Nathaniel Backus House

Last updated

Nathaniel Backus House
Nathaniel Backus home.JPG
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location44 Rockwell St., Norwich, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°32′4″N72°4′42″W / 41.53444°N 72.07833°W / 41.53444; -72.07833 Coordinates: 41°32′4″N72°4′42″W / 41.53444°N 72.07833°W / 41.53444; -72.07833
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1750
Architectural style Greek Revival, Colonial
Part of Chelsea Parade Historic District (ID88003215)
NRHP reference No. 70000715 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 6, 1970
Designated CPMay 12, 1989

The Nathaniel Backus House is a two-story Greek Revival clapboarded house with a gable roof in Norwich, Connecticut. The house was built around 1750 by Nathaniel Backus and served as his home, it was later moved to its current location in 1952. The house originally began as a Colonial, but was greatly modified to Greek Revival around 1825, reconfiguring the central door to the left of the facade and adding two chimneys. The house is a historic house museum operated by the Faith Trumbull Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Contents

The Nathaniel Backus House was submitted to the National Register of Historic Places for its historical value in local history and as an example of Greek Revival domestic architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1970 and was also included in the Chelsea Parade Historic District in 1989.

Nathaniel Backus

The Nathaniel Backus House's namesake is its builder Nathaniel Backus, a descendant of William Backus and William Backus, Jr., two of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut. Nathaniel Backus was born on April 5, 1704, and he married Hannah Baldwin in 1726. Together they would have seven children. Nathaniel Backus was also recorded to be one of six men in Norwich to own their own carriages before the American Revolutionary War. [2] Nathaniel Backus died in 1773. [3]

Design

The Nathaniel Backus House's construction date is unknown, but it is believed to have been around 1750. The History of Norwich, Connecticut places it around 1734 and makes mention of a highway being added in 1750 specifically by Nathaniel Backus' house. [4] In the 1970 National Historic Register of Places nomination, the Daughters of the American Revolution indicated it dates from 1750. [2]

The house originally stood on Broadway Street in the center of Norwich, Connecticut. It was originally Colonial at its time of construction, but has been modified to Greek Revival style. [2] The renovation itself may date to around 1825. [5] [note 1] The house is a white two-story clapboarded structure with its gable end facing the street. The three-bay facade faces south and the front entrance is located on the left bay. The eaves cornice is decorated with mutules that span the length of the gable ends and combines with the roof cornice to make a pediment that encloses an elliptical window in the center. The window is of the "rising sun pattern" with glass panes radiating out through two rings. The entrance on the left of the facade has a paneled door, stated to be original, that is enclosed in a rectangular frame, supported by Ionic columns and framed by fluted moldings. The frames of the 6-over-6 windows project slightly from the clapboard exterior. The foundation and steps to the house is of stone. [2]

An alteration saw the addition of two chimneys and additional alterations to the window and door openings on the northeast and southwest sides of the house. It is believed that the central door and window alterations were done as part of the Greek Revival renovations. [2] Luyster states, "[f]urther investigation would undoubtedly reveal additional changes in the interior, including changes in the position of the fireplaces and their chimney connections." [2]

Importance

The Nathaniel Backus House is a historic house museum operated by the Faith Trumbull Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution following its completed move in 1952. [2] [6] The Nathaniel Backus House was submitted to the National Register of Historic Places for its historical value in local history and as an example of Greek Revival domestic architecture. [2] Luyster writes, "The simplicity of the Backus house contrasts pleasantly with the verandahs and asymmetric forms of the surrounding buildings." [2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. [2] The house was also included as part of the Chelsea Parade Historic District in 1989. [7]

