Enfield Historical Society Museum - Enfield, CT
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 41° 58.621 W 072° 35.540
18T E 699475 N 4650028
The Enfield Town Meetinghouse was originally the third building used by the Enfield Congregational Church. It then served as the Town Hall before becoming the home of the Enfield Historical Society. It is located at 1294 Enfield St., Enfield, CT.
Waymark Code: WM16KW0
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 08/23/2022
Views: 0
The Enfield Historical Society headquarters building was used as the Enfield Town Hall from 1846 to the 1892 when a new Town Hall was built. The building languished until it became the property of the Enfield Historical Society in 1923. They renovated the building and opened as a community house. Nonetheless the building once again fell into disrepair and was condemned in 1964.
The building was saved when in 1972 as the Enfield Historical Society was able to begin a second restoration. The building was places on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today the building serves as a museum of Enfield history.
"The Enfield Historical Society is a non-profit all-volunteer organization. Our mission is to preserve the history of Enfield, Connecticut and to educate the public about our town’s history. To achieve these goals we operate museums, collect artifacts and information pertaining to the Enfield’s history, and conduct demonstrations, tours, regular meetings and other special events." Link
Enfield Historical Society operates three museums in Enfield. The headquarters building is the flagship museum. There are three floors of exhibits about the history of Enfield as told through artifacts, photographs, and documents on display.
Originally the Enfield Town Meetinghouse was located across the street from its current location where the Enfield Congregational Church now stands. It was built in 1773-1774 to a design by local architect Isaac Kirby. The building was used as the third home of the Congregational Church. It had a plain exterior and a steeple. In 1846 a new Greek Revival style church building was built at the site and Enfield Town Meetinghouse was moved across the street. It also was turned around, the steeple was removed, and fluted Ionic columns were added to match the appearance of the 1846 church building.
The two story building building features a gabled roof and a portico entrance. The front is three bays wide with three sets of doors on the lower level and a single window on the second floor above the central door. The sides have five bays and are covered in clapboard. Both the the first and second floor have identical tall windows on each bay.
A sign above the door is inscribed:
ENFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MUSEUM
The pediment is inscribed:
THE
OLD TOWN HALL
OF
ENFIELD
1773