Lathrop-Mathewson-Ross House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lathrop-Mathewson-Ross House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ross Hill Road, Lisbon, Connecticut |
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| Area | 11.29 acres (4.57 ha) |
| Built | 1761 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004370 |
| Added to NRHP | April 15, 1982 |
The Lathrop-Mathewson-Ross House is a historic house on Ross Hill Road in Lisbon, Connecticut. The house was built in 1761, and is a well-preserved example of Georgian residential architecture with an extensive documentary trail. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1982.
Description and history
The Lathrop-Mathewson-Ross House is located at 198 Ross Hill Road in rural northeastern Lisbon, on the north side of Ross Hill Road east of Phillips Road. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side-gable roof, twin chimneys, clapboard siding, and a stone foundation. Its main entrance is topped by a transom window and framed by a molded wooden surround. The interior follows a typical central hall plan, with delicate scrollwork on the stringerpiece of the staircase on the right side, with original wooden paneling above and below. Much of the interior retains features original to its construction, or to a major 1824 renovation.
The earliest record of the house occurred in the deeded estate of Ezra Lathrop on December 28, 1761 as recorded in the Norwich Land Records, volume 16, page 89. In 1800, the property was purchased by Jeffrey Mathewson, and it remained in the hands of the related Mathewson and Ross families until 1958. Several generations of these families kept detailed diaries and accounts of their lives and happenings related to the property, providing a significant window into rural life of the period. Two residents, Bucklin Mathewson and George Ross, represented the area in the state legislature.
The house was purchased by Edward Peace Friedland and Joan W. Friedland in 1958. Over the course of the 40 years that they owned this home, the Friedlands painstakingly restored the structure and grounds to authentic 18th century specifications. The home served as the center for meetings of the Lisbon Historical Society for many years and was regularly the site of authentic 18th century dinners and gatherings. Edward Peace Friedland is known as one of the foremost experts on 18th Century Colonial Architecture and the author of "Antique Houses." Joan W. Friedland was the Registrar of the Connecticut Historical Society and co-author of "Connecticut Firsts." Edward and Joan Friedland were pioneers in the historic preservation of some of New England's most important structures including Hartford's Old State House, the John Bishop Museum, the David Hale house, the John Palmer House and dozens of others. Mr. Friedland's domestic architecture photos are currently archives and stored at Yale University. The Lathrop-Mathewson-Ross House was also the staging area for Edward Friedland's historic preservation operation which included training artisans, craftsmen and tradespeople in the production of authentic tools, means and methods for the historically accurate reconstruction (and in some cases reproduction) of original components and features.
The house was sold on July 28, 2020 to a private buyer