See also

Notes

  1. Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore and People uses 1825-1830 as its date, but records show its existence dating prior to 1750. [4] [5] The date, however, approximates the substantial renovations and alterations to the house. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Trumbull Birthplace</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The John Trumbull Birthplace, also known as the Governor Jonathan Trumbull House, is a historic house museum on the Lebanon Green in Lebanon, Connecticut. Built in 1735 by Joseph Trumbull as a wedding present for his son Jonathan (1710–1785), the house was a center of political and military strategy during the American Revolutionary War, when Jonathan Trumbull was Governor of Connecticut. It was also the birthplace of John Trumbull (1756–1843), an artist known for his depictions of the war and its people. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Williams House (Lebanon, Connecticut)</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The William Williams House is a historic house in Lebanon, Connecticut, at the junction of Connecticut Routes 87 and 207. A National Historic Landmark, it is significant as the residence, from 1755 until his death, of Founding Father William Williams (1731–1811), who was a delegate from Connecticut to the Continental Congress and a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It is a well-preserved and little-altered colonial-era house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannondale Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

Cannondale Historic District is a historic district in the Cannondale section in the north-central area of the town of Wilton, Connecticut. The district includes 58 contributing buildings, one other contributing structure, one contributing site, and 3 contributing objects, over a 202 acres (82 ha). About half of the buildings are along Danbury Road and most of the rest are close to the Cannondale train station .The district is significant because it embodies the distinctive architectural and cultural-landscape characteristics of a small commercial center as well as an agricultural community from the early national period through the early 20th century....The historic uses of the properties in the district include virtually the full array of human activity in this region—farming, residential, religious, educational, community groups, small-scale manufacturing, transportation, and even government. The close physical relationship among all these uses, as well as the informal character of the commercial enterprises before the rise of more aggressive techniques to attract consumers, capture some of the texture of life as lived by prior generations. The district is also significant for its collection of architecture and for its historic significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Cushing House and Farm</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Caleb Cushing House and Farm is a historic farm property at 186 Pine Street in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. The farm, established about 1750, includes a pre-Revolutionary Georgian farmhouse and an 1836 Federal-Greek Revival Cape house, and was owned by the Cushing family into the mid-20th century. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Sherman Farm</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The William B. Sherman Farm is a historic farmhouse located at 1072 State Road in North Adams, Massachusetts. Built in the 1820s, it is one of the city's few surviving 19th-century houses, with relatively few alterations since its elaborate Italianate porch in the 1870s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batchelder House (Reading, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Batchelder House is a historic house at 607 Pearl Street in Reading, Massachusetts. Built about 1783, it is a good local example of Federal period architecture. It is also significant for its association with the locally prominent Batchelder family, and as an early shoemaking site. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpenter House (Norwich, Connecticut)</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Carpenter House, also known as the Gardiner (Gardner) Carpenter House and the Red House, is a Georgian style house in Norwichtown area of Norwich, Connecticut. A house was previously on the site, but it was removed by Gardner Carpenter to construct the house in 1793. The three-story Flemish bond Georgian house's front facade consists of five bays with a gabled porch over the main entrance and supported by round columns. The gambrel roof and third story addition were added around 1816 by Joseph Huntington. In 1958, a modern one-story rear wing was added to the back of the house. The interior of the house is a center hall plan with 10-foot (3.0 m) high ceilings and has been renovated, but retains much of its original molding, paneling and wrought iron hardware. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and added to the Norwichtown Historic District in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop</span> United States historic place

The Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop is a historic building that was built between 1772 and 1774 on the green in Norwichtown, now a section of Norwich, Connecticut. It is a 30 feet (9.1 m) by 24 feet (7.3 m) 1+12-story clapboarded building with a gambrel roof. The interior has a single brick chimney that was used for the forge, but it has been modified and adapted for modern use with modern doors, electric lighting and heat, and a disappearing overhead stairway that leads to the attic. Joseph Carpenter (1747–1804) was a successful of silversmith, clockmaker, and pewterer, and shared the building with his brother, a merchant. The shop was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 6, 1970, and was listed as a contributory property for the Norwichtown Historic District on January 17, 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leffingwell Inn</span> United States historic place

