Woodbury Historic District Number 1

St. Theresa's Catholic Church, Main Street, view towards the east; Source: NRIS 71000908.
Town:
Woodbury »
Year of Establishment:
1968
Overlapping Historic Designation(s):
LHD, NRHD, SR
District Authority:
Historic District Commission, Woodbury
Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
Map:

Map of the historic district retrieved from the Historic District Study Committee, 1969, SHPO Library, Hartford.

View photo
District Character:
Town Center
Features:

Buildings, Parks, Vacant land

Architectural Style:

Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian

Era:
17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century
General description:

The Woodbury Historic District No. 1 is a residential community bounded by open fields and woods. It has a variety of Colonial and Federal houses within it and includes a number of Greek Revival and Victorian buildings as well. The impression that the town creates is that of the restraint and simplicity of the Federal period, perhaps because most of the structures have been painted white. The general effect of the white painted exteriors is to create a sense of unity and serenity. Some houses built as early as 1680 still stand in the district. In general a continuous series of houses exist which embody the history of the town from 1674 to the present.The Woodbury Historic District No. 1 functions as a commercial area and serving more than 5,000 people for their everyday needs. The most significant part of the town's commercial life are the antique dealers. Individuals skilled in related crafts and professions such as the restoration of furniture and paintings have been drawn to the area, and several nationally known artists now live in the town and surrounding countryside. [NR]

Significance of the district:

Architecture, Agriculture, Art, Military:The Woodbury Historic District No. 1 is significant because its architecture and historic sites embody the history of the area since the seventeenth century. Nearly every type of house from the time of settlement to 1828 can be found in the area and it has some interesting Victorian houses as well. At present a considerable number of artists, authors, composers, photographers and skilled artisans with national reputations live in Woodbury and it is a community which provides a congenial atmosphere for people whose lives are devoted to the arts.The town was founded in 1673 when fifteen families from Reverend Zechariah Walker's church in Stratford settled on land purchased from the Potatuck Indians. The home lots were laid out along Main Street which almost followed the Indian Trail. In 1674 the General Court gave the name of Woodbury to the plantation at Pomperaug; in 1779 a part of Woodbury was set off to Washington, in 1787 another part to Southbury; in 1796 another to Roxbury and in 1807 a fourth part to Middlebury.During the revolution Woodbury was a prosperous town, fourth largest on the State's grand list with a population in 1776 of 5,325. According to Crofut about a half of Ethan Allen's men on the expedition to Ticonderoga came from Woodbury and some have believed that Woodbury contributed as many as 1,500 men and more than a half million dollars' worth of supplies to the Continental Army. [NR]

District Boundary (according to the LHD Study Report, copied in 2010):

Historic District No.1 is situated in the center of town and located on both sides of Main Street, and its boundaries are defined as follows: On the easterly side of Main Street, it commences with 3 Old Sherman Hill Road (Tax Assessor's Map # 103, Lot #48) at the intersection of the highway known as Old Sherman Hill Road, and extends northerly to the southerly boundary of 264 Main Street North (Tax Assessor's Map #23, Lot #32). On the westerly side of Main Street, the district begins with 4 South Pomperaug Avenue (Tax Assessor's Map #103, Lot #3 ) at the intersection of Pomperaug Avenue and extends northerly to and including 4 Flanders Road and Route #6 (Tax Assessor's Map #23, Lot #55). Also included are the following streets running from Main Street: Hollow Road and Sycamore Road to the Pomperaug River, Judson Avenue to the Pomperaug River, School Street, Orenaug Road and Park Road up to Orenaug Park, Pleasant Street to and including 5 Pleasant Street (Tax Assessor's Map #105, Lot #83). Both sides of all of said streets are included to a depth of two hundred feet from the edge of the street pavement. [3]

Sources:

[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.woodburyct.org/.
[2] North District and South District, Woodbury, Report of the Historic District Study Committee, 1969, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[3] Woodbury Historic District Commission Regulations, accessed from the website http://ahhowland.com/regulations/litchfield-county/Woodbury/historic-district/historic-district-regulations-1-16-03.pdf.
[4] Assessors information and Parcel IDs retrieved from the website http://www.cogcnvgis.com/Woodbury/AGS_MAP/.
[NR] Luyster Constance, Woodbury Historic District No. #1, National Register Nomination Number- 71000908 NRIS, National Park Service, 1971 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/71000908.pdf; http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/71000908.pdf.

Notes:

The north and the south boundaries of the district are not are closed in the district map attached with the Historic District Study Committee Report, 1969, SHPO Library. Although it is not categorically mentioned in the National Register nomination, the local historic district and the National Register historic district appear to be co-terminous.

Disclaimer:

Content for this website and district boundaries were compiled from several sources and are subject to change. Boundaries for LHDs may be different from those of State or National Register Districts. To verify the boundaries and particulars of a specific district, consult the LHD study report on file with the respective municipal authority or the State Historic Preservation Office.

Date of Compilation:
11/15/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation