What home in Redding, CT is the oldest, and still-standing? Is a question I am asked quite often. I asked Charley Couch, Redding Town Historian and former president of the Redding Historical Society, for assitance.

Below is the information Charley provided. It is a very truthful and honest answer...not to mention very interesting. Thank you Charley!

"I don't think anyone really knows which is the oldest house in Redding since not all of the antiques have been checked out.

According to RHS files, Bob Beecroft's house on Black Rock Turnpike dates from 1709. The house is originally a two-room design more common in the 17th century and rare after 1700 as an architectural type. (see the history of this house at the Mark Twain Library)

The Aaron Barlow house (on the corner of Umpawaug and Station Rd.) is also very old (at least 1724) and may be older. It may be associated with the Nathan Gold 300 Acre Farm that was established between 1667 and 1687 there at "Umpawaug Neck."

The Morehouse Farm was also in this vicinity prior to 1700.

Nearby at 657 Redding Rd. is another very old house that I researched and dates to ca. 1727 through John Sanford but it may have been built earlier by the Gold Family.

The New Pond Farm house may be from this period too but requires more research.

The Capt. Thos. Nash saltbox house at 175 Umpawaug Rd. dates from 1725-26. This is in keeping with the construction style and building orientation seen at the two white saltboxes further down the road near Wayside Lane. One belonged to Ebba Anderson and was totally renovated a few years ago.

David Heald's house at 32 Black Rock is an early raised-Cape style and may date prior to 1730.

The small 1 1/2-story saltbox on Pine Tree Rd. likely dates from the period too.

The "Cradle of Methodism" you alluded to was not built by Aaron Sanford's father, but rather Gurden Marchant Sr. prior to 1750. The house at 60 Cross Highway was once owned by him too and although it was heavily updated in the 1840's and the original two-room layout suggests a very old and primitive structure was the core of it.

In the Center of Redding, Larry Ford's house dates from around 1750.

Please note: There are even more house mysteries to be discovered but as you can see, trying to say which may be the "oldest" is an elusive matter.

List of Select Older Homes in Redding

House: McCready House
Street: 169 Gallows Hill Road
Date: 1770

House: Gershom Morehouse
Street: 42 Cross Highway
Date: 1744

House: Coley-Henkel House
Street: 14 Fox Run Road
Date: 1749

House: Sanford House
Street: 140 Black Rock Tpke.
Date: 1755

House: Meeker Ewing House
Street: 3 Great Pasture Road
Date: 1760

House: Ephraim Sanford House
Street: 17 Giles Hill Road
Date: 1767

House: Abel Morehouse House
Street: 230 Poverty Hollow Road
Date: 1768

House: Lee Cartoun House
Street: 42 Wayside Lane
Date: 1770

House: Simon Couch House
Street: 12 Old Redding Road
Date: 1773

House: Ephraim Wheeler Jr. House
Street: 23 Giles Hill Road
Date: 1775

House: Eli Sanford House 1
Street: 155 Topstone Road
Date: 1784

House: Parsons Harris House
Street: 74 Wayside Lane
Date: 1788

House: Beers-Hingle-Hart House
Street: 15 Lonetown Road
Date: 1789

House: Mead-Sigurdsson House
Street: 11 Gallows Hill Road
Date: 1789

House: Aaron Morehouse
Street: 35 Lonetown Road
Date: 1790

House: Ezekiel Jackson House
Street: 187 Umpawaug Hill Road
Date: 1790

House: Gershom Beers House
Street: 123 Black Rock Tpke.
Date: 1791

House: Crofoot-Goodsell House
Street: 73 Stepney Road
Date: 1791

House: Lemuel Lyon House
Street: 23 Giles Hill Road
Date: 1792

See whole list with owners (opens in new window)

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Do you own or are you looking to own an older home?

