•HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY FOR OFFICE USE ONL yBUILDING AND STRUCTURES

T_nNo r Si'. No 292HIST·6 "'EW S 77HATE OF CONNECTICUT

UT~ I

J I I I I I I : I I ICONNECTICUT HISTORICAL COMMISSION I I I . I

59 SOUTH PROSPECT STREET, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106QUAD: I(203) 566·3005DISTRICT II" NR SPECIFY

Os ONR o Actual 0 Pot-.tlolt , BUILDI ...G NAME(Co •• oal (HulorklI Hart, Chauncey, House2 TOWNCITy VILLAGE 1COUNZ Farmington Hartford0

~ 3 :iTREE "NO. NUMBER(ud OI.I oc al,n"1~ 24 Mountain RoaduIi. « OWNERISI~

Howard, Joseph G., Jr. and Ann D. DPublic ~PriYat.zlI.I 5 USE(Pr ..... "r I 1(1/ ..0'''''''/0-

ResidenceResidence6. ~IEXTERIORVISIBLEFROfoIPUBLCROAD I INTERIORACCESiSlBLEI IF YES EXPLJ.INACCESSIBILITY C!I 0 0 ~

TO PUBLIC: Y.s No Yes No7 STYLE OF DATE OF ,"u" .. ~U ... IUNNineteenth-century vernacular/Colonial· Revival 1843/1915II...... (f.al~.l. U•• 01 locallO" wll." .pprop".I~1

OOth.r~C,apboard o A.b •• tas Siding OS,ick (Specify'

o Wood Shi"9'. o A.phalt Siding o Fieldston. . .o Boa,d & Sotten o Stucco o Cobblestone

C Aluminum o Canc,et. o Cut stoneSiding Type: Type:

, STRUCTURAl. SYS":"EM

DOth., (Speedyl~ Wood f,ame [3 Po st and beom o balloon

o Load b.a,ing mason,y o St,uctu,al i,an a, st.el10 ROOF ,T "I'~ ,

~ Gable o Flat o Mansa,d o Monitor o tiawtooth

o Gomb,el o Shed DHiP o Roundo Other

Z ( Speedyl0~ 'Moretlo/lII.Q1

[] Wood Shingle 0 Roll o Tin o Sla'eU Asphalt\ItlI.I

C Asphalt shingleOther0 0 o-, O'Spee,'y'Built up

.1 NUMBEROF 5 'ORIElt APPROXIMATE DIMEN~IONS

2~ 32 X 30; 24 X 32II CONO ION ,5",.. lut ... ''':x''·,,,'' ,o EKc.llent ~ Good o Fai, o Det.,iorated I0 E.cellent Q Good o Fair o O.te,ia,at.d13 INTEGRITY ./.., .,,,...,. I WHEN' '&j"':~'~""DNo I'" ;;~o~X;l:dN 1915~ O.n o,iginol

DMoveds,t.t. HtL" (Oou BUILO'NGS OR L"NOSC"PE " ..TURESLJ Barn o Shed ~ Garog. ~ O,he' landscap~ feotu,es 0' buildings ~Sp~~ oIy'

stone patioo Carriage o Shop o Gardenhouse'S SURROUNDINGENI/IRONME.. T

d Scall~r~d buildings v, sibl. from-:J Open land o Wood· o R~slden"olland II'e

o CommerClol o Indus· o Rurol ~ High buildIng d~nsi'y'rial16 INTERRFL ..T'ONSHIP 0' tlUILO,N[, .... 0 SURROUNDINGS

This house sits on the south side of Mountain Road east of the intersection ofMain Street. Other histor ic residences are visible in all directions.

(OVER)- --- - -

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o Renewal o Private o Deteriaratlan o Zoning o Explanatian

17 OTHER NOT 8L , FEATURES OF 8UILDING OR SITE ".'~r;or••d ... .,,, ... rlOrl

Erected in 1843, the ChaunceY-Hart House originally displayed characteristics of the GreekRevival-style, includding a 'fully-pedimented gable end, modest corner pilaster supporting anentablature and classical door surround. The building was remodeled to its present ColonialRevival-style appearance in 1915. Oriented gable-to-street, the three-bay facade exhibitssix-over-six-sash and an elliptical fanlight in the gable end. The east elevation featuresa 2t x 13' two-story projection with tripartite windows. The arched entry portico issurmounted by a Palladian window. The rear two-and-one-half-story ell displays a full-length, single-story enclosed porch. A two-story enclosed porch is found on the westelevation.

