New England Historic Sites

Bugbee Memorial Library // 1901

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The Bugbee Memorial Library sits on Main Street in Danielson, the main village in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. The library was built in 1901 and financed by a bequest from Edwin Holmes Bugbee, who made his fortune at local mills. When Bugbee died in 1900, his estate left his entire collection of books along with funds for a new library for Danielson. Boston architect Walter Jefferson Paine designed the library building in the Classical Revival style with buff brick and stone construction. The names of Homer, Virgil, Plato and Horace, along with Shakespeare, Milton and Dante, are boldly emblazoned across the facade denoting the building as a house of learning. The library was outgrown, and a new library was built nearby in 1994. The old Bugbee Memorial Library has since been occupied by the Killingly Historical Society.

Point Allerton Artillery Fire Control Tower // 1942

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Those who have visited the tip of the coastal Boston suburb of Hull, Massachusetts, will recognize this tall tower, but may not have known its intended purpose. This is the Point Allerton Artillery Fire Control Tower, built atop the highest point in the town, to serve as part of the Coastal Defenses built around the World Wars. Several fire-control stations were built at Point Allerton going back to 1907, but this seven-story concrete tower is the last to remain here. This tower was built around 1942, as the US Government grew increasingly serious about the potential for war, with new batteries and surveillance bases built all along the coast, many of which remain to this day. Fort Revere, a remnant of the coastal defenses, remains in Hull, nearby. This 7-story fire control tower is the center of Point Allerton, and by virtue of its base elevation (124 feet), had its top observation level at 179 feet above sea level, making this the tallest observation point in the Boston harbor defenses. The tower was later deaccessioned by the government and is owned and maintained lovingly by a private homeowner on their land. The tower is luckily preserved for future generations to learn about this lesser-known part of Boston-area history.

Gott House // 1702

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Halibut Point State Park in Rockport is one of the most enchanting places in Massachusetts and it has so many layers of history! Before white settlement, Halibut Point was used seasonally by the Pawtucket people who came to harvest its wild fruits, fish and game on the land. In 1702, Samuel Gott (1677-1748) purchased eight of the 6-acre lots on Halibut Point. At the time, there were no roads to Halibut Point, but Samuel built this house on the land, and he began to farm here. The property passed down the family line and was later owned by Joshua (1754-1846), who came of age just as the War for Independence began. Joshua enlisted with the Revolutionary Army as it was being formed in Boston, and in 1776, he joined General Washington’s forces in the unsuccessful defense of New York. He returned home to lead a long and useful life as farmer and fisherman and was known as Captain Gott. As of the 2010s, the property remained in the same family, handed down through the generations from Samuel Gott over 320 years to today. How cool!

Weir Farmhouse // c.1780

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Impressionist painter, Julian Alden Weir was looking to build a home in New York’s Adirondack Mountains when Erwin Davis, an art dealer, offered him a farm in Ridgefield, Connecticut, for a painting he owned plus ten dollars. After a visit in 1882, Weir agreed and acquired the 153-acre farm. The old farmhouse, which dates to the 1780s, and was modified in the Greek Revival style before Weir’s ownership and expanded and renovated again during its time as an artist’s retreat. The house was often filled with family and friends as a popular artistic retreat for Weir’s closest friends, including: Childe Hassam, Albert Pinkham Ryder, John Singer Sargent, and John Twachtman. Weir’s daughter Dorothy Weir, a noted artist in her own right, took over management of the property following her father’s death in 1919. Sculptor Mahonri Young would build a second studio at Weir Farm after the couple married in 1931. The Weir Farm site was designated as a National Historic Site in 1990, but prior to its permanent protection, Weir Farm had been subdivided for housing development in the late 1980s. The Trust for Public Land worked to reacquire the divided land through close to 2 dozen transactions, preserving the site for generations to come.