Historic Simsbury

Historic Location
East Weatogue National Historic District
Simsbury Center National Historic District
Tariffville National Historic District
Terry's Plain National Historic District
Questions

 
Phelps Tavern Museum and Homestead
owned and operated by
the Simsbury Historical Society

800 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, CT. 06070
(860) 658-2500

E-mail: info@simsburyhistory.org

Website: www.simsburyhistory.org
 

Once known as the College Highway (linking Yale, Amherst and Dartmouth) New England's Route 10 has seen countless travelers over the years. From 1786 to 1849 three generations of a Connecticut family "kept tavern" in an imposing Georgian-style home on this highway in the center of Simsbury.

The Phelps Tavern Museum and Homestead combines period rooms and interactive exhibition galleries to portray an era when inns and taverns were far more than places to eat, drink, and spend the night. the Entertainment of Strangers exhibition, funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council, introduces each of the tavern keepers and explores the social history of the rural New England tavern.

Visitors explore daily tavern life through engaging graphics, documentary evidence and artifacts. From water fetching to food preparation, the task and chores of the innkeeper and his family are detailed and explained. Woven through the exhibition are the stories of Simsbury from the Revolutionary War to the Farmington Canal.

The story of the house comes alive through some interior secrets that were revealed during preparation for the exhibition. The unique barrel-ceiling ballroom served as a public gathering space for dances, meetings and court hearings.

The museum is part of a two-acre complex owned and operated by The Simsbury Historical Society, a privately funded 501 (c) (3) corporation which is supported through membership, annual appeal and various fundraising activities. The site includes a research library, museum store and award winning period gardens to highlight the visitor's experience. Open Thursday through Saturday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 adults, $6 seniors (65+), $4 children, and children under 5 years old, free. Due to the historic nature of the buildings it is not handicapped accessible. For information or to arrange a group or school tour call 860-658-2500.

Historical Society Mission
"The mission of the Simsbury Historical Society is to preserve and promote the rich history of Simsbury through programs and educational experiences that enhance historical perspective and build on community pride."

East Weatogue National Historic District

Massacoe Indians, one of the Algonquin Nation, first inhabited this land rich in fish and wildlife. Many artifacts have been found at an Indian village site in East Weatogue which date to 8,000 years ago. "Weatogue" is the Massacoe word for "home place." The district still contains working farms, and several remaining tobacco, dairy and horse barns stand among the Colonial, Greek Revival, and Colonial Revival farmhouses in their original settings.

Simsbury Center National Historic District

The center contains a mix of residential, mercantile, and business buildings since the seventeenth century. Its distinguishing characteristic is the high quality of residential buildings which make up a significant portion of the district. The Center district continues to be the activity center of the Town with a strong and ongoing sense of diversity.

Tariffville National Historic District

Tariffville is a mill village within the Town of Simsbury. It owes its existence to the water power available in the gorge of the Farmington River and to the Tariff Act of 1824 which imposed tariffs on imported goods and made the manufacture of woolen cloth and carpets profitable. The village is significant architecturally because it retains the mill housing and street layout of an early nineteenth century mill village as well as the grander Greek and Gothic Revival structures of the later nineteenth century.

Terry's Plain National Historic District

Terry's Plain is the site of the first settlements in Simsbury, named for John Terry. This area is considered the historical core of Simsbury. It was the site of the first settler's house, first ferry, the first schoolhouse, and served as the training ground for Simsbury's militia, the "Traine Band."

Questions relating to the National Register Historic Districts listed above or the East Weatogue Historic District Commission may be directed to the Town of Simsbury Planning Department at 860-658-3245.