1oS

j•Li!u'"l&Io

Chauncey Hart erected this house in 1843 on land he purchased from Edward Hooker (FLR 48:421).A mortgage from Hart to Hooker, dated the same day as the purchase, lists unfinishedbuildings and building materials on the lot and stipulates that all buildings on the parcelbe insured "particularly the dwelling house about to be built" (FLR 48:422). Chauncey Hart(1810-1883) was born in Farmington to Zenas an~Rachael (Lewis) Hart. In 1832 he married SarahJane Hooper (b. 1814h the daughter of Ph~lip and Phebe (Whaples) Hooper of Newington,and

l&Iu they raised'eight children. Hart was a blacksmith by trade and an active member and deacon%~ of the Methodist Church. In 1851 he sold the house to Mark Gridley (1783-1864) and moveduL his family to Unionville, where he operated a successful shop which manufactured cutlery,% steel traps, and tools (FLR 52:243). After Gridleyts death, his widow Dorothy remained in the!u~ house until she died in 1873. The house was sold to Frederick A. Ward of New York City

in 1873 (FLR 61:558). Ward, the son of Augustus and Susan (Cowles) Ward of 56 Main Stree~was a New York Supreme Court Justice and probably used this residence as a summer house.In 1887 carrie J. and Albert W. Porter acquired the house for $2200(FLR 68:311). Mrs. Porter.'s parents, Lucius and Julia Dorman lived next door to the east.During their ownership the house was rented to various people including Miss Sarah Porter

•who used the building as a studio for her girls boarding school. Mrs. Edith King Skinner, thewife of William C. Skinner, Jr., bought the property in 1914 (FLR 77:549). A year later theSkinners hired builder R.F. Jones, who completely remodeled the house to its present

olonjal Revival-st le appearance. Born in Hartford to ~illiam C. and Florence (Roberts)see' next e

~ Farmington Land Records; Farmington Probate Records; Farmington Vital Ke,~()rJs; F;lrmilh!.to;\~ Cemetery Inscriptions, W.P.A., 1934; Avon Cemetery Inscriptions, \~.P.:\ .• 193:.; ISS] E.~t.5 Woodford Map; 1855 E.~1. Woodford Map; 1869 Baker and Tilden Mar; IS7H o .u. i\;lil~\' ,I, C,'. ::,1;'.

'"

~ k= .....-,~~~-::-:-:-_=_:_:__::__..J.---_4..:..:-/ 8:;.;6::..-_:z:: NEGATIVE ON FILE

D. s 22:35)-~ Elizabeth R. Hart~ hlgmrumiNN::.:..:..-==-.:....---------l.-.J...L..l.Ll.I----;~ t-G~r>!ieiaitiieFr.-.::M:.:i::d::d::l::e::t:.:o::..:wn.:.:.:..-:p::..:r:.:e=s=-e=-r=-v.:.a::.=.t=i.=o.;;n:-:T.=r-=u:.:s:..::t=---1ou Middletown, CT

o Vandali&m o Develap ...o Othe' _

HIST,6 NEW 5 77 IBACK,

STATE OF CONNECTICUT

CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL COMMISSION59 South Prospect Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106

AHISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY FORM-For Buildings and Structures

CONTINUATION SHEETItem number: 19 Date: _1.....1_8_6 _

.. 0 .. O.... IC. U•• ONLY

TOWN NO.: .IT. NO.: 29 2UTM: '1/_1_1_/_1_1_QUAD:DI.T"ICT: • N": ACTUAL

POT.NTIAL

Skinner. William. Jr •• was a real estate broker. His wife Edith was a native ofEssex and the daughter of Joseph and Gertrude (Lewis) King. The house was soldout of the family in 1941.

Although the house has been drastically altered over time. it derives historicalsignificance due to its association with the Hart family •

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ACME 5' 41.·1 P

OWNER'S NAME l'Rw.I, \l\l PAHLINF.S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ,.."

1 oc::n_ ....",'" H::l'rt. 1 ::It.,,,'r h::lr'l '" ,,"' ....··orl ""'..,......,.

