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Title	Guilford historic building 136_b
Town	Guilford
Subject - LCSH	Dwellings; Guilford (Conn.)
Keywords	Historic homes; Old houses; The Stone House; Oldest house in Connecticut; Whitfield House
About the survey data	The text in the following fields, up to the Tell Us More field, is transcribed from a survey form that accompanies the photograph.
Date [built] (Source)	1639-1640; 1640 (C. D. and Kelly)
Orig Owner	Reverend Henry Whitfield House; known as "Old Stone House"
Present Owner [1935-37]	State of Connecticut
Location	East side of Whitfield Street, facing west.
Description [Material]	Stone
Roof	Peak
Chimney Type/No.of	End / 2 / another being built
Height	Two stories and half
Ell	2 1/2 stories on southeast corner
Fenestration	Irregular; 2 double casements on ground floor; one double and one single on second; 2 single casements in peaked dormers in roof
Overhang	None
Foundation	Stone
Condition - Physical	Good
Authenticity	Restored
Exterior	The outstanding feature of the exterior is the three end chimneys, one at each end of the main house, and one at the east end of the ell. Of these only the north chimney has not been rebuilt. The others are on the original foundations. All are "stepped back" after the fashion of exsisting Dutch chimneys in New York, or the famous end-chimney houses of Rhode Island. There is no other parallel in Connecticut short of the two stone 17th century ends of the Morris House in New Haven. The upper part of each of these houses is not unlike the average 17th century house in Connecticut. The bases are heavier than any other. The second feature that strikes one is the steepness of the roof, an early feature which may indicate that they were originally covered with thatch. Third, the stone house is one of three in Connecticut which attempt to reproduce the casement windows that we know were in use when it was built. The two dormers are pure reconstructions. Very little is known of 17th century dormers; these may instead have been like some found in Massachusetts, of three casements in width, with wide, curving "eyebrow" of thatch over them, as in English cottages. Their existence can only be surmised by the need of some sort of window to give light to the garret. The main windows are irregularly spotted in the facade, some of one, some of two casements in width. It has even been argued that they were not so large if the building was ever to be used as a fort. But the exact height and width of the upper northwest windows could be traced in the early mortar; and of those the location is sure, and the height to the plate. The odd window set diagonally across the southwest corner is in accordance with the earliest known print of the house. It was apparently wiped out after one of the two fires that have destroyed the house. The stonework of the ell is different, of heavier and more regular blocks, showing it to have been built at a later time. Probably it too descends from the 17th century. The south half of the ell, the souh chimney, and the stair well in the angle of the ell, all are reconstructions from the foundations. Mr. Franklin D. Spencer, the local foreman in charge of construction, thinks that the ell may have been a sort of wooden pent house ell, or a sort of original leanto. But it is hard to think of the earliest house in Connecticut being a saltbox, certainly of the integral variety. The walls throughout were built two feet thick because the original bit of north wall was of that thickness.
Interior	Under the reconstruction by Mr. Norman M. Isham, (19 ) the whole main or front part of the interior was an open two story room, built like an English manorial hall. If the building were intended for use as a fort, and a place for civil as well as religious meetings, this would have permitted it to be lighted only from above. But it was also the home of Mr. Whitfield and his family of children and it is altogether more likely that it was divided into two separate stories, as it is now in this second restoration. The ceiling height is eight feet. One baffling problem in connection with this change was that there was no traces of a stair. It is simply supposition that the square section, between the main house and the ell, held a staircase. If so, it could hardly be older than the ell which from its masonry appears to be of later date then the main house. One conjecture is that the stairs were let down from above, a possible advantage if the house was used as a fort. As restored, they are in the small square section, which is lined with featheredge boards. The rail is heavy and moulded; the posts square. The long room on the main floor has has one summer beam, of the earliest type, deep rather than broad, and eleven heavy joists. The wall opposite the door is of old featheredge, some 31 1/2" wide. The stone walls are white-washed. A small piece of the original wall is left uncovered, which shows that this was the original treatment. The north fireplace is original, and twelve feet wide. The south fireplace, not quite so wide, is built in modern style, not with old flues, which would have been side by side. Neither shows any arrangement for cooking. Perhaps a standing crane was used. It is not known when these came into use; and we do know that log poles, from front to back, were used in the 17th century. It is possible the kitchen was in the ell. In the restoration, however, this has been made a parlor, with 18th century bolection moulding, and the "double featheredge" (modern reproduction) so often found in Madison. The second floor is composed of two bedrooms, with an attic staircase between, and a third chamber entered from the upper "porch" or stair hall. All have fireplaces. The north one has the original dimensions. The east jamb has been destroyed; but the fireplace and two wall openings are original otherwise. Charred remains of the original end girts can be seen on the north wall over the attic floor. The girts were laid directly on top of the front and rear plates. All three of the upper rooms have featheredge on inside walls and fireplaces with raised hearths, smalller than those downstairs. The unheated third story was probably used for servants' sleeping quarters; and may very well have been ceiled.
History	Known popularly as "The Stone House", this, the earliest relic in Connecticut, was restored under the auspices of the Colonial Dames of America and is maintained by the State as a museum. It has been more than once torn down and rebuilt during the past century, and although the north end is the original stonework, with the east side back as far as the stair well, (the foundations of which were old) and about half of the west wall, the rest is to be looked at as restoration. It was very carefully done, for the last time, in 1936, under a grant of Workers Progress Administration funds, and the skilled supervision of Mr. J. Frederick Kelly, the authority on early architecture. The restoration has been based upon a search of historical records, and sketches and photographs during the last hundred years. A fire early in the 19th century destroyed much of the original structure; so that much has been based on conjecture from other 17th century remains. The house was originally built by the Reverend Henry Whitfield, who came over with the first settlers of Guilford, in 1639, but removed to England in 1652. The house was then sold to Major Thompson of London. It continued in the latter's family unitl October 22, 1772, when Mr. Wyllys Elliott of Guilford bought it for L. 3000 Massachusetts money. In the early 19th century, around 1830, the interior was burned out and the house much remodeled. Accordingly, there was little discernible interior evidence when Mr. Norman M. Isham restored it, under the auspicous of the Colonial Dames, for the State. No evidence appeared at that time to show second story fireplaces; and it was restored witha two story baronial hall. It is known that the house, though one of six stone houses of the settlers in Guilford, served as meeting house and town hall, and was expected in an emergency to serve as a fort. However, in the recent restoration, the second story fireplaces were found under the plaster; and it is believed by all that they are original, and that the house had two stories.
Tell Us More	Tell us more about the building, its history, its address, etc. mailto: CSL.diginfo@ct.gov Put the Title in the email Subject line.
Creator	W.P.A. Federal Writers Project, State of Connecticut
Date - Created	1935-1942
Date - Digital	2010 May 7
Collection	WPA Architectural Survey
Type	image
Format	jpeg
Language	eng
Source - Original	Photograph, b&w, 4 x 6 in.; Pre-printed form, b&w, 8.5 x 11 in. with typescript
Source - Location	Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 033:28, WPA Records, Architectural Survey
Relation	Research Guide to Old House Resources at the Connecticut State Library: http://www.cslib.org/OldHouse.htm
Publisher	Connecticut State Library
Rights	Digital Image © Connecticut State Library. All rights reserved. Images may be used for personal research or non-profit educational uses without prior permission. For permission to publish or exhibit, see Reproduction and Publication of State Library Collections, http://www.cslib.org/repropub.htm
File Name	wpa_archsurvey_guil136_b.jpg
Height	1234