Samuel Huntington Birthplace
Samuel Huntington Birthplace | |
 Samuel Huntington Birthplace c. 2018 | |
   | |
| Location | Scotland, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°41′55″N72°5′8″W/ 41.69861°N 72.08556°W |
| Area | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| Built | 1700–1722 |
| Architectural style | Saltboxcolonial |
| NRHP referenceNo. | 71001009 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 11, 1971[1] |
| Designated NHL | November 11, 1971[2] |
TheHuntington Homestead,also known as theSamuel Huntington Birthplace,is ahistoric house museumandNational Historic Landmarkat 36 Huntington Road (Connecticut Route 14) inScotland, Connecticut.Built in the early 18th century, it was the birthplace and boyhood home ofSamuel Huntington(1731–1796), an American statesman andFounding Father.He served as a delegate to theContinental Congress,where he signed theDeclaration of Independence.He also served asGovernor of Connecticutand was the first presiding officer of theCongress of the Confederation,the first central government of the United States of America.
Description and history
[edit]The Huntington house is a 2½ story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side gable roof and large central chimney. The roof at the rear of the house slopes down to the first floor, giving the house a classic New Englandsaltboxappearance. A small kitchen wing was added to the east side of the house in the 19th century. The interior has a typical Georgian central-chimney plan, with a vestibule and narrow winding stair in front of the chimney, public rooms to either side, and a large kitchen and small bedroom behind. Upstairs there are three bedrooms. The interior features, including woodwork and plaster, are almost entirely original. The house was built sometime in the first quarter of the 18th century.[3]
The house was declared aNational Historic Landmarkand listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1971.[2]In 1994 The Governor Samuel Huntington Trust was formed by local citizens to preserve the property. Since 1998 the trust has worked to restore and rehabilitate the property, and has sponsored archaeological work to understand its use. The trust operates it as ahistoric house museum,open for tours from May through October on the first and third Saturday of the month.
Significance
[edit]Samuel Huntington was born in this house in 1731, when the area was still part ofWindham.He was self-educated in the law, and was admitted to the bar in 1758. Prior to theAmerican Revolution,Huntington practiced law and served in a variety of legal positions in theConnecticut Colony,including King's attorney, judge, and justice of the peace. He sat in theConnecticut State Legislaturefrom 1775 to 1784, and also sat in theContinental Congressduring those same years, serving as the body's president between 1779 and 1781. As a member of the Congress in 1776 he signed theUnited States Declaration of Independence.He wasGovernor of Connecticutfrom 1786 to 1796, the year of his death.[3]
See also
[edit]- List of the oldest buildings in Connecticut
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Connecticut
References
[edit]- ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.January 23, 2007.
- ^ab"Samuel Huntington Birthplace".National Historic Landmark summary listing.National Park Service.RetrievedOctober 3,2007.
- ^abCharles W. Snell (June 18, 1971)."National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Samuel Huntington Birthplace"(pdf).National Park Service.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help).Accompanying 1 photo, exterior, from 1971.(593 KB)
External links
[edit]| Lists by county |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Lists by city or town | ||
| Other lists | ||
- Scotland, Connecticut
- National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
- Historic house museums in Connecticut
- Museums in Windham County, Connecticut
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
- Houses in Windham County, Connecticut
- National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Connecticut
- Birthplaces of individual people
- Homes of United States Founding Fathers