192 Hope Valley Rd

View of the homestead at 192 Hope Valley Road; Source - Google
Historic/Common Name:
Nathaniel Phelps House
Address:
192 Hope Valley Road
Town:
Hebron »
Year:
_
Historic Designation:
LHP, SR
Property Authority:
Historic Properties Commission
Features:
Building, Open space, Others- Stone walls
Historic Use:
Homestead
Present Use:
Homestead
Architectural Style:
_
Era:
Early 18th Century
Map:
{# if eligible_for_tax_credits}
Eligible for Historic Home tax credits:
Yes
{/if #}
General description:

The property is located in the very center of Hopevale and had numerous influential Hebronians as prior owners, including the Rebillard, Porter, Coats and milies. The house was part of a farm for at least 150 years prior to 1856. It was originally built by Nathaniel Phelps, Jr., the son of Nathaniel Phelps Sr., who according to research by John Sibun in his 'Our Town's Heritage, 1708-1958: Hebron, Connecticut', was elected to be the town's first official 'innkeeper' in 1712. Of the original nine families settling Hebron in 1704, there were two branches of the Phelps family: Timothy and Nathaniel Sr. This property has a rich history dating back to just few decades after the original settling of Hebron.

Significance of the property:

Written and oral histories provide undisputed evidence regarding the significance of Hebron farming and manufacturing activities, particularly in the Hope Valley (Hopevale) and Millstream Road areas. The property offers a microcosmic view of life in Hebron at the turn of the 18th century. On one hand, Hopevale was a center of farming, millwork and Methodism; the Millstream area offered primarily farming, but also brick making and stone mining, as well as basic materials manufacturing. The property is historical significant to the community and provides excellent educational opportunities for current and future generations, as well as others interested in Hebron's past history of early settlers.

Relationship with the Surroundings:

The historic property includes a certain parcel of land, together with all improvements thereon, situated on the northerly side of Hope Valley Road, formerly known as the Highway from Hebron to Hopevale, in the Town of Hebron; as described in the ordinance. The property is bounded northerly, easterly and westerly by land formerly of Austin Cowles, and southerly by said Highway.

Ownership:
Private
Owner:
Cyr Craig F. and Jean E.
Sources:

[1] Historic property information retrieved from the town website http://www.hebronct.com/.
[2] Historic Properties in Hebron, Preliminary Study Report, Hebron Historic Properties Commission, SHPO library, Hartford.
Assessor and GIS information retrieved from the website http://www.mainstreetmaps.com/CT/Hebron/.

Map of the historic property retrieved from the online GIS.

View photo
Date of Compilation:
12/31/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation