The Sarah Whitman Hooker Homestead is a documented eighteenth century Connecticut Valley Manor
House. Construction was begun sometime between 1715 and 1720 by Ensign Timothy Seymour, who described it as, "My manor
house on Four Mile Hill" in his will. He built one room "with chamber above" and a large soon-to-be central
fireplace-and-chimney complex on the east side of the two room house.
By 1730 Captain Timothy Seymour, his son, had added another room with chamber above to the east.
Paneling was used in the first floor east room, sometimes
known as the "Tavern Room" because it had a separate entrance and alcoholic beverages were served along with food.
The Tavern License was obtained by Captain Timothy Seymour to augment the family income from farming, probably because the
house was situated on the main road running from Hartford to Farmington to New York City. Customers in the form of travelers
were a frequent sight on what is now New Britain Avenue.
Captain Timothy Seymour also installed horizontal paneling in the upper east room and had it
sponge-painted. The remains of this work can still be seen in one corner of the room and in the adjacent closet, created by
the later renovations of 1800 - 1810. There are reasons to believe that by 1730, at least the east upper room was insulated
with locally made brick on the east and south sides. It is possible that the brick extended all the way along the back to
the west side of the house.
By 1750, a later owner added one story addition on the south side of the house turned it into
a saltbox. The central chimney and fireplace complex was still being used. The brick insulation was probably still in use
for the second floor. If so, it was locally made brick, probably from a brickyard in nearby Elmwood. It is this house
that General Rochambeau and his 4,000 troops marched by in 1781 (twice), first going to Yorktown to the aid of General Washington,
and then returning to Newport, Rhode Island to re-embark for France.
In the decade 1800 - 1810, the house was extensively remodeled to a Federal
style house (in England, it would have been called "Georgian"). The one story addition was removed and replaced
by four rooms, two up, two down, and a back staircase. The central fireplace and chimney complex which had been been built
on the east side of the first two rooms was removed and replaced with a new central stairway. Two
new chimney complexes with associated fireplaces were installed, one on the west the other on the east sides of the
house. And in the remodeling, the original dimensions of the front rooms were reduced, creating spaces between the chimneys
and the front and back rooms of the house. Any remaining brick insulation on the second floor south side was certainly removed
at this time.
We would
like to say that the 1800 - 1810 renovation returned the house to the original dimensions originally envisaged by Timothy
Seymour, but in fact, there is a possibility that if he envisioned the south rooms to be as large as the first ones that he
and his eldest son built, then the finished house would be somewhat larger than it is today.
Visitors today see a carefully restored, early 18th century mansion
house, remodeled in the Federal style before 1810. Wallpapers are reproductions of originals found in the house. Paint colors
have been reproduced. There are extensive collections of furniture, porcelain, glass, textiles, and clothing of the period,
some pieces relating to the several families who lived here. All of the collections are of the period 1715 - 1830, the year in which Sarah Whitman Hooker left Connecticut.
There are numerous places throughout the house where the original fabric of the house was left
exposed so that visitors can gain an appreciation of construction techniques. Miniaturized portraits of Colonel and Captain
Skene, two prominent Tories held during the revolution are on view.
The
Homestead is the oldest surviving structure that is open to the public in the Town of West Hartford. It is a historic site with both the National Trust Historic Landmark and
Rochambeau Route designations. It was preserved and
restored through the efforts of the Sarah Whitman Hooker Foundation, Inc. who decided to name this landmark for the single
person who inhabited it the longest: Sarah Whitman Hooker who lived here from 1770 to 1794 and kept a watchful eye on it from
across the intersection from 1794 to 1830.
