The Avery Memorial Association of Groton, CT is a family organization founded in 1895 after the burning of the old Avery Homestead. It was incorporated as a non-profit institution in 1896.
The objective of the Avery Memorial Association is the collection and preservation of objects, documents, memorabilia, buildings, and places which have been connected with members of the family of Captain James Avery of Groton, CT, particularly to maintain the site of the home built about 1656 at Poquonnock Plains, which was occupied by descendants of Captain James Avery until completely destroyed by fire on July 20, 1894, and the memorial monument thereon; also, to provide and preserve such further monumental or other memorials or buildings as may fitly commemorate the distinguished services rendered by the said Captain James Avery or his descendants to the Colony or the State of Connecticut, including the Ebenezer Avery House now located on the grounds of Fort Griswold in Groton; also, to explore the historical background of Connecticut, particularly New London County, and to publish or otherwise make available to the public, including schools, such findings as in any way will further enhance public appreciation and knowledge of the local historical heritage and, finally, to do any and all things which relate directly or indirectly to any of the above exclusive purposes which will advance such purposes.
The Avery Memorial Association has undertaken two major projects, the first being the raison d'être, preservation of the Avery Monument, and the restoration & operation of the Ebenezer Avery House, a historic house museum.
There are two kinds of membership: Regular Members (who are able to prove their lineage linking them to the Groton Avery Clan) and Friends. The Association holds a meeting/reunion every year in the Groton, CT area.
The old Avery Homestead, nicknamed "The Hive" or "Avery Hive", was built around 1656 at Poquonnock Plains, and was improved upon by the second Captain James Avery who removed "the unadorned church and watch-tower of the wilderness" in 1684 and carried the materials back to the house and used them in its improvement. [1] Seven generations of the Avery family lived in the house for over 230 years until it was destroyed on July 20, 1894, from a spark from the engine of a passing steam train.
The Groton Avery Clan formed the Avery Memorial Association in 1895 to memorialize the beginnings of the Avery Clan in the Connecticut Colony. [1] The following year it was incorporated as a non-profit, charitable, cultural and educational institution for historic preservation. [2]
James Denison Avery deeded the Association the homestead "Hive" site where the monument now stands. Designed by American sculptor and Avery descendant Bela Lyon Pratt, the monument consists of a granite shaft and a bust of a "typical Puritan, magistrate and Indian fighter." The monument rises from the center of where The Hive stood. On July 20, 1900, the monument was formally dedicated in front of 600 Avery descendants. Association President Dr. Elroy M. Avery presided, Helen Morgan Avery unveiled the bust and Frank Montgomery Avery delivered the dedication. [1] The monument was rededicated on its centennial by Cooper Avery Johnson in front of a crowd of 100 Avery descendants. [9]
The Ebenezer Avery House was originally located on the corner of Latham and Thames Streets in Groton, Connecticut. Ebenezer Avery was a tailor. His house is believed to have been constructed in the 1760s. It was the location where the British brought the injured soldiers after the Battle of Groton Heights on September 6, 1781. In 1971, the house was moved from its original location closer to the site of the Battle of Groton Heights to Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park in Groton and restored. Though it stands in a state park, the historic house museum continues to be maintained by the Avery Memorial Association. [10]
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. The city is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region.
Coventry is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut. The population was 12,235 at the 2020 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public. Coventry was incorporated in May 1712.
The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and Wequetequock, and the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population of the town was 18,335 at the 2020 census.
Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is located in Groton, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer is also a major employer. Avery Point in Groton is home to a regional campus of the University of Connecticut. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 38,411 at the 2020 census.
The Battle of Groton Heights was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Connecticut militia force led by Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard and the more numerous British forces led by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold and Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre.
Fort Griswold is a former American defensive fortification in Groton, Connecticut named after Deputy Governor Matthew Griswold. The fort played a key role in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, in correspondence with Fort Trumbull on the opposite side of the Thames River. Griswold defended the port of New London, Connecticut, a supply center for the Continental Army and friendly port for Connecticut-sanctioned privateers who attacked British ships. The 17-acre site is maintained as Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Thomas Welles is the only person in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and from 1640 to 1649 served as the colony's secretary. In this capacity, he transcribed the Fundamental Orders into the official colony records on 14 January 1638, OS,. He was the magistrate during the first witch trials, the Hartford or Connecticut Witch Trials.
