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Welcome to the
Huntington Homestead
The Birthplace of Samuel Huntington
Huntingtonhomestead.org
The Huntington Homestead in Scotland, Connecticut, is the birthplace of Samuel Huntington, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a distinguished statesman during the Revolutionary War and early Republic. The remarkably well-preserved site includes an 18th century house on its original foundation surrounded by acres of farmland, bordered by Merrick Brook. It includes old-growth trees, stone walls, an abandoned road, and other interesting features. The Huntington Homestead is a surprising discovery so late in the 20thcentury, when most historic sites have already been enshrined or ravaged. It is a National Historic Landmark.
The Governor Samuel Huntington Trust, Inc. is the owner of the Huntington Homestead. The Kimball family, who had owned the property for 72 years, sold the historic farm to the Town of Scotland in 1994. The Town agreed to grant a two-year lease with an option to buy to interested local residents. Shortly thereafter, a grassroots effort to save the property for posterity was undertaken by dedicated volunteers who formed a nonprofit corporation named The Governor Samuel Huntington Trust. In July of 1996, the Trust purchased the property from the town and began its history as a museum organization.
The Huntington Homestead is open to visitors May through October on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Many of these dates have special programming, including hearth cooking demonstrations as well as other ways of life back then (like ironing.) Check theirwebsite’s special events page for up-to-date listings.
The worthy goals of the Trust can only be met through broad membership in the organization. New members are welcomed.
ABOUT SAMUEL HUNTINGTON
Samuel Huntington was born on July 16, 1731, the 4th of 10 children of Nathaniel and Mehetabel (Thurston) Huntington. In the 17th & 18thcenturies, the Huntingtons were a large and prominent family in this region. Samuel's great-grandfather Simon was among the original settlers of Norwich in 1660, his grandfather Joseph was one of the founders of Windham and his father Nathaniel helped to establish the Scotland area as a separate parish of Windham. Nathaniel was a prosperous and influential farmer who owned a 180-acre farm bordering Merrick's Brook in Scotland Parish.
The house where Samuel Huntington was born and raised was built for his father about 1723. It was two stories in height with one room on each floor. In the present house, the east front room on the ground floor and the chamber above it are Nathaniel Huntington's original house. In form and construction, this house reflected a conservative approach to building that was rooted deep in the seventeenth century. The house was enlarged and remodeled to its present appearance in several phases over the next 120 years.
Nathaniel Huntington sent three sons to Yale where they trained for careers in the ministry, but Samuel was not one of them. On his own, the young man pursued the study of law in the library of Reverend Ebenezer Devotion, and under the instruction of several lawyers. In 1754 Samuel received permission to practice law in the Connecticut colony. In 1760, he moved to the river port town of Norwich where greater opportunities existed for a young and ambitious attorney. It was here that he launched his illustrious political career.
From election as a Representative from Norwich to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1764, Samuel rose to King's Attorney for Connecticut and Judge and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Superior Court. Because of his patriot sympathies he was appointed a member of Governor Trumbull's Council of Safety and a delegate to the Continental Congress, where in 1776 he signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented Connecticut in the Continental Congress until 1784, serving as President from 1779 through 1781. Those were some of the most difficult years in the War for Independence. Through quiet diplomacy and encouragement, Samuel was successful in encouraging the states to meet their quotas of men and provisions. It was during his term as President that the Congress ratified the Articles of Confederation and adopted the name "United States." In 1786 Samuel was elected Governor of Connecticut, an office he held until his death in 1796.He presided over the adoption of the Federal Constitution in 1788 and the decision to erect a new state house in Hartford, designed by the highly regarded Boston architect Charles Bulfinch.
Ranger Marcy’s NOTES from the Event:
In late 2015 it was suggested by some local historical societies and their members that historical collaborations in The Last Green Valley 35 town National Heritage Corridor would be a great idea, and also a great way to share the interesting places, skills and stories that they all have.