The Leffingwell Inn is a historic inn at 348 Washington Street in the Norwichtown section of Norwich, Connecticut. With a construction history dating to 1675, it is one of Connecticut's oldest buildings, and was an important meeting place during the American Revolutionary War. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gen. Jedidiah Huntington House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Gen. Jedidiah Huntington House is a historic house at 23 East Town Road in Norwich, Connecticut. Built in 1765, it is a good example of Georgian residential architecture, notable as the home of Jedidiah Huntington, a general during the American Revolutionary War. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and is a contributing property to the Norwichtown Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Office (Lebanon, Connecticut)</span> United States historic place

The War Office, also once known as the Capt. Joseph Trumble Store and Office, is a historic commercial building on the Lebanon Green in Lebanon, Connecticut. Built about 1732 as a commercial building, it is most significant as the place from which Governor Jonathan Trumbull conducted military business during the American Revolutionary War. It is now part of the museum property managed by the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution that also includes the Trumbull House and the Wadsworth Stables. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkins-Rockwell House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Perkins-Rockwell House is a historic house museum at 42 Rockwell Street in Norwich, Connecticut. Built in 1818, it is locally distinctive as a well-preserved stone house of the Federal period, and for its association with the locally prominent Perkins and Rockwell families; this house was home to John A. Rockwell, a prominent local lawyer who married into the Perkins family, and also served as a member of Congress. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 17, 1985. The house is currently owned by the Faith Trumbull Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), along with the adjacent Nathaniel Backus House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luman Andrews House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Luman Andrews House is a historic house at 469 Andrews Street in Southington, Connecticut. Built in 1745, it is one of the oldest houses in Southington. Its property was also the site of the early manufacture of hydraulic cement. The 1.8-acre (0.73 ha) property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josiah Cowles House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Josiah Cowles House is a historic house at 184 Marion Avenue, in the Plantsville section of Southington, Connecticut. Built in the mid-18th century, it is a well-preserved local example of Georgian architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It presently houses a bed and breakfast inn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleazer Williams House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Eleazer Williams House is a historic house in Mansfield Center, Connecticut, United States. It is located on Storrs Road near the southeast corner of the junction with Dodd Road. Completed in 1710, it was the home of the town's first minister, and has a well-preserved chronology of alteration, illustrating changing building practices over the course of the 18th century. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and is included within the Mansfield Center Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley's Corner School House</span> United States historic place

The Dudley's Corner School House is a historic former school and civic building at the junction of Rosies Court and Dudley Corner Roads in Skowhegan, Maine. With a possible construction date as early as 1804, was Skowhegan's first site for town meetings and elections, also seeing use as a school and church. It was used primarily as a school between 1849 and 1921, and has been used since then by community groups. The modest Greek Revival building is the least-altered of Skowhegan's surviving 19th-century district schools, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Henry Skelton House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

Dr. Henry Skelton House is a historic house at 889 South Main Street in Southington, Connecticut. Built about 1748, it is a well-preserved example of colonial Georgian architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The Abraham Coult House is a historic house at 1695 Hebron Avenue in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Built about 1706 and enlarged several times, it is a well-preserved colonial residence, exhibiting changing construction methods through its alterations. Moved in the 1970s to avoid demolition and restored, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House at 161 Damascus Road</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

161 Damascus Road is a historic house in Branford, Connecticut. Built about 1750, it is a well-preserved example of mid-18th century colonial residential architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams House (New Fairfield, Connecticut)</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Williams House is a historic single-family residence located at 5 Williams Road in New Fairfield, Connecticut. Likely built between 1800 and 1835, it is a well-preserved example of early American residential architecture, with transitional Federal and Greek Revival features. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luyster, Constance (6 October 1970). "National Register of Historic Places - Nathaniel Backus House". National Park Service. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  3. Historic and memorial buildings of the Daughters of the American Revolution. National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. 1979. p. 68.
  4. 1 2 Caulkins, Francis (2010). History of Norwich, Connecticut. Applewood Books. pp. 145, 185. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Federal Writers Project (2007). Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore and People. North American Book Dist LLC.
  6. "Chapter History". Faith Trumbull Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  7. William Devlin and Bruce Clouette (June 25, 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Chelsea Parade". National Park Service. and Accompanying 25 photos, undated but seemingly from 1988