ADDRESS: ?), ~,; , 'in h'()::ln f'ac bur-i.no nlant in TTniomTi]l~SAP. 11St,Ant-IAn HRrt .<In(1 H-; <=: Des

DATE BUILT: 18lti FOR: Chaunc ev 1-1;:1.'rt. cendantsll n 2of, HI" mR'r",;pr1

Alter2tions made in 19lt:; hv H ,F .,Tom,~ Sarah Jane HooneY' a c)ps,.,,,,n-

for W C s. 11:.K Skinner dant of Hooner W}iO s i,,'nAn t.hpD"'lclaration of I ,

ARCHITECT Hart nrobablv din not ] iVAMASTER·BUILDER here

r:R Y''r1p. .TPorter v-ras a dauc ht.ar- ()"f'

FORMER OWNERS: Freeman from Edith K. Skinner Rat bv VI C Skinner Ll'cius and tIll] 1::1'Dor-manTrustee. bv trust deed 1112/1911l. Vol. 91.l D LWC;: Skinner home was next PR e::t. ""nd -; '" nrW.I

E.K. from Carrie J. & Albert W. Pnrter n on road lead- the SR1"tjlon!';enhomein?' to New Britain. e. on land of heirs of L.F DnrmRns. on land of H. DouP'las fit w. on land of Mabel Branderree1 acre & b.ldrrs •• 12/31/191LL. Vol. 77. D. C;h9 PorterCarrie J. wife of Albert S •• 1/L acre with bl.dvs , for~2 200. from Frederick A. Ward. 6/18/1887. Vol. 68. D311; Ward. F.A •• from Est. Mark Gridley by Eber Bridlev.31Lt acre I:} bl.dzs , <112 118 71 Vol. 61 D. C;C;S· Grid18v Mfrom Chaunc ev Hart. dwe11inahouse on 'Mountain Rd Hbeirw IfO\w,R)

REFERENCES: "FARMINGTON.Conn •• 1906!1. D. 172 (c ant.Loned "formerlyused by Miss Porter as Studio.& residence of Harrv Baker& George Leonard", ) House known early in 1900 as 1 HonevmocIn Flats' •"Baker /:.:.Tilden Atlas, 1869", p , 33, 'Mrs. Gridley' •

OWNER AS OF I PHOTO NO. 'l'tF

o~~~ l.l117118·1 ~ I >0FRE3HAN, PAULINH:s. 1950

Former Owners, cant.:the place where I have resided for some years pastil, 3/29/1851, Vol. 52, p , 243;Chauncey Hart from Edward Hooker, ~. acre, 29 rods n, & s., and 1.15 rods wide, no housementioned, 8/12/18Li3, Vol. 48, p. 421; on the same day, 8/12/1843, in Vol. Lf8, p , 422,Chauncey Hart mort:~a ed to Edward Hooker for 'p4oo. the above ~, acre with all unfinishedbl.dgs , , and all b ua.Ldang materials that shall be brought, upon said land in the courseof bud.Ldang,

28 0- 124 Mountain Road

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The house on this site in 1906 is pictured on page 172 .£ theFarmington Book a~ the residence of Harry Baker and George Leopard. Itis shown in the' Baker and Tilden Atlas of 1869 as '1}-1rs.Gridley", whosehusband, Mark Gridley, had purchased it in 1851.

The house is stated to have been built in 1843 for Chauncey Hart,on land purchased from Edward Hooker of 50 High Street. Chauncey Hart,born in 1810, was married to Sarah Jane Hooper, daughter of Philip Hooperof Newington. While living in Farmington he was a blacksmith, havinglearned:-the trade from Ira Stanley of New Britain. His shop '('las oathesite of what was; later Bysaer I s meat market. He moved to Unionville' andsold' this; house in 1851.. He led quite a v33!!iedlife in Unionville, livingabout 80 rods south of the Unionville Depot. He was. a drum major in themilitia, an ingenious blacksmith and fork maker, and also made hoes andrakes. He had" a w'ater-powered plant on the south bank of the river. Hisson Hubert Chauncey Hart waS'!a skilled mechanic· and inventor, ho Ld Lng somesi::xtpa t ent.a;

Hark Gridley,',who purchased' the house in 1851, app arent.Ly diedbefore l86~, as Baker and Tilden show the owner at that time to have beenMrs. Gridley.

**estate

It was purchased from heDjin 1873 by Frederick C. Ward4

In 1887 it was:;purchased from Mr. Ward by Carried J-. Porten-, who!was; the daughter of Lucius Dorman and his wife, J.ulia A. Reed, whose homewas',neM east. In fact this house can be seen, to the west of the Dormanhouse~ in the photo of the latter on page 169. The boy in that photo lSi

one of the Harris boys from 30 Mountain Road. Carrie Dorman and" AlbertS. Porter had been raarrLed, on October 7, 1882, and probably had liv.ed'withher parents, prior to the purchase of this house. They had no children.

The caption under the photo of this house in the Farmington Bookreads "Formerly used a~ a studio by Missl Porter". It is not clear thatthis meant Miss SARAH Porter, but it probably d:td, as the Albert Porters;had no children. If it was, used by Miss Sarah Porter, it was probablyduring the years just prior to 1885, as in that year the Memorial Studiowas built at 7 Mountain Road. In this case it was probably rented fromFrederick C. Ward.

Tenants here from the early 90's were Thomas Hart and his wife,the former Catherine Gatlagher. of 16 Mountain Roaa, and their daughterRae. They lived here only a short time, moving first to 99 Main Streetand in 1895 to a house purchased from James L. Cowles at 6 Pearl Street.They lived there until 1901, when they moved to Wes;t Hartford, making ittheir permanent home. Se.e an acc eunt; of this family under 16 1'lountainRoad.

/J/J7... Tenants from 1896 to 1900 were Samuel Hart Deming and his wifethe former Lena Gaylord. and their son Chauncey, born here in 1898. Theymoved to Warner Street in Hartford in 1900 •• October 27, 1971The writer wonders, on the hot afternoon of August 22, 1974, if theFrederick Ward who purchased this house in 187~ might have been th~Frederick Ward, son of Augustus Ward of 56 Main Street. The lattar was;born in 1841, was interested in Farmington people, but the middle initial

...... W_-8_s_._n_o_t_t_h_e.__s_a_m_e 5.:_k__ sk_etCh 1n 76, page. 5.

·1 280-2

Samuel Hart Deming, 1872-1947, was the son of ChaunceyDemin.g and Ellen Maria Hart. He was married around 1896 to LenaGaylord, 1871-1955, daughter of William E. Gaylord and JuliaHurlburt. It is believed that the Gaylords were of French ancestryand that the name has been changed somewhat, perhaps from Gaillard,or something similar to that.

Samuel had attended local schools and the Agricultural col-lege in Storrs. He worked as drug clerk in Lowell, Massachusetts,and in Hartford, before his marriage. When they were first marriedthey lived on Mountain Road in what they called "the old Porter hou sev ,and which the writer assumes was the house on the site of the present24 Mountain Road, pictured in the Farmington Book on page 172 as the"former studio of Miss Porter". This was purchased by Carrie J. Por-ter from Frederick C. Ward in 1887, and owned by Mrs. Porter and herhusband Albert S. Porter, until sold in 1914 to the Skinners.

The Demings lived on Mountain Road for four years and theirson Chauncey was born there in 1898. In 1900 they moved to Hartfordand took up residence on Warner Street in the south end. In. 1917 theymoved to Vine Street, and later to Morningside, where they lived somethirty years.

Samuel worked first in Hartford for Billings and Spencer, themanufacturers of drop forgings, in their plant which was at that timeon Broad Street. He was laid off during a lull in business in 1907,and worked later at Colt's ...Manu.Hacturing. He really preferred out-side work however, and having studied horticulture at Storrs, he wentto work at Kaney Park, then privately owned, operated by trustees.He was a foreman there for some nine years. When it was taken overby the City of Hartford, and he thus became employed by the city, hewas transferred to Elizabeth Park, became out!iide foreman there, andstayed with them some nineteen years or so.

Mr. Deming died in 1947, his widow in 1955.

Chauncey Deming, their son, has been in the house constructionbusiness for most of his working liEe, either a~ carpenter, or build-ing houses himself. One job which he did for his aunt, Elsie Deming,was to build in 1940 the house in which she lived some sixteen yea~son Colton Street, the house at number 15.

Mr. Deming 1s presently on the maintenance staff at AveryHeights, in the southwest section of Hartford near Newington, andresides in a cottage on their grounds.October 27, 1971

.. 280-3Two tenants are mentioned in ~he Farmington Book, Harry Baker

and George Leopar~.

Harry Wilder Baker, born in Lynn, Massachus~tts, had e:ome toFarmington with A. J. Parker of 778 Farmington Avenue. as his assistantin the plumbing business. He was married" in 1904 to Katherine Chidsey.They lived a while in this house then later moved to Garden Street, toa house pictured on page ltl, later torn down to make way for the brickapartment buildings now there.

George Leopard was the blacksmith, ItpollyU Leopard, pictured infront of his shop east of Meeting House Square in the photo on page" 147.His family ha~ lived at 30 Colton Street. Now mar~iea to Anne Louis~Nels"on, he and his wife and children lived her.e until they moved to 8Na,i:denLane which he built in 1910, and! in the rear of which had his shop.;

It is easy to see the source of the nickname ~Honeymoon Flatstt,

as all four of the couple: just mentioned as liv.ing here ha<:fbeen newlymarried couples.

