Osborne Homestead // c.1840

This Greek Revival style farmhouse in Derby, Connecticut, was originally built around 1840, though little is known about its first occupants. In 1867, Wilbur Osborne (1841-1907), who owned and ran several industries in Derby, Ansonia and Bridgeport, and his wife, Ellen Lucy Davis, moved to the house, who together, also ran a dairy farm on their farmland. Their only daughter to survive to adulthood, Frances E. Osborne (1876-1956) took over the farm after her father’s death and became a prominent businesswoman. At age 16, Frances lost the vision in one eye due to an accident, and, as a result, never completed her public school education. Frances Osborne, in an era when women were denied leadership opportunities in the business world, succeeded through pure determination and an excellent business sense. Her achievements included becoming president of Union Fabric Company, vice president of Connecticut Clasp, and treasurer of the F. Kelly Company. She was also a founding partner of Steels and Busks of Leicester, England. She married Waldo Stewart Kellogg in 1919, and he took charge of the dairy, using selective breeding to make the herd “famous throughout New England for quality milk production.” Waldo and Frances Kellogg enlarged and remodeled the house to its current form between 1919 and 1925 adding wings and renovating the interiors in the Colonial Revival style. Waldo Kellogg died in 1928, but Frances stayed in the house until her death in 1956. Just before she died, she deeded her entire 350-acre (140 ha) estate, including Osbornedale, to the State of Connecticut. The state now operates the house and grounds as the Osborne Homestead Museum; the surrounding land comprises Osbournedale State Park.

James Adams Farmhouse // c.1785

This handsome New England farmhouse is located in rural Canterbury, Connecticut, and showcases the type of farmhouses available to local wealthy residents in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The construction dates to about 1785, just after James Adams, a Lieutenant in the American Revolution, purchased land here. The property remained in the Adams Family until 1859. The structure rests on
a fieldstone foundation and is sheathed with clapboards. The Georgian farmhouse incorporates a five-bay facade with central entry with five-light transom and a large stone central chimney and jettied gable ends on the sides.

Bartlett House and Barns // c.1840

We featured Ashford, Connecticut, so now it’s time to explore some of neighboring Eastford! Settled in the early 1700s, the eastern portion of Ashford separated from its parent town in 1847, and became the town of Eastford. Prior to this, light industry, such as the production of cotton batting, twine, and wooden handles, complemented what would remain a predominantly rural agricultural community well into the 20th century. The winding back roads are lined with charming farmhouses bounded by rugged historic stone walls, making the town retain its rural feel. When driving through, I stumbled upon this postcard-worthy historic farm complex. Historic maps show that the property was owned by D. Bartlett in 1869, which appears to be Daniel Bartlett (1812-1898). The Bartlett property is enhanced by two historic barns sited nearby on a bluff overlooking the fields, which were likely once lined with trees or crops. By the 1900s, the property was owned by Nicholas and Clementine Dechand, the small road leading up to the farmhouse was named after the couple.

Michael Richmond House // c.1814

When the town of Ashford laid out a road across the land of Abner Richmond, he saw it as an opportunity to gift the newly organized plot across the road to his eldest son, Michael and his new wife, Polly as a wedding gift. Michael Richmond (1786-1881) built this Federal style house across the street from his father (see last post), likely employing the same builder, who employed similar design elements for both homes. In early life Michael learned saddle-making and afterward engaged in the manufacture of cloth, also axes. He was also engaged in staging and turnpike building, and in the mercantile business, until he retired at 60 years of age. He was a man of all trades! The house is now home to BOTL Farm, a pasture-based, sustainability-focused livestock farm that raises pigs, lambs, goats, and chickens ethically. Gotta love seeing farming coming back to Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner”!