The Hollister Homestead, historic house at 300 Nettleton Hollow Road in Washington, Connecticut
The Hollister Homestead is a house built around 1770 on Nettleton Hollow Road in rural Washington, showcasing Georgian style architecture from the colonial period. The wooden main building features a symmetrical design with a central door, and it sits among several barns and outbuildings from the 1700s and 1800s, with a sloped garden area beyond.
Built around 1770, the house was home to the Hollister family for many generations, with Gideon Hollister operating a nearby sawmill and playing an active role in local affairs. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 in recognition of its importance to local and early American history.
The name honors the Hollister family, who shaped this land over many generations through farming and stewardship. The buildings and gardens reflect how rural families lived and worked, and the garden design shows a lasting local appreciation for plants and careful land management that continues today.
The property is open from May through October and can be accessed on the east side of Nettleton Hollow Road, where the land slopes gently toward Sprain Brook. Wear comfortable shoes since the paths cross sloped terrain, and allow time to explore multiple buildings and garden sections spread across the property.
The garden was started in 1979 by local resident George Schoellkopf and is listed as a historic site for American garden preservation, inspired by Sissinghurst in England. It features multiple outdoor rooms separated by hedges, with plants spilling over paths and walls, especially dahlias, old-fashioned roses, and hydrangeas that change through the seasons.
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