It would appear that Mrs. Porter may have died sometime prior tor906, as the house was occupied at that time by two tenant familie:s.

The property waSl purchased by tiilliam C. Skinner. A myst,ery ofseveral years' standing as to what had a,ctually happened to thia: house,was cleared up on October 21, 1971, by Mrs. Franklin Kearney, the formelTSally Skinner. She said "My family bought it about 1915. They did itover. It was apparently a two-family house; when Dad bought itt".. Theyrcertainly did it over, and ex~ensively, as even local residents of thattime have not presently recognized that it ,.,asthe same house ---- re-modeled. Mrs. Skinner told her daughter Sally that the house had hadan outside stairway. It was converted by Mr. Skinner- and his builderto a very fd.ne house. Library records show the purchase to have beenin 1914 and the remodeling in 1915.

~illiam Converse Skinner was born in Hartford, the son ofWilliam Converse Skinner and Florence Ro~erts. His wife, Edith King,was born in Essex, the daughter of Joseph Handy King and Gertrude C.Lewis. Mr. Skinner was of the Hartford real estate firm of SkinnerBrothers, and he continued in this business all through his Farmingtonresidence~ although he did some local businesa also.

They had lived a few years in the hous.e at 18 High Street justprior to occupying 24 Mountain Roali, and their first child, Calvin C.Skinner, was born during that residence. Their two daughters, Sall~and Susanne, were born on Mountain Roa~. Among their neighbors wasth~Thomas Hewes family of 50 High Street, very special friends, asMrs. Skinner and Mrs. Hewes had been schoolmates at Hartford PublicHigh School.

Mrs. Kearney was surprised when told: that the o Ld Lucius Dormanhouse had once stood on the site of the Skinner garage, and was movedfrom there to its present location to the rear of the Old Grange Hall.She recalled that she had spent her tbir~ schoo~ year in that old hall,as; it was used for the overflow from the outgrown Noah Wallac:e schoolin the earlier 1920's.

October 27, 1971

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280-4

Although already marr.ied and with tl'lOchil.dren when WorldWar I broke out, Mr. Skinnel,..was' a machine gunne'!!in France, withthe. 101Sit Yankee Division, and was one of the charter members 0·£ theJ'ames Pa Lache Post No. 53 of the American Legion, chartered' on Octo-ber. 22, 1919. He served again in 1VlorldW:at:r:II, in Procurement this,time, coming out with rank of major.

M~s. Skinner died in April, 1937, and in August of that sameyear Sally Skinner wa~ married to Franklin P. Kearney, who had alsoDived in Farmington s:ince childhood. The newly married couple movedinto a new house at 32 Mountain Road, the IIRed Housefl, built on athree-quarter acre: lot which Sally's parents had given han as- a pre-·weddi~3 gift in March of that year.. More regarding the Kearneys willbe. found' in an account of the house at 763 Farmington Avenue.

Calvin Converse Skinner married Marchen Thompson, daughter ofMr. and Mrs. Norman Thompson of 50 High $.treet. They reside in Dorset,.Vermont. Mr. Skinner is:ipresently semi-retired, having worked manyl'yeaIr8>for the Orvisl M.anuafacturing Company of Nanchester, Vermont,makers of fine fis-hing tackle. They have two children, Peter andMargare:t.

Susanne Skinner served three years. in military service inEngland during World War II, unde.I:General Doolittle of the 8th. AirForce, and General EisenhGwe1!'. In 1948 she married' John ~1ix Deming,son of Edward Haoker Deming, Jr., who was; the lEf,onof Judge E. H~Deming of 100 Main Street. They presently reside on Talcott NotchRoad. See' more regarding them in the account of 100 Main Street.

In 1938 Mr. Skinner re-married, this time to Eleanor BartlettPhelps, who had some years before t.ive.d~at 93 Main Street. They liveduntil. 1941 on Mountain Road, then Mr. Skinner sold this house and theymoved into 1 Waterville Roa~, a property which Mrs. Skinner had inher-ited'some years; before. She was:.a descendant of the: Strongs, ownersof the Waterville Road property since 1807. Among Mr. Skiane]ll'sac-tivities while living there was> the development of a small portion ofthe property toward the west, building two small business buildingson what is called Canal Path.

Around 1956, Mr. Skinner semi-retired by then, they mov'ed toa house" which they purchased in Colebrook. After Mr. Skinner's deathin 1962 Mrs. Skinner moved to Norfolk. In FebrUary 1963 she sold theproperty at I Haterville Road to Richard ll. Russell of New Britain anein October 1971 she has just moved to California, where she expects ~ostay.

October 28, 1971