History, in fact, is one of the outstanding aspects of The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. History is our story.
So far we have visited the Killingly Historical Society, The Thompson Historical Society, and on Friday, August 19, 2016, we made our third visit of the year to the Huntington Homestead Museum in Scotland, CT.
History lovers from Plainfield, Norwich and the Leffingwell House Museum, The Thompson Historical Society, Preston Historical Society of Connecticut, Friends of the Canterbury Public Library, Woodstock, Franklin & Lyme visited the Governor Samuel Huntington Trust's property - the birthplace of Samuel Huntington, one of Connecticut's most illustrious politicians. Because of Samuel, the house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1972.
It was disclosed that the Trust's president, Mimi, is indeed related to Samuel's family, and as Mimi pointed out, since Samuel did not have any children, she is not directly related to him, but is to his family. Two presidents in one family!
Eager attendees toured the homestead, lived in until the 1990's.
There are "reveals" throughout the home - open spaces that show the architecture "behind the scenes" of the walls and ceilings. Signage describes what you are seeing.
Many additions have been added on over time and years to this old house, but we walked in an upstairs room - one of the originals of the house, with the original floors. You can still see the "sawyer's" marks on these original wood floors. These small mark signify possession and were made at the saw mills.
A big story in our history is the W3R. Do you know what that is?
Ranger Marcy admits to having to look it up after first hearing of it some time ago from our friends at Huntington.
W3R stands for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.
Imagine the commotion as thousands of soldiers, horses, wagons, supplies traveled past this home during the Revolutionary War. There is a lot of information at the Homestead regarding this amazing piece of history.
Here is some more about W3R ->
Samuel's story of course is very compelling, too, and you can learn much more in just a brief visit to their website ->
Programming has taken on a whole new life at the Huntington Homestead Museum this year.
With Mrs. Mehetibel Huntington (Samuel's mother) and Mehetibel's mother, all sorts of demonstrations of how life was lived in that day are taking place. Hearth cooking demonstrations, ironing like they did back then, stuffing a mattress, and more!Humor and fun for all ages are integral parts of the events. They keep the kids busy and engaged, learning while having fun.
Mrs. Huntington admits to using advice from the "The American Frugal Housewife", and a few other books from the time period they recreate.
We even had volunteers cleaning the fireplace grates with vinegar and curing bruises with brown paper soaked in molasses! What fun! Children grated cinnamon then ground it into a fine powder.
Upcoming events include:
*Samuel's Colonial Breakfast, September 3, 2016
See and smell a breakfast Samuel Huntington was most likely familiar with in 1747. "September brings the fruit so sweet: apples ripe from summer's heat."
**A Midday Meal; Two Day Encampment September 24 and 25, 2016
A Midday Meal From 1776 and a two day encampment celebrating the 240th anniversary Sheldon's Horse Second Continental Light Dragoons, our country's first commissioned cavalry unit.
***A Dinner Samuel Huntington Would Recognize, October 1, 2016
Smell gingerbread warming near the fire and observe a farmhouse dinner Samuel would be satisfied with.
These special events are posted on the Huntington website ->
Some of these and even more are a part of The Last Green Valley's Walktober!#doyouwalktober
Check out listing numbers 18, 19, 46, 102, 156, 227. All 6 are at Huntington!
Go here for the brochure or request a hard copy -
Another interesting thing came up as one of the attendees mentioned that a new mobile phone game "Ingress" also features the Huntington Homestead. It is apparently a portal of some sort! We encourage anyone playing this game to time their visit to the portal to a day the Museum is open and stop in for a visit! You will be more energized than ever.
About the game ->
Next historical collaboration will feature and be held in December at the Friends of Ashbel Woodward Museum in Franklin.
Leffingwell House Museum has already signed on for next April or May, too, so the collaborations will continue on as we work together to care for, enjoy and pass on history in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor.
Learn more on our Historic & Cultural webpage ->
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