Abel Darling House 1782:
The five-bay, central chimney Colonial house was constructed by Abel Darling in 1782. Darling sold the house almost immediately, and he is not listed in Woodruff's genealogy of pre-1800 residents, suggesting that he did not stay in Litchfield very long. Thomas H. Richards owned the house before 1850, and he sold to attorney Henry Graves in 1858. Robert Willians bought it from Graves in 1861, and it remained in his family until about the turn of the century. William Fenn, a coal and fuel merchant in business with T. Lynn Barber owned the house from 1902 until about 1919 when it was sold to fruit, vegetable and fish purveyor Martin J Morghan. Martin was also a semi-professional baseball player. The property remained in the Morghan family until 1967.
Like several other two-story 18th Century houses in the borough, the central chimney of the five-bay ca. 1872 house was removed during the late 19th century to create a more fashionable central-hall interior plan. Other modifications include replacement of the sash with a two-over-two, a boxed overhanging eave extension that retuns on the gable ends, and a later 19th century single-leaf entrance door with a flashed upper lite. The original wide board flooring survives on the second floor. An early one-story rear ell also survives.
Period maps indicate that the house had a recessed west wing prior to 1852, and that the wing was gone by 1874. It is believed that the wing was detached and moved to the southwest to become the nucleus of the corner house.
|
