Griswold House

The Griswold House is a colonial residence in Guilford, Connecticut, built with a traditional saltbox design featuring a steep roofline and central chimney typical of early New England homes. The site includes the main house along with a blacksmith shop, barn containing period tools, two storage structures for grain, and outbuildings that document daily life from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Built around 1764, the house stood as a family residence for nearly two centuries before the Guilford Keeping Society acquired and preserved it in 1958. The property's transition to public stewardship helped maintain the structures and artifacts that illustrate colonial and early American life.

The home reflects how families blended domestic and productive work during early American times. Visitors can see the close relationship between household activities and blacksmithing craft on the same property.

The site is compact and walkable, allowing visitors to move through all structures in a single visit. Take time to examine the displays in the blacksmith shop and barn, where tools and household items are arranged to show how people worked and lived during that era.

The interior brick chimney still bears soot marks from centuries of wood fires, creating a visible record of daily cooking and heating practices. This raw evidence of lived experience is often hidden or cleaned away in other restored historic homes.

Location: Guilford

GPS coordinates: 41.28333,-72.67472

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:46