Acadian House (Guilford, Connecticut)

The Acadian House is a historic house on Union Street in Guilford, Connecticut. Built about 1670, it is one of Connecticut's oldest surviving houses, notable for its occupation by refugee Acadians following their 1755 deportation from Nova Scotia. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1]

Acadian House
Acadian House (Guilford, Connecticut) is located in Connecticut
Acadian House (Guilford, Connecticut)
Acadian House (Guilford, Connecticut) is located in the United States
Acadian House (Guilford, Connecticut)
LocationUnion St., Guilford, Connecticut
Coordinates41°17′7″N 72°40′47″W / 41.28528°N 72.67972°W / 41.28528; -72.67972
Arealess than one acre
Builtca. 1670 (1670)
Built byClay, Joseph
Architectural styleSaltbox
Part ofGuilford Historic Town Center (ID76001988)
NRHP reference No.75001928[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 05, 1975
Designated CPJuly 6, 1976

Description and history edit

The Acadian House is located in a residential setting just northeast of the town center of Guilford, on the south side of Union Street near its junction with Market Place. It is a 2+12-story timber-framed structure, with a gabled roof, large central chimney, and clapboarded exterior. Its main facade, oriented at an angle to the street, is three bays wide, with a central entrance framed with simple moulding and topped by a fourlight transom window. The windows on either side of the entrance are placed asymmetrically. The rear slope of the roof extends to the first floor, giving the house a saltbox shape. The chimney has an unusual T shape, the result of an expansion after the house was built.[2]

The oldest portion of the house was built about 1670 by Joseph Clay. Clay's grandson inherited the property in the 18th century, but vacated the house for a more modern one in 1726. The house has its name because a family of Acadians from Grand Pré[2] were settled in the house following their 1755 deportation from Nova Scotia.[3][4][5]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Acadian House". National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  3. ^ HABS survey Acadian House 1936
  4. ^ Acadians-Guilford, Albert Lafreniere website retrieved on 2009-05-13
  5. ^ 1755 History website retrieved on 2009-05-13 Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine