The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-19
HISTORIC NORWICH TOWN.
ceoup or BUILDINGS MORE THAN
TWO CENTURIES Old.

While there are several neglected and
.,i,,cd houses scattered throughout va
.,,s narts Of Connecticut Of greater age
.t,, am, in Norwich. probably nowhere
..o I'm tins country is to be found such a
.-,up Of ancient dwellings as that in this
pa Town The famous stone house of
..nfnrd. which was fortress in Indian
....,,. and the history OF which runs back
fegQ is only twenty wears older than
..mo Of this group They all stand in
..-.ric Norwich Town. which cen
,..-, OFF more ago was the town proper.
.,i when the present site Of the city was
t..o.r as The Landing. Indians held
........ion Of the river in those days, and 4
t.,f ,lio white settlers away Here gen
..stisn after generation Of families have /
....r reared. and the houses remain now
...,.- AS they did then The people /
I.-e have cared more 10 keep their pos
....ians intact than 10 have modern i'm /
,.,rements. until Norwich is pre- emf |
...tly the banner historical city Of New /
England
THE BLISS MANSION.
Passing up the two aristocratic thor
.....fares Of the city Broadway and
Washington street. 20 the plains and
mon the old road. the change Is
....t remarkable. Fashionable domiciles
.. ,,av % ancient looking rookcries.
... weather beaten sides are marked
...i. Time The first and most famous
t...e old dwellings is the Bliss house
.,,I-faniial two story mansion, which
...,3. ssuarclv on the main road to the
offfoun 70 Is the oldest house IN New
london county, having been built IN
fesohs Thoma N'liss. one Of the original
...r.,. nf Norwich Il was. without
4..r reHr.t dwelling built in eastern
Connecticut Ihe first town clerk had
l...r... DO fli. house for years. From
l..r..ol ifs erection. 23O years ago
r.o.l house remained in the uninter
-.n,ei ownership of the Bliss family
.-.ila feq years ago, when It was sold
to 3d. Angel Stead. the present owner
f.w rods south of this old family
...r-i.n stands another ancient build
,r- an odd. angular. Imprinted. gam
f.... rooted structure. which is'now used
..sJwellinc hv a very old lady. This
.aie building was erected long before
f.e revolution for the purpose Of weav-
ir- stockings in. The sign which for
..ars hung over the door represented an
.r.gmmetrical lex clothed in gaudy
stocking But this industry was evi-
IDENTIFY Improbable. and it was succeeded
I,a newspaper the first i'm Connecticut
S.nsraied from this building by mar
TOSS lane is the Reynolds homestead, and
ahote the front door are scrOlled the Ing
nra- 1859. representing the yearin which
it Was built This house has renamed
.n the Reynolds family since the land
u.4s set aside for them, and Is now occu-
ped bg the family Of the late Henry l.
Reynolds.
Diagonally across the street from the
Bliss place. partially hidden by shrubs
and trees. is a brown two story dwelling
known as the Thomas Leffingwell house.
II ia fully 200 years old The old stone
chimney. which is twelve feet square al
its base. and the stones of which were
laid in clay instead of mortar, the ma
terial that is used in the construction Of
walls today. still performs its service.
TIE OLD DRUG STORE.
Above this place Is another but more
pnpretentious house. also once the prop
ertv Of the Iefiingwells IL is. If any
r,nq a trife older than the former ano
much smaller The Iefhngwells were
biz family and very prominent in earl,
history Col. Christopher Leihngweli
massive mansion is next in order The
colonel was methodically correct and the
lopso stands due north and south, ont
ANGLE of It's frame protruding PARTIAL,
ont into the road. Col Lefiingwell wa
the first postmaster Of the old town
oDerated the first paper mill in eastern
Connecticut. and carried on various othe
industries
These six places are all within a radiu
Of fifteen rods. Wholesome fifty rods fur
thar ON another line of ancient dwelling.
#. approached. First comes the resi-
d.nce Of Mrs. Laura Thurston and Mr.
Henry McNellv. which was the home O
DR. Joshua Lathrop long before the rev
olutIon. Directly opposite IL the dwell
i.- Of the family Of the late William Z
Gilman. which was occupied by Dr
Daniel lathrop at the same time tina
Joshua occupied the other. These Drolh
er. kent the first drug store which wa
opened between Hartford and Boston
Their old store was i'm existence unit
two years ago and was popularity know
AS the Benedict Arnold drug store
be,au-e within il Arnold was trained L
be- druggist. Just above these wv
places stands an immense, 6amor'
rooted venerable looking two stor
structure which was the residence O
Gen Jabez Huntington prior TO and dun
m. the revolution.
The house is on land that was decide
to ancestors Of Gen. Huntington 10y ia
Indians. and the mansion has been ia ia
hands Of the Huntington family for tw
centuries. The general and all his son
were prominent in the revolutionary wal
Nearly opposite the Huntington place
another old house. built for GOverno
Samuel huntington
Surrounding Norwich town green
an endless chain OF these venerable maj
sions All 200 or more years old one
the most notable is the old 'frott place
which was occupied by John lrott a.
tayern prior to and during the revolt
tonary war, and where Gems Nashinl
Ton and lafayette and others often dram
ms famous cider "hips The irac
house. too. is quite conspicuous ana gun
we'll preserved. as are also the ~ l'an'
Jores and the l.athrop places Cor. Ne
York Times
II has just been found out that con
mon ,,nfncg il a powerful narcotic pa