Leffingwell House History

Leffingwell House | Christopher Leffingwell | Colonial Women | Wax Wheel

The Christopher Leffingwell House Museum is considered one of the finest restored examples of New England's Colonial Architecture. Displayed within it's walls are wonderful examples of early Norwich silversmiths and clock makers. It is a living museum where visitors can experience 18^th century civilian life as they walk through its' rooms and feel a connection to those who founded this country.

Origin

The Christopher Leffingwell House is unique in illustrating the development from 17^th century beginnings to a mid 18^th century town house. Built as a simple two room house in 1675 by Stephen Backus, the house later belonged to Thomas Leffingwell. In 1701 Thomas was granted permission to keep an inn. Benajah Leffingwell, Thomas' son, was also an innkeeper.

The first additions to the original house were made to accommodate its use as an inn. The building descended to Christopher Leffingwell, a gentleman of utmost importance to the town and to the entire commonwealth. With his entrepreneurial skills and business connections he was invaluable as a supplier of provisions for the Revolutionary forces.

The House

Great South Parlor
The Tavern Room
The North Parlor
The Kitchen
The 1675 Bed Chamber
The Children's Room

Great South Parlor

The entrance hall of the house and the Great South Parlor to the left were the first additions to the house circa 1715. This separate structure moved up and fastened to the Backus House. The Great South Parlor contains the finest paneling in the area. The red paint color is the original color of the room.

The Tavern Room

To the right of the entrance hall is the Tavern Room. Take one step down and you are inside the original 1675 part of the house. In the photo above, Ann Cannon, President of the Society of the Founders of Norwich begins one of the special tours of the Inn in the Tavern Room. Ann demonstrates a bed warmer. It was filled with coals and carried up stairs by the proprietor or his wife. It would be run between the sheets to warm the bed for a weary traveler.

The mushroom chair, pictured to the right, gets its name from the shape of the knobs on the arm rest. The knobs have holes in which small candles could be affixed.

The Tavern Room contains one of the few remaining examples of a completely paneled room from this period in New England. Looking inside the paneled cupboards one may see the finely molded girts and corner posts, and in the northeast corner a very early style of raised sill, which is not seen often in Connecticut. Most of the furnishings in the Tavern Room were made in first half of the 18^th century.

A China Trade Helmet Pitcher as well as a wrought iron candle and rush light holder made at the Backus Iron Works in Norwich can be found in the Tavern Room. A Ruch Light Candle Holder is pictured here. In Colonial times rushes from the river were bound together and dipped in tallow (animal fat).

The North Parlor

The North Parlor was originally designed as a bedroom, but probably became a dining room in 1765. Christopher Leffingwell commissioned Thomas Harland (1735–1807) to make a clock for this room. Harland came from England in 1773 and by 1790 had apprentices from across the newly formed country producing clocks and watches in his Norwich workshop. The Harland Clock now stands in the exact spot where Christohper originally installed a shelf clock. The color of the woodwork is a faithful reproduction of the original color. A pastel attributed to John Singleton Copley, and several rare 18^th century samplers adorn the walls of this room.

The Kitchen

Kitchen

The Kitchen furnished with simple country pieces and painted a rich dark brown seems as alive and in use now as it was two centuries ago. Slatback chairs, a trestle table, and a pine cupboard provide a setting for utensils of brass, iron, and wood as well as pottery jugs and pewter plates.

In the photo above, Ann Cannon, President of the Society of the Founders of Norwich demonstrates a waffle iron from the early 1700s. The hearth stone is 8 feet to 9 feet long. With an area this big several items cook at once using a small pile of wood coal for each item. The coals would be swept back into the hearth after use.

The 1675 Bed Chamber

The 1675 Bed Chamber on the upper level of the Backus House has been restored to its original state with the exception of the windows which were installed in the 1700s. The corner posts with their finely molded chamfers and lambs tongue are exposed, and the vertical wall to the left and the right of the fireplace is decorated with typical 17^th century paneling known as shadow moulding. The room is furnished with appropriate early pieces which are Jacobean in style. Two 17^th century items are of particular interest: a brass wall lantern clock and a Norwich made blanket chest. The blanket chest was given to Lydia Lord as a wedding gift. Lydia Lord married John Reynolds of Norwich in 1720. The chest remained in the Reynolds house until it became part of the collection of the Leffingwell House Museum in 1957.

The Children's Room

Across the hall on the upper level is the Children's Room. This room has recently been restored and has its original fireplace and floor. The children's trundle bed is of particular interest because of its pristine condition and its rare 18^th century coverlet. The dolls and toys displayed here are from the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries.