Sally E. Bahner
Everyone loves the Branford Historical Society’s strawberry shortcake at the Branford Festival, and it’s a big fundraiser for the Branford Historical Society. However, it took more than proceeds from strawberry shortcake to finalize the purchase of the Harrison House.
Thanks to the generous donations from the Branford Community Foundation (which accepted matching funds), the Branford Rotary Club, and the Summerhill Foundation, a two-year goal was achieved in just one year.
Sally E. Bahner
The 1724 Harrison House, the distinguished salt box located at 124 Main St., has been owned by Historic New England, formerly the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, since 1974 and leased to the Historical Society for $1 a year. The house is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
A year ago, Historic New England gave the Historical Society the first option of purchase. “We had gotten an appraisal, we took care of it, and they wanted us to take it over,” said Virginia Page, director of the Historical Society.
Sally E. Bahner
Visit the gardens at the Harrison House today for a special tour. The gardens will be among 16 featured in “Art in the Garden,” a collaboration between the Branford Garden Club and the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance, taking place Saturday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 26, from noon to 4 p.m. It’s open to the public.
The house was appraised at $265,000 and was offered at half that amount – $132,500 – but given the age of the house and its need for repairs, the Historical Society set a goal of $225,000.
“The community came through famously,” said Page, ticking off the donors: Branford Community Foundation, $35,000; Branford Rotary, $10,000; Summerhill Foundation of Madison, $50,000 in two separate donations, and of course donations from the public and other supporters.
“When we started we asked for a little more for repairs and maintenance and upkeep. The main goal was to get the house bought,” said Page. “Now we’re working on second phase toward getting funds for upkeep and improving the house in general – cleaning the roof, clapboards – you don’t know what you’re getting into.” It will undergo some of that maintenance this summer.
Jane Bouley, past president and former board member of the Historical Society and town historian since 1985, said her favorite part of the house is the beauty of its wood. “My whole family… we love wood,” she said. “To build the house with the tools at hand… is hard the fathom.” The summer beam, which is white oak, runs the full length of the house.
Sally E. Bahner
The stairway was crafted by the Parmalee family of Guilford.
Bouley explained that the house has had only two owners. It’s what she finds most interesting about it. “That’s why the house was so well preserved,” she said.
The house was built by Nathaniel Harrison, whose family and descendants lived there until 1800, when it was sold to the Linsley family. A daughter of the Linsley family, Lorany Smith, died in the house in 1915 at the age of 100. It remained in the family until 1938, when it was purchased by renowned architectural-historian Frederick J. Kelly, who willed it to the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities in 1947. Kelly was also a consultant on the Old Stone House in Guilford.
Sally E. Bahner
Kelly restored the house, said Bouley, “which was fairly well preserved.” He added some heat and since there was no indoor plumbing, added a bathroom. (The original outhouse is still on the property.)
“Not a lot was done to change it,” she said, “To the house’s benefit. He brought it back to his vision. That’s the way we are obligated to keep the house.”
Sally E. Bahner
Bouley said the windows have been changed and clapboards have been replaced as necessary, but the interior wood is original. Here is the beehive oven.
Children from all three elementary schools have been touring the house, a total of 150 children. Bouley said a high school group will also be visiting, adding that she would love having the older grades return with a different perspective.
In January 1974, the Harrison House was almost lost to the town. A fire, reportedly from an electrical short, destroyed one end of the roof and did considerable damage to the attic. Two tenants, Marshall and Andrew Hahn, who were renting the house from the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, escaped. Here is page 1 of the story. And here is page 2.
Plans were quickly made to repair the house, which was described as “historically and financially irreplaceable.” After the fire, care of the house was turned over to the historical society under a long-term lease agreement.
Sally E. Bahner
Joe Naylor, Director of Tours
Joe Naylor, director of tours, said charred beams are still visible in the attic. Naylor oversees five other people who take turns explaining the intricacies of the house and its fascinating contents. No nails were used in the construction of the house, he said, since they were not readily available, so it was put together using notched beams and wooden pegs.
Sally E. Bahner Photo
Some of the furnishings – such as a Chippendale desk and a linen bed coverlet and crocheted canopy are from Branford residents. Others, such as a loom from Sweden was packed up and reassembled at the house.
Sally E. Bahner
The loom is in the dining room along with a spinning wheel.
He explained that the ell-kitchen area at the back of the house was added in the 1760s. There’s a small office and gathering space, and the all-important bathroom.
Sally E. Bahner
The back door there leads out to the herb and colonial gardens tended by the Branford Garden Club and a stately barn that houses a dairy farm exhibit and old tools.
The purchase of the Harrison is a significant gift for the town. Bouley said there’s a “demolition by neglect” policy in some states, meaning that many historic buildings are lost because no one has taken the initiative to restore them. By the time attention is brought to them, it’s too late. “Connecticut doesn’t have strong preservation rules,” she said.
The Harrison House is open for tours every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. through September.
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Congratulations, and great thanks to the Branford Historical Society for all that they do to protect these gems of Branford's past for future generations of Branford residents.