Henry Whitfield House
Encyclopedia
Guilford, Connecticut
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census...
. This house dates from 1639, having been built just before the town of Guilford was settled. The house, with its massive stone walls, also served as a fort. It was one of four stone houses that served to protect the community. Henry Whitfield was a Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
minister who had come from England to flee religious persecution.
The house was remodeled in 1868 and opened to the public in 1899 as a museum of the State of Connecticut, the Henry Whitfield State Museum. The house was restored in 1902-04 and in the 1930s and was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1997. It is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. It was named a State Archeological Preserve in 2006.