If you truly are looking for an older home in Redding you should view the Margaret Wixted Collection at the Mark Twain Library. It has house histories, family histories, photos new and old. What is available at the Mark Twain Library

Historic Homes For Sale in Redding:

William Pitt Real Estate- Agent Ginny Beasley
470 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Agent Phn: 203-482-4938
Ginny Beasley

Old Tavern/Stage Coach Stop

For many years, the location of this antique was known as "Boston Corners". It was on an Post Road/Stage Coach route which ran from New York to Boston. It was the place where the horses were changed and passengers were fed. The house has been renovated over these years, however an old post road milestone still sits on the west side of the house...which is rare. This tavern had a number of owners which resulted in several name changes for the corner on which it sits: Boston Corners, Pinckney's Corner, and Darling's Corner are the most common. View House History.

Milestone reads: "12 Ms (miles) To= Nw (Norwalk) 1786" *it was 12 miles to Danbury as well.

William Pitt Real Estate- Agent Ginny Beasley
470 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Agent Phn: 203-482-4938
Ginny Beasley

Landmark Antique on Cross Highway

The main residence is a 1753 landmark colonial offering nine gracious rooms of grand proportion and comfort on 21.58 acres. This four bedroom, 4 1/2 bath residence is in excellent condition and boasts six fireplaces, wide floorboards, rich moldings, exposed beams and classic New England charm galore.

The orientation of the home is outside to the exceptional stone patios, extensive gardens, sprawling lawns, pond, gunite pool with screen house and commanding rolling field views of which 15 1/2 acres are preserved in perpetuity by a conservation easement. The outbuildings include a 46 x 28 fully restored barn, an artist studio and separate two-bedroom apartment over the detached garages and a rustic two-bedroom log cabin. Truly an Extraordinary Opportunity! $2,200,000. View slideshow of the Landmark Antique on Cross Highway.

A Glimpse of Old Redding Homes by Florence H. Whiting
The ReddingTimes Feb. 25, 1960

Florence H. Whiting, Feb. 25, 1960:

Our proud, little town will be 200 years young in 1967. In our 35 square mile area, the backbone of Redding was created.

Beginning our tour on the Ridge, heading north on route 58, (Black Roack Road) a weather-beaten salt box, the Bradley Kelly's home, will attract your attention. Its lean-to greenhouse is one of many modernizations. It was constructed about 1735 and believed to have been built by Andrew Burr, who was a petitioner establishing Redding as a recognized town in Connecticut.

Kelly House

A mile northward we will pass "The Spinning Wheel" another Burr Homestead, owned by Bradley Burr, who had the mail route by stagecoach from Newtown to Norwalk. Other generations of Burrs lived here. A part of the original building was destroyed by fire in 1948, but old Bradley Burr's portrait still hangs over the fireplace mantel.

Another mile further north will bring you to the "Old Red House", circa 1740, restored and now owned by Miss Madeline McCue. This was the old "Redding Institute" for boys, established in 1847 by Daniel Sanford, later the Redding Ridge Post Office. The Zenke Colonial across the road was also part of the Institute, owned then by Professor Edward J. Shaw, who taught foreign languages and literature. Shaw had the school until 1873, when he became Probate Judge of Redding. He also was the grandfather of our beloved Annie Banks.

Redding Spy Ring

Opposite Christ Episcopal Church is a weathered, twin-chimneyed Colonial, now owned by the Dysons, circa 1746, and built by Stephen Betts as a tavern for coach stops. During the American Revolution, Captain Betts with William Heron, a neighbor, and General Parsons, who lived there during the troops' stay at Putnam Park, together formed a unique spy ring for General George Washington. This spy ring proved so successful that General Tryon of the British army tried to capture Captain Betts, who escaped by a concelaed staircase to the cellar of his home and on horseback sped through the "Hollow" to Newtown. Later he was captured and imprisoned in New York.

Cradle of Methodism

Driving west on Cross Highway, there is a large weathered Salt Box built by Hezekiah Sanford for his son, Aaron, circa 1736. This is truly the "museum" of Redding, still unspoiled and furnished with exquisite antiques. It is now owned by Herbert Greenes. Jesse Lee, the Methodist Circuit Rider preached sermons here. Later Bishop amesbury from England helped to establish the first Methodist meeting house in New England here. The first male member to join the Methodist doctrine was Aaron Sanford, who became a staunch leader. In a photostat copy of a document written by Aaron Sanford granting freedom to his two slaves, after he heard the Lord speaking to him advising him to mend his ways.

