Seth Wetmore House

Last updated
Seth Wetmore House
SETH WETMORE HOUSE, MIDDLETOWN, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, CT.jpg
In 2016
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationCT 66 and Camp Rd., Middletown, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°33′9″N72°41′19″W / 41.55250°N 72.68861°W / 41.55250; -72.68861 Coordinates: 41°33′9″N72°41′19″W / 41.55250°N 72.68861°W / 41.55250; -72.68861
Arealess than one acre
Built1742
NRHP reference No. 70000689 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 10, 1970

The Seth Wetmore House is a residence built in the Center-Hall Colonial style in 1746 at 1066 Washington Street, Middletown, Connecticut. It was built of Clapboard siding, Brownstone foundation with asphalt shingle roof using a structural system of wood frame, post and beam with gable roof. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 10, 1970.

Contents

Relationship to Surroundings

This center-hall Colonial house faces east from the northwest corner of Washington Street Extension and Camp Street. From this site on the east slope of a ridge it commands a long view east. Although Washington Street Extension passes close by on the southwest, the house is obscured from view by thickly planted trees.

Significance

Judge Seth Wetmore (1700–1788) built this house in 1746. Judge Wetmore served as deputy to the General Assembly for forty-eight terms, and was Judge of the County Court at Hartford. No doubt one of the great local mansions of its day, it remains Middletown's best example of high style Georgian architecture. the interior is of exceptional sophistication in its appointments; the northeast parlor alone is justly famous for the high quality of its decoration. It displays in original condition a corner shell cupboard with sun-burst decoration; marbleized fluted pilasters at either side of the fireplace opening, and fine overmantel painting. The woodwork in this room is in its original condition and excellently preserved.

Although the builder of this house is unknown, it is evident that he was a master joiner. A house recorded in a Colonial Dames monograph (William Cooper House, destroyed 1930d) bears such marked similarities to this house that it is likely they were built by the same man.

This house remained in the Wetmore family for over two hundred years, and there are many traditions concerning the house including visits by Jonathan Edwards, Timothy Dwight IV, Aaron Burr and General Lafayette. A large hemlock on the property is said to have been planted by Judge Wetmore's daughter Lucy.

The Judge Seth Wetmore House is significant for its long association with the Wetmore family and as Middletown's finest example of Georgian Colonial architecture. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Richard Alsop IV House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Richard Alsop IV House is a historic house at 301 High Street in Middletown, Connecticut. Completed in 1839, the house is a distinctive example of transitional Greek Revival and Italianate architecture, and is nationally significant for the extremely well-preserved drawings on its interior walls. The site was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on January 16, 2009. The house serves as the Davison Arts Center of Wesleyan University.

Church of the Holy Trinity and Rectory (Middletown, Connecticut) Historic church in Connecticut, United States

The Church of the Holy Trinity is an historic Episcopal church at 381 Main Street in Middletown, Connecticut. Completed in 1874, it is one of the city's finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture. Its nearby former rectory, also known as the Bishop Acheson House, is one of its finest Colonial Revival houses. The two buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Coite–Hubbard House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Coite–Hubbard House is a historic house at 269 High Street in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. Built in 1856, it is a prominent local example of high-style Italianate architecture. Since 1904, it has served as the official residence of the president of Wesleyan University. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Edward Augustus Russell House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Edward Augustus Russell House is a Greek Revival house on the Wesleyan University campus in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. The house, at 318 High Street, faces west from the east side of High Street north of the corner at High and Court Streets. A large wooded lawn extends to the Honors College property to the north. High Street between Church and Washington Streets was the most prestigious residential area in Middletown during the 19th century. It was later home to the KNK Fraternity of Wesleyan University. The structural system consists of load-bearing masonry with a flat roof, and materials include brick and flushboarding walls and a brownstone foundation.

Jacob Pledger House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Jacob Pledger House is a historic house at 717 Newfield Street in Middletown, Connecticut. Built in 1803, it is one of only five surviving brick Federal style houses in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It now houses professional offices.

