connecticut architecture

Sayles Mill // 1882-2023

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Dayville, a mill village in the town of Killingly, Connecticut, is typical of many similar 19th century villages in the region. Dayville was named after John Day (1756-1838) a Revolutionary War veteran who later owned the water privileges on the Five Mile River. With the opening of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad in 1830, Dayville became a stop along the route and also became a hub for freight transport for other manufacturing villages along the river. In 1858, brothers Harris (1817-1893) and Sabin Lorenzo Sayles (1827-1891) from Rhode Island, purchased a mill site in Dayville and established a woolen manufacturing company. Harris retired in 1879 and Sabin continued the business as the Sabin L. Sayles Company. Sabin had a modern brick mill building constructed here in 1882-1883 which employed 250 people in production of woolen broadcloth. After Sabin’s death, the company was sold and modified numerous times, eventually becoming a metal products plant and later was left vacant. In the 2010s, funding and plans were begun to redevelop the old mill, but that was abandoned after a massive fire in 2023 destroyed the building, leaving just the six-story tower intact.

Photo courtesy of Journeysthrumylens

Darius Knight House // c.1830

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Another of the stunning early 19th century homes in the charming town of Chaplin, Connecticut is this transitional Federal/Greek Revival home built around 1830. The house appears to have been built for Darius Knight (1792-1882), a Deacon at the nearby Congregational Church. Of an interesting note, the Knight House is located across the street from the E. W. Day House, thus the intersection was colloquially known as the Knight and Day Corner. The house’s gable-end form with gable reading like a pediment supported by corner pilasters are all clearly Greek Revival style, but the fan lights in said gable and as a transom window are holdouts of the tried-and-true Federal style which dominated up until that point. What a great house!

Old Chaplin Public Library // 1911

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In his will, lifelong Chaplin, Connecticut resident William Ross (1833-1908) bequeathed his hometown funds to erect its first purpose-built public library. As planning began, his widow, Emily Jones Ross donated even more to fund a building fitting of her late husband. The Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival style library is built of pressed brick with granite trim and features a prominent rounded corner bay of cedar shingles. The masonry work was done by George E. Snow but I could not locate the architect. The town outgrew the library and moved it into a new building nearby, selling the William Ross Public Library to a private owner, who appears to be renovating it now.

Chaplin Congregational Church // c.1815

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Years before the small town of Chaplin, Connecticut was incorporated as a town, early residents here had this Congregational church built at the future town’s center. The following decades would see the village develop into a cohesive street of Federal and Greek Revival style dwellings and shops, many of which remain to this day. The church was technically completed by 1815, but it would be decades until funding was acquired to add the steeple, pews, and other finishings for the edifice. The structure sits on a raised stone foundation and is prominently sited on the town’s main street.

Lincoln-Chrysler House // c.1830

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This charming brick Federal house sits on the main street in the quaint village of Chaplin, Connecticut. Due to its style, the house likely dates to 1830 as a late-Federal home as the village was seeing development. The original owner is not known, but the property was later occupied by Mason Lincoln in the mid-late 19th century. By the early 20th century, the property was owned by members of the Chrysler family, first by Mintin Asbury Chrysler (1871-1963), a botanist, mycologists and paleobotanist. The house was later inherited by Mintin’s son, Sidney Chrysler, who was a known puppeteer who converted some spaces in the property for puppet shows until his death in 1999.

Gurley Tavern // 1822

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Chaplin, Connecticut was incorporated in 1822 and in that same year, this stately Federal style residence was built and operated as a tavern by Chauncey and Julia Gurley. The house in the late 19th century was used as a private school and residence and was later owned by Ruth E. Snow Bowden (1895-1983) known lovingly as “The Quilt Lady”. Ruth was one of the foremost quilt-makers in Connecticut and her Chaplin home, as a result, became known as The Quilt Shop. By the late 1900s, the tavern was converted to an inn, but closed years later from few bookings. The new owners have restored and maintained this charming old tavern back to its original appearance.

Goodell-Bill House // 1828

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One of the finest houses in the small town of Chaplin, Connecticut is this Federal manse, located right on the edge of the town center. The brick residence was built in 1828 by Isaac Goodell (1770-1856) who raised his family in the stately home. After Goodell’s death, the property was inherited by his daughter, Mary and her husband, Lester Bill. The house stands out for its painted brick walls, symmetrical facade with fanlight and sidelights at the entry, and the large Palladian window on the second floor.

Edwin Eaton House // c.1835

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Edwin Eaton (1803-1873) was a lumber dealer and master carpenter in Chaplin, Connecticut when he built this home at the edge of the village center. Eaton built this large residence around 1835, after his marriage to Caroline Gaylord in 1831. It is said that he built more than half the houses in Chaplin Center, several meeting houses in other towns, and for a time, sold the timber for the Spragues’ when they were building industrial villages in nearby towns. The Eaton House is presently (2024) being renovated, hopefully the original high-quality woodworking is restored!

Old Chaplin Town Hall // 1840

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The area that is now Chaplin, Connecticut was settled in the 18th century. The impetus to separate the community occurred due to the difficulty of area residents in reaching the churches in nearby town centers. Benjamin Chaplin (1719-1795), bequeathed funds for the establishment of a church near his (now no longer standing) home. A village center developed around the church, and the town was incorporated in 1822. The village is unusual in Connecticut for its relatively late development, and because the center is not near usable water power, and was bypassed by railroads, it was not affected by later industrialization. The main street is extremely well-preserved and a visual link to 19th century Connecticut. In 1840, the town erected this one-story Greek Revival building to serve as the town hall. The gable end reads as a pediment with the walls constructed of smooth vertical boards. The town outgrew this building and it became the town’s museum after the present town hall building was constructed in the northern part of the village. The museum closed and the building appears unused today. Hopefully the town can find a way to use the structure and maintain it.

Benjamin Bosworth House // 1800

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One of the most unique houses in Connecticut is this massive Federal style residence located in the small town of Eastford. Built next to the Congregational Church of Eastford (1829-2023), which burned down in 2023 by arson, the massive house has been known as both the Benjamin Bosworth House and Squire Bosworth’s Castle due to its first owner, Benjamin Bosworth (1762-1850). According to the Bosworth Family, the house was built in 1800 by Bosworth was a wealthy merchant, who hired Vini Goodell, a local carpenter to design and build the large Federal home. The house was completed by 1801 when the local Masonic group met in the building. As Bosworth was also a merchant, he used the basement as a storeroom. The house is also unusual for its monitor roof, a rarity in Federal period construction, which reads like a second structure on the house, due to the building’s size. After Bosworth’s death, the house was occupied by his niece, and was later purchased by Elisha Grant Trowbridge in 1897. Trowbridge was a grand-nephew of General Nathaniel Lyon (1818-1861), a local hero who was the first Union general killed during the Civil War. Trowbridge, an engineer, lived here until he died in 1963 at the age of 96. Later owners have had the monumental task of restoring and maintaining this behemoth of a house, to great success.