Buildings

First Congregational Church, Blandford, Massachusetts

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The First Congregational Church on North Street in Blandford, Massachusetts, around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The scene in 2024:

These two photos show the First Congregational Church in Blandford. It was built in 1822, and it was designed by Isaac Damon, a prominent local architect who was responsible for designing a number of churches in the area, including similar ones in Springfield and in Southwick. The building here in Blandford is characteristic of his style, which featured a mix of late Federal and early Greek Revival features.

The building replaced an earlier meeting house, which had been slowly constructed over a span of 65 years. Work had begin in 1740, around the time that the town was settled by Scots-Irish colonists, and it was used throughout the 18th century, although it was not finally completed until 1805, less than 20 years before it was replaced by the present-day building. The need for a new building may have been in part due to the significant increase in population in Blandford by the early 19th century. From a population of 406 in 1765, the town had grown to 1,778 by the 1800 census. The population would fluctuate in the subsequent censuses, but it remained above 1,500 people throughout the early 19th century.

However, as was the case throughout the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, the population declined precipitously in the second half of the 19th century, eventually dropping to under 900 people by the time the top photo was taken in the 1890s. The church building underwent some changes during this time, including a renovation in 1866. This work was primarily on the interior, but it also included some exterior work, such as reducing the size of the second-story windows. At some point during the late 19th century a chapel was added to the rear of the building, but it was removed in 1937.

Today, more than 130 years after the top photo was taken, very little has changed in this scene, aside from the house behind the church. The exterior of the church has remained mostly unaltered, and the interior is also well preserved. It is no longer actively used for church services, but it is owned by the Blandford Historical Society and used as a venue for weddings and other events. It stands as perhaps the most distinctive landmark in the town, and it is one of the most architecturally significant early 19th century church buildings in Western Massachusetts.

Samuel Boardman House, Wethersfield, Connecticut

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The house at 520 Main Street in Wethersfield, around 1935-1942. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 033:28, WPA Records, Architectural Survey.

The house in 2024:

The historical marker on this house indicates that it was built around 1769 as the home of Samuel Boardman. This date coincides with the year of his first marriage, to Ann Wright. Because new homes were often constructed for newlywed couples, this wedding was likely the basis for the date estimate. However, it may have actually been built several years later, because the book Families of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut states that Boardman initially lived on Broad Street, but that he had to sell that property in 1774 because of business dates. According to the book, he then moved into this house, which implies that this house was likely built in 1774 or later.

Samuel Boardman was a merchant, and he owned ships that were involved in the West Indies trade. Although located many miles from the ocean, Wethersfield is on a navigable portion of the Connecticut River, so it became an important seaport for oceangoing vessels during the colonial period. Boardman also served in the American Revolution, and in 1775 he opened a saltpeter factory here in Wethersfield. Because this was during the war, and because saltpeter is an important ingredient in black powder, it seems likely that his saltpeter was used for the production of gunpowder.

Boardman had three children with his first wife Anne, before her death in 1774. He then remarried to Naomi Butler, and they had seven more children who were born between 1776 and 1793. Samuel lived here for the rest of his life, until his death in 1822 at the age of 78. His widow Naomi died four years later in 1826 at the age of 73, but the house would remain in their family throughout much of the 19th century. The 1869 county atlas shows this property as belonging to “Miss Boardman,” which likely refers to their daughter Julia. She never married, and she was the last living child of Samuel Boardman. Based on the map and the census records, she appears to have lived here until her death in 1876 at the age of 89.

The top photo was taken around the late 1930s, and by that point the house had undergone some exterior changes. Most significantly, the windows here on the front part of the house were 2-over-2 sashes, which would not have been original to the house. The documentation that accompanied the top photo indicated that the house was in “poor” physical condition, although this is not readily evident from the exterior appearance in the photo.

Today, more than 80 years after the top photo was taken, the house is still standing. It looks much better now than it did back then, including the installation of historically-appropriate 12-over-12 windows. Its design is typical for 18th century homes in the area, including a central chimney and symmetrical front façade with four windows on the first floor and five windows on the second floor. Although not visible from this angle, it also has a so-called “coffin door” on the south (right) side of the house. Overall, the exterior of the house has remained well-preserved over the years, and it is one of the many homes that comprise the Wethersfield Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Cove Warehouse, Wethersfield, Connecticut (3)

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The Cove Warehouse in Wethersfield on July 29, 1940. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey Collection.

The scene in 2024:

The top photo was taken on the same day as the one in the previous post, as part of an effort to document the building for the Historic American Buildings Survey. At the time, the Cove Warehouse had just been restored for the second time in less than a decade. Built in the late 17th century as a warehouse for the town’s merchants, it survived throughout the colonial period and the 19th century. It was eventually restored in the early 1930s, but then in 1936 it was damaged by a major flood that caused extensive damage throughout the Connecticut River Valley. However, the building was again restored, and the top photo was taken soon after this work was completed.

