worked in a hospital for some time, and later did privateduty nursing.

Robert Henry Lawrence, 1859-1943, is unknown to thewriter.

Electa Richards Lawrence, 1862-1952, taught school inFarmington all her working life, her photo appearing on page 37of the Farmington Book as teacher of grades 6 and 7.

Eliza Lawrence, whose name was omitted from the listingon the previous page, was married to Lawrence Carter, and lived inWest Hartford. Their children were:

Blanche,Florence,Isabel andWilliam.

Of Blinche, Isabe~ and William, the only informationknown by the writer is that William Lawrence Carter died in 1960.

Florence Gart~ri born in West Hartford in 1884, marriedLynnwood P. Randall. They had no children. She taught school inHartford for 35 years, her husband apparently having died severalyears ago. Mrs. Randall retired from school work shortly beforethe Elm Tree Apartments were put up for rental, and she lived therefor about a year and a half before moving back to West Hartord,The writer's last telephone contact with her was made in January1970, at which time she was still active in church work and livingin an apartment on South Main Street, West Hartford.

Electa and Emeline Lawrence probably inherited thishouse after th~ir father's death in 1912. Emeline died in 1926and Electa in 1952, -'and yet the next title transfer shown was in1957.

September 14, 1973/333,

351 - 4

,, 357- 5

The purchaser zecorded in 1957 was Mary L. \Jilliams, ofwhom nothing is known by the writer.

On October 17, 1958, the house was purchased by Dr.Charles S. Mirabile of 34 Mountain Road, who converted it toapartments.

In 1970 Mrs. John Sanborn was living here, but soonafter that she moved to Maine. She and her husband had livedfor some years in the Brady house on Colton Street, then builta house on Willow Lane, but her husband died shortly after that.

,-

September 14, 1973

Note mentioned on page 3, second paragraph:Yes, the writer did later find that Robert Lawrence purchased'

on February 16, 1856, the house at 28 Garden Street, selling it onOctober 10, 1865. Perhaps there was an even earlier purchase whichhas not been noted', or they may have rented.

September 19, 1973

1?3~