Middletown Alms House United States historic place

The Middletown Alms House is a historic building at 53 Warwick Street in Middletown, Connecticut, constructed in 1813-1814. It was originally used as a poorhouse and is the oldest surviving building built for housing the poor in Connecticut, as well as one of the oldest such in the United States. One of the largest structures of the Federal period in Middletown, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Nehemiah Hubbard House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Nehemiah Hubbard House is a historic house at the corner of Laurel Grove and Wadsworth Street, Middletown, Connecticut. Built in 1745, it is a center-chimney colonial style house built of clapboard siding and brownstone foundation with wood shingle roof; using a structural system of wood frame, post and beam with gable roof. It was built as a residence which is its current use.

Plumb House (Middletown, Connecticut) Historic house in Connecticut

The Plumb House is a historic house at 872 Westfield Street in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. It was built in 1804 by James Plumb, and is exceptionally well preserved. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Saint Lukes Home for Destitute and Aged Women United States historic place

St. Luke's Home for Destitute and Aged Women was incorporated by an act of the Connecticut State Assembly on June 22, 1865. For twenty-seven years the home was conducted in an old house on the southwest corner of Court and Pearl Street. in 1892 a large legacy enabled a new home to be erected at the present site at Pearl and Lincoln Streets. Comfortable quarters are provided for fourteen women. Members of the Church of the Holy Trinity played a large part in establishing the endowment; frequently the current rector of that church serves as president of the Board of Trustees.

Samuel Wadsworth Russell House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Samuel Russell House is a neoclassical house at 350 High Street in Middletown, Connecticut, built in 1828 to a design by architect Ithiel Town. Many architectural historians consider it to be one of the finest Greek Revival mansions in the northeastern United States. Town's client was Samuel Russell (1789-1862), the founder of Russell & Company, the largest and most important American firm to do business in the China trade in the 19th century, and whose fortunes were primarily based on smuggling illegal and addictive opium into China.

Middletown South Green Historic District United States historic place

Located in Middletown, Connecticut, the Middletown South Green Historic District was created to preserved the historic character of the city's South Green and the historic buildings that surround it. It is a 90-acre (36 ha) historic district that includes a concentration of predominantly residential high-quality architecture from the late 19th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Sanseer Mill United States historic place

The Sanseer Mill is a historic 19th-century mill at 282 Main Street Extension in Middletown, Connecticut. It was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Connecticut Valley Hospital United States historic place

Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, is a public hospital operated by the state of Connecticut to treat people with mental illness. It was historically known as Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane. It is a 100-acre (40 ha) historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Old Middletown Post Office United States historic place

The Old Middletown Post Office, in Middletown, Connecticut, also known as the U.S. Post Office, was built in 1916. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. The building is also on the NRHP as a contributing property of the Main Street Historic District.

Elston Hall United States historic place

Elston Hall, formerly the Hotel Van Curler, is located on Washington Street in the city of Schenectady, New York, United States. It is a tall brick building constructed in 1925 in the Classical Revival architectural style.

Weiss Center United States historic place

The Weiss Center, formerly the U.S. Post Office-Manchester Main is a historic building at 491 Main Street in Manchester, Connecticut. It was built in 1931 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for its architecture. It includes Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, and Georgian Revival architectural features.

Captain Benjamin Williams House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Captain Benjamin Williams House, also known as deKoven House or DeKoven Community Center, is a historic house at 27 Washington Street in Middletown, Connecticut. Built in the late 18th century, it is a particularly fine example of late Georgian architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is now owned and operated by the Rockfall Foundation and operated as a community center.

Washington Street Historic District (Middletown, Connecticut) United States historic place

The Washington Street Historic District encompasses a residential area of Middletown, Connecticut that has a long history as a fashionable and desirable neighborhood. Extending along Washington Street and Washington Terrace between Main and Jackson Streets, the area has a broad diversity of residential architecture dating from 1752 to 1931, reflecting the city's patterns of growth. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

East Michigan Avenue Historic District United States historic place

The East Michigan Avenue Historic District is a residential historic district located at 300-321 East Michigan Avenue, 99-103 Maple Street, and 217, 300 and 302 East Henry in Saline, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

White-Overton-Callander House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The White-Overton-Callander House is a historic house museum at 492 Main Street in Portland, Connecticut. Built in the 1710s, it is one of the community's oldest surviving buildings, built by Nathaniel White, one of the first proprietors of Middletown. Owned since 1997 by the local historical society, it is open for tours on some Sundays. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Seth Wetmore House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-12-03.