The Green

Overlooking the "Green", where the Revolutionary soldiers trained, stands the Ritter house, circa 1736. A wing of this house was the first town market, later removed. A portion of the second floor was used for town meetings, where a hinged partition was swung up ans secured by a huge hook, while a log burning fireplace kept the gatherings warm.

On the north side of the "Green", stands the Deacon Thaddeus M. Abbott's home, now the Edmond's place. Abbott was a blacksmith and specialized in building sleighs. Deacon Abbott worked diligently for the Congregational Church. North of the old Town Hall is the Will Roland home. It was built by Stephen Burr, uncle of Aaron Burr who fought a duel with Alexander Hamilton. Stephen Burr supervised the laying out of the first road in Redding from Chestnut Ridge and Fairfield town in 1734. Burr also laid the stone foundation of the new Congregational Church in 1732. He had charge of the first parsonage and was instrumental in securing the first parson. Burr had his own grist mill.

West of the center "Green", on Cross Highway, is an unusually fine, unspoiled Salt Box owned by Bart Sanford. This house was built by skilled workers hired by Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, who had purchased the land in 1753 from Lemuel Sanford for 800 pounds. Upon its completion he brought his bride here and became the second pastor of the Congregational Church. Rev. Bartlett secretly stored ammunitions in the attic to protect the town, hoping the British wouldn't discover it.

West Redding Homes

Located in West Redding on Umpawaug and Station Road is the Hutchinson home. It is a pure Salt Box, built in 1730, the very first house to be constructed in Redding after the early settlers' cabins. This house was built by Benjamin Meeker, and later occupied by his son, Witely Meeker. * Important Note:

[from a historical sketch by Margaret Wixed this house was presumably built by Joseph Sanford: Joseph had married Catherine Fairchild in 1724. His first son, Nehemiah, was born in 1725. His other children were Elnathan, Phoebe, Ann, Timothy, Joseph, Nathan and Stephen. In 1773, Nehemiah was living in the house on Station Road, which presumably had been built by his father, Joseph. That year, he sold the house and farm to Aaron Barlow, a brother of Joel Barlow, the author and statesman. Year's later: David Starr 2nd sold 174 acres to Isaac Meeker, who now owned the Barlow Farm on Station Road. (Aaron Barlow had died of yellow fever in Norfolk. Virginia in 1880.) A map from 1867 of Redding has a W.Meeker at this house and a J. Meeker Store across the street. B.Colley 2002]

The Livermore home on Marchant Road, is the finest cut stone, Colonial home in Fairfield County. It was built by Gurdon Marchant for his bride in 1747. The stone was brought from Topstone Mountain and squared and surfaced painstakingly. Marchant was our first Redding Town Treasurer, and also helped in planning the town roads. My favorite story is that when Gurdon Marchant was buried, dressed in his Sunday suit, the members of his family returned home to discover that his wallet was missing. They dug him up to find it in his suit. [M.Wixted Noted: A direct descendant of Gurdon Merchant, who came to town from California in the summer of 1997 in search of her ancestors, helped clear up the mistake about Marchant Road. The name was misspelled in the town records. B.Colley 2002]

The Aspidorf Salt Box on Diamond Hill Road was the second home built in 1730. It was known as the Boughton homestead, bought in later years and restored by Albert Bigelow Paine, Mark Twain's biographer. Inside there are two columns separation two rooms came from Mark Twain's home, obtained after the Clemens' home "Stormfield" was destroyed by fire.

List of Old Homes in Redding and Their Past Owners (Word Document) forwarded by Jean Taylor.

Homes on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgetown, CT

William Pitt Real Estate- Agent Ginny Beasley
470 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Agent Phn: 203-482-4938
Ginny Beasley

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