The Buttolph-Williams House on Broad Street in Wethersfield, around 1924. Image from The Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut (1924).
The house in 2024:
This house is one of the oldest surviving homes in Wethersfield, having been constructed around 1711. It is usually referred to as the Buttolph-Williams House, but this name was based on an incorrect assumption about the age of the house. For many years it was believed to have been built in the 1690s by David Buttolph, although subsequent research has shown that it was actually built around 1711 by Benjamin Belden, who later sold the property to Daniel Williams in 1721.
Although built in the early 18th century, this house has many architectural features that were more typical of post-medieval 17th century homes. Among these were the steeply-pitched roof, the overhanging second floor, and the small diamond-paned casement windows. On the interior, the house has a typical hall-and-parlor layout, with two rooms on the first floor that are separated by the large central chimney.
The house was owned by the Williams family for many years, and during this time it underwent some changes and modernizations, including an ell on the back of the house and new sash windows here on the original part of the house, as shown in the top photo around 1924. By this point the overhang of the second floor was hidden by a layer of clapboards, although the overhang beneath the attic on the gable end of the house was still visible.
By the late 19th century the house was owned by James Vibert, a stagecoach driver who was living here during the 1870 census with his wife Mary and their children Sarah, Kate Mary, Frank, and Anna. James’s real estate was valued at $2,500, and his personal estate was valued at $3,000.
Mary Vibert died in 1884, but James outlived her by many years. He resided in this house until his death in 1913, and his children subsequently inherited the house. Kate and Frank were both living in the house when the top photo was taken, and they remained here until their deaths in the 1940s.
The Viberts were the last residents of the house, and the property was then acquired by the Connecticut Antiquarian and Landmarks Society. In the late 1940s it was restored to its original appearance. This included the removal of the rear ell, the installation of new casement windows, and the removal of the clapboards that had covered the second-story overhang.
Today, the house is still owned by the same organization, which is now known as Connecticut Landmarks. It is operated as a museum by the nearby Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, and it stands as one of the best-preserved First Period house in the Connecticut River Valley. Because of its significance, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
Nyumba ya Buttolph-Williams katika Broad Street huko Wethersfield, karibu 1924. Picha kutoka The Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut (1924). Nyumba ya Wethersfield ni moja ya nyumba za zamani zaidi zilizopo katika Wethersfield, zilizojengwa karibu 1711. Kwa kawaida inaitwa Buttolph-Williams House, lakini jina hili lilitegemea dhana isiyo sahihi kuhusu umri wa nyumba hiyo. Kwa miaka mingi ilidhaniwa kuwa ilijengwa mnamo 1690 na David Buttolph, ingawa utafiti wa baadaye ulionyesha kuwa kwa kweli ilijengwa karibu 1711 na Benjamin Belden, ambaye baadaye aliuza mali hiyo kwa Daniel Williams mnamo 1721. Ingawa nyumba hiyo ilijengwa mwanzoni mwa karne ya 18, ina mambo mengi ya kihistoria ambayo yalikuwa ya kawaida katika nyumba za baada ya enzi za kati za karne ya 17. Miongoni mwa vitu hivyo vilikuwa paa lenye mwinuko mkali, ghorofa ya pili iliyoinuka, na madirisha madogo yenye vioo vya almasi. Ndani, nyumba hiyo ina mpangilio wa kawaida wa ukumbi na chumba cha kupumzikia, na vyumba viwili kwenye ghorofa ya kwanza ambavyo vimetenganishwa na chemchemi kubwa ya katikati. Nyumba hiyo ilikuwa mali ya familia ya Williams kwa miaka mingi, na wakati huu ilipata mabadiliko na uboreshaji, ikiwa ni pamoja na ell nyuma ya nyumba na madirisha mapya ya sash hapa kwenye sehemu ya awali ya nyumba, kama inavyoonyeshwa kwenye picha ya juu karibu na 1924. Kufikia wakati huo, sehemu ya juu ya ghorofa ya pili ilikuwa imefichwa na safu ya mbao, ingawa sehemu ya juu ya ghorofa ya juu ya ghorofa ya juu ya ghorofa ya juu ya ghorofa ya juu ya ghorofa ya juu ilikuwa bado inaonekana. Katika karne ya 19 nyumba hiyo ilikuwa mali ya James Vibert, dereva wa gari la posta, ambaye aliishi hapa wakati wa sensa ya 1870 na mkewe Mary na watoto wao Sarah, Kate, Mary, Frank, na Anna. James alikuwa na mali ya kifedha ya $ 2,500 na mali yake ya kibinafsi ya $ 3,000. Mary Vibert alikufa mwaka wa 1884, lakini James aliishi miaka mingi zaidi. Aliishi katika nyumba hiyo hadi alipokufa mwaka 1913, na baadaye watoto wake waliirithi. Kate na Frank waliishi katika nyumba hiyo wakati picha ya juu ilipochukuliwa, na walibaki hapa hadi kifo chao katika miaka ya 1940. Familia ya Viberts ndio waliokaa nyumba hiyo kwa muda mrefu, na nyumba hiyo ilinunuliwa na shirika la Connecticut Antiquarian and Landmarks Society. Mwishoni mwa miaka ya 1940 ilirudishwa kwa muonekano wake wa awali. Hilo lilitia ndani kuondolewa kwa sehemu ya nyuma ya jengo hilo, kuweka madirisha mapya, na kuondolewa kwa mbao zilizokuwa zimefunika sehemu ya juu ya ghorofa ya pili. Leo, nyumba hiyo bado inamilikiwa na shirika hilohilo, ambalo sasa linajulikana kama Maeneo ya Connecticut. Jumba hilo la makumbusho linajulikana kama Jumba la Makumbusho la Webb-Deane-Stevens, na ni moja ya nyumba za kipindi cha kwanza zilizohifadhiwa vizuri katika Bonde la Mto Connecticut. Kwa sababu ya umuhimu wake, ilitangazwa kuwa National Historic Landmark mwaka 1968.