Since then, there have been a few changes to this scene, most notably the retaining wall that was added in 1971 to prevent erosion. The dock in the top photo is gone, perhaps as a result of this project, but it was likely a 20th century feature anyway. Otherwise, the warehouse itself is still standing, It is an important town landmark, and it is operated as a seasonal museum by the Wethersfield Historical Society.

Cove Warehouse, Wethersfield, Connecticut (2)

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The Cove Warehouse in Wethersfield on July 29, 1940. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey Collection.

The scene in 2024:

These two photos show the Cove Warehouse, which is explained in more detail in the previous post. It was built sometime in the late 17th century as one of six warehouses that stood here along what was, at the time, the banks of the Connecticut River. A flood in 1692 destroyed the other five warehouses, and it also altered the course of the river, creating the “Cove,” which is isolated from the river except for a narrow inlet.

This warehouse was the sole survivor from the 1692 flood, and throughout the 18th century it was used by the town’s merchants, who were able to sail oceangoing vessels up the river to Wethersfield. It was restored in the early 1930s, but it was heavily damaged in the March 1936 flood. However, it was subsequently restored, and the top photo shows the building in 1940, shortly after its restoration.

Today, the building’s appearance has not changed much in the past 84 years. The dock behind the building—which was likely added during the restoration—has since been removed. This probably occurred in 1971, when a stone wall was built at the base of the foundation in the back of the warehouse to protect it from erosion. Otherwise, though, the building is still easily recognizable from the top photo. It stands as an important town landmark, and it is operated as a seasonal museum by the Wethersfield Historical Society.

Cove Warehouse, Wethersfield, Connecticut (1)

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The warehouse at Wethersfield Cove, around 1935-1942 (but most likely in 1936). Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 033:28, WPA Records, Architectural Survey.

The building in 2024:

Wethersfield Cove is a pond-like body of water that is connected to the Connecticut River via a narrow inlet. It is a remnant of a river meander that was similar to the more famous Oxbow farther upstream in Hadley, Massachusetts. However, this meander in Wethersfield did not last long enough to be immortalized in a 19th century Thomas Cole painting, because it was flooded in 1692. The flood straightened the course of the river, turning the former meander into what became known as the Cove. Over the centuries it has remained a distinctive feature on the town’s landscape, and it is located at the northern end of Main Street, just north of the town center.

Both before and after the 1692 flood, Wethersfield was an important seaport. Although the town is many miles inland, it is located along the navigable portion of the Connecticut River, which allows oceangoing ships to arrive and depart from here. To serve this shipping, six warehouses were constructed here in the late 17th century, prior to the 1692 flood. All of these were subsequently destroyed by the flood with the exception of this one, which has survived to the present day.

Along the way, it has become an important town landmark, although at times it has been threatened both by neglect and by other floods. It was restored in the early 1930s, but then it suffered serious damage during the March 1936 flood, including being knocked off of its foundation. The top photo is undated except for the estimated 1935-1942 date range, but the condition of the building suggests that this was probably shortly after the flood.

After the flood, the building was again restored, and it continues to stand here as a rare surviving example of a 17th century New England warehouse. It is owned by the town, and it is rented to the Wethersfield Historical Society, which operates it as a seasonal museum. Today, the scene looks much the same as it did in the 1930s, with the exception of Interstate 91, which now passes through Wethersfield in the distance on the right side of the scene, crossing the narrow inlet that connects the Cove to the rest of the Connecticut River.

Bennezer Hale House, Wethersfield, Connecticut

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The house at 527 Main Street in Wethersfield, around 1935-1942. Image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 033:28, WPA Records, Architectural Survey.

The house in 2024:

Various sources give contradictory information regarding the age and ownership history of this house. The top photo was taken around the late 1930s or early 1940s as part of a Depression-era project to document historic buildings in Connecticut. Part of the documentation includes a description of the property, which states that it was built in 1690 as the home of Sergeant John Latimer. However, the historical marker that is on the house in the bottom photo in 2024 states that it was built around 1745 as the home of Bennezer Hale and Ann Woodhouse. Given the architectural style of the house, the 1745 date seems more plausible than 1690, and it coincides with the wedding of Bennezer Hale and Ann Woodhouse, who were married in Wethersfield on January 2, 1745.

By the time the top photo was taken, the house was owned by Charles B. and Elizabeth Allen. They were living here in the 1930 and 1940 federal censuses, and the photo documentation lists the house as being in “Good” physical condition. However, the photo itself seems to tell a different story, since the house is missing most of its first-floor windows, the front door is off the hinges, and some of the clapboards are falling off. The documentation does not make any specific note of this damage, but it seems likely that this was caused by the flood of March 1936, which caused extensive damage along the banks of the Connecticut River. The Cove Warehouse, which is visible in the distance of both photos, was damaged by this flood, so it seems likely that the house was as well, given its proximity to the warehouse and to the Wethersfield Cove.

Regardless of the cause of the damage, the house was subsequently restored, and today it stands in much better condition when compared to the top photo. It is one of the many surviving 18th century homes that line Main Street in Wethersfield, and it is part of the Wethersfield Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.