Old Riverton Inn - Barkhamsted CT
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 41° 57.775 W 073° 01.014
18T E 664334 N 4647560
Built in the late 18th or very early 19th century the Old Riverton Inn was located by the only bridge that crossed the Farmington River in the area.
Waymark Code: WMKXN9
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 06/09/2014
Views: 3
The Inn has continuity of service to the traveling public with food and lodging for nearly two centuries. The Inn has had 12 inn keepers over its lifetime. Riverton settled by farmers in the late 18th century. The bridge across the river was built in 1790 and John Ives grandson Jesse grasped the opportunity to locate a tavern. There is some confusion exactly when the inn was built with records indicating 1796, but most definitely but the very early 1800's.
Moving from an agricultural community, gristmills, sawmills, iron forge, a paper mill and chair factory emerged around the power of the Farmington River. The most famous was the Hitchcock chair factory within view of the Inn right across the river. All of this activity was of great benefit to the Inn's business. It also become one of the many stage coach stops.
The Inn has gone thru a transformation as additions were added to the original structure and alterations as necessary. One such change was caused by the flood of 1938 which destroyed the bridge. A new one was constructed in 1941, which required widening of the road. The porch that use to cover the front of the inn and stairs to the front door gave way to the road. On the second floor there is a capping of a window which a decorative Federal pediment where the door once was.
Street address:
436 E. River Rd
Barkhamsted, CT
County / Borough / Parish: Litchfield
Year listed: 1992
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event
Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849, 1800-1824
Historic function: Domestic
Current function: Domestic
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|