Raymond-Ambler Farm
- Property Overview
- Inventory List
- Property Map
- Historic/Common Name:
- None
- Address:
- 257 and 275 Hurlbutt Street
- Town:
- Wilton »
- Year:
- 1779
- Historic Designation:
- LHP, SR
- Property Authority:
- Wilton Historic District and Historic Property Commission
- Features:
- Farmhouse, Barns (carriage barn, cow barn, ice house, corn crib), Outhouses, Garage, Open spaces, Others- silo foundations
- Historic Use:
- Farm house, Agriculture
- Present Use:
- _
- Architectural Style:
- Victorian
- Era:
- 18th Century, 19th Century
- Map:
- {# if eligible_for_tax_credits}
- Eligible for Historic Home tax credits:
- Yes {/if #}
- General description:
The Ambler family farmland holdings were at one time nearly 300 acres. Over the years the farm was reduced considerably in size through sale and leases. The property purchased by the Town of Wilton in 1999 consists of 22.9 acres. The property includes the following structures: The main residence, Ambler Family House built by Josiah Raymond in 1779. This Victorian building has a wrap around porch and was occupied by the same family through 1998. The white carriage barn (1880s), used as a horse barn and storage of horse drawn vehicles, is a distinguished structure with steep pitch Victorian era roof and decorated doors. It is well portioned accented by a cupola with weathervane, scalloped shingles and round topped windows. The property includes a red cow barn (1899) prominently sited at the top of the hill. It features a typical New England gambrel roof with two silo foundations remaining. The Ambler rental house is the second large home at the farm, probably built by Joriah Raymond for his son Lewis in 1799, now owned by the Town. Originally a colonial house, it was extensively modified around 1900 in the late Victorian era. The property also includes c. 1900 ice house, c. 1904 corn crib built by George Taylor, three outhouses and a garage built by 1920s. [2]
- Significance of the property:
The Raymond- Ambler Farm, located on Hurlbutt Street, represents a completely unique and irreplaceable piece of the history of Wilton. From 1744 when Jabez Raymond (1705-1789) first acquired on Hurlbutt Street, until the death of Elizabeth Raymond Ambler (1919 -1998), the property grew and was actively farmed, passing down through six generations of the Raymond-Ambler family. This combinations of single-family ownership and continuous use as a farm throughout two centuries exists in Wilton solely in this property, now known as Ambler Farm. From first glance, the Raymond-Ambler farm is strikingly beautiful, with open hilltop views that to the present include fields and meadows, stone walls, mature trees and a complex of houses and farm buildings which make is easy to feel the vitality and immediacy of its history. [2]
- Relationship with the Surroundings:
The majority of the farm's buildings and homes are still standing today. Hurlbutt Street The adjacent country club to the north, encompasses 160 acres and is still owned by the Elizabeth Raymond Ambler Trust.
- Ownership:
- Public
- Owner:
- Town of Wilton
- Sources:
[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.greenwichct.org/.
[2] Ambler Farm Historic Property, Study Committee Report, Wilton Historic District and Historic Property Study Committee, 2007, SHPO library, Hartford.
[3] Historic Resource Inventory, Historic Barns of Connecticut, http://www.connecticutbarns.org/10053/.
Assessors information and Parcel IDs retrieved from the website www.visionappraisal.com.- Date of Compilation:
- 12/31/11
- Compiler:
- Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation
Map of the historic property retrieved from the study report, SHPO library, Hartford.
View photo