Capt. Benjamin Allyn II, House - Windsor, Connecticut - Pre-Victorian Historic Homes on Waymarking.com

The Captain Benjamin Allyn II House, known locally as the Captain Thomas Allyn House, is a gable-roofed brick house, now a full 2½ stories high but formerly of lean-to form. The house probably dates from mid-eighteenth century but may possibly be as old as 1670 . The house sits up on a slight knoll, quite close to the street, in a mixed-use area of Windsor. Its lot is mostly open, with shrubs planted close to the walls. Nearby are modern suburban homes, some 19th-century brick houses, and two or three large manufacturing plants...

This house is of architectural significance because it is an early example of a brick dwelling and because of the well-preserved interior woodwork. Even its location in the town of Windsor is significant, because in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Windsor and the surrounding area was a center for brickmaking. The many fine brick Federal and Greek Revival buildings which are characteristic of this area are prefigured by the Allyn House. The man said to have made the bricks for this house, Thomas Eggleston (b. 1741), was a fisherman and brickmaker whose sons continued his brick business in Windsor and in New York State. If this house was built in 1760, Eggleston would have been but 19 years old, perhaps accounting for the unevenness of the brick...

The Allyns were a successful Windsor family especially prominent in militia related affairs. Thomas Allyn (d- 1695) is regarded by some as the builder of the house, but a date of 1670 seems hard to justify, as it contradicts both an early source (Stiles, 1863) and architectural evidence (lack of widely flaring or shouldered posts, no apparent provision for casement windows). His descendant, Benjamin Allyn II (1736-1827) owned the house at the end of his life and likely was the builder, too. Like his father Benjamin, Benjamin Allyn 2nd was a militia officer and during the Revolution was elected a captain, a title by which he was known for the rest of his life. Although less wealthy than his illustrious ancestor Thomas (who was the second richest man in Windsor), Benjamin II owned a respectable amount of land, around 80 acres." - National Register Nomination

Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1760 Additional Dates of Construction: Various times during the 19th century Architectural Period/Style: Undefined Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor: Country house Interesting Historical Facts or Connections: Dispute on age either 1670 or 1760 though most current information indicates the later date Listed Building Status (if applicable): National Register of Historic Places Main Material of Construction: Brick Private/Public Access: Private Related Website: [Web Link] Rating: Architect (if known): Not listed Landscape Designer (if known): Not listed Admission Fee (if applicable): Not Listed Opening Hours (if applicable): Not listed

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