Shennecossett Golf Course is a municipal golf course located in Groton, Connecticut. The origins of the course go back to 1898 when Thomas Avery, a local resident, established a four-hole course on his farm. Shennecossett changed significantly over the next few decades, including a redesign by Donald Ross, eventually evolving into a full 18-hole country club. The course hosted a number of significant events during the early 20th century including the Connecticut Open, a PGA Tour-level event. In the 1960s, the town of Groton purchased the property, transforming it into a municipal course. In 1997, the town performed a "land swap" with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, losing three holes to the corporation but gaining three along the Thames River and Long Island Sound. The acquisition of these new holes has, according to Golf Magazine, "turn[ed] the perennially solid muni into one of the deals of the century."
James Avery, also referred to as Captain James Avery, was a British-American landowner, legislator, and a military captain in King Philip's War. Although he was born in Cornwall in 1620, he grew up and lived in the Massachusetts Bay for the majority of his life.
The Thomas Lyon House, at 1 Byram Road, was built ca. 1739 and is considered to be the oldest unaltered structure in Greenwich, Connecticut. The restoration of the house, a Colonial saltbox, is the primary project of the Greenwich Preservation Trust, a not-for-profit organization that grew out of the Thomas Lyon House Committee formed by the Byram Neighborhood Association. Its heritage dates back to the family of Thomas Lyon (1621–1690), one of the earliest settlers of Fairfield County, and particularly his son, Thomas Lyon (1673–1739) who, with his wife Abigail and their children, were the initial occupants. The house stayed in the family line of Abigail and Thomas Lyon in to the 20th century.
The Groton and Stonington Street Railway was an interurban trolley line that extended from Groton, Connecticut, to Westerly, Rhode Island, with a later branch to Old Mystic, Connecticut, and an extension to New London. The line operated from 1904 to 1919 and 1923 to 1928, after which it was replaced by buses.
The Groton Monument, sometimes called the Fort Griswold Monument, is a granite monument in Groton, Connecticut. It is dedicated to the defenders who fell during the Battle of Groton Heights on September 6, 1781. The monument was originally 127 feet (39 m) high, but it was changed in 1881 to commemorate the centennial of the Battle of Groton Heights; the cupola was removed and replaced by an iron-capped pyramid in emulation of the Bunker Hill Monument. The Groton monument bears a plaque describing the events of the Battle of Groton Heights, and another plaque with the names of the Americans who died in the battle. Lightning destroyed the capstone in 1918 and damaged the adjacent Monument House Museum which features exhibits about the Revolutionary War. Visitors can climb the monument and visit the museum from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Groton Monument is located in Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which includes Fort Griswold.
The Avery Homestead is a two-story Colonial-style home in Ledyard, Connecticut that was built circa 1696. Evidence suggests that the house may have begun as a single-story, one-room house and later expanded to a two-story, two-room house by 1726. The house underwent major additions and renovations by Theophilus Avery and later his grandson, Theophilus Avery. In the mid-1950s, Amos Avery began a decade-long restoration effort to return the house to its 18th-century appearance. The Avery Homestead is historically significant as a well-preserved example of an 18th-century farmhouse with fine craftsmanship. The home is also historically important because more than twelve generations of the Avery family have resided there over the course of three centuries. The Avery Homestead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Bluff Point State Park is a public recreation area and nature preserve on an undeveloped peninsula located between the Poquonnock River and Mumford Cove on Long Island Sound in the town of Groton, Connecticut. The state park's 806 acres (326 ha) encompass a barrier beach, steep cliffs, forested sections, and tidal wetlands; 778 acres (315 ha) are designated as a coastal reserve. Recreational opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, boating, saltwater fishing, and shell fishing. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Connecticut Landmarks is a non-profit organization that has restored and operates significant historic house museums in Connecticut. Headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, the organization was founded in 1936 as the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society. Connecticut Landmarks currently owns a statewide network of historic properties that span four centuries of history. The organization's mission is to "use historic properties to inspire an understanding of our complex past. The organization's vision is to have "A state whose understanding of its diverse past inspires its people to move forward together as one." The organization is part of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.
The Ebenezer Avery House was originally located on Latham Street and Thames Street in Groton, Connecticut. The construction date is unknown, but it is believed to be from the 1760s and was the house of Ebenezer Avery. It was the home where the British brought their injured soldiers after the Battle of Groton Heights on September 6, 1781. In 1971, the house was moved to Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park in Groton and restored. The historic house museum is maintained by the Avery Memorial Association.
The Griswold family is an American political family from Connecticut and New York of English descent. The family's fortune originates from the 19th Century industrial and merchant pursuits. They tend to be Republican but a few of them support the Democratic Party.
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