Archives for 2021

Ship images inside historic Guilford homes

There are several images of ships appearing on the walls of several historic Guilford homes.   Some of these homes were owned by those having ties to some type of maritime enterprise or history, and some of these homes were owned by those who were slave owners.

In the attic at 65 Water Street, is a chalk drawing of a ship.  That house was originally located on the corner of Whitfield & Boston Streets and moved to 65 Water Street in 1958.  That house was built in 1763 for Elias Cadwell, Jr. who was a slave owner, and it is possible that one of his slaves drew that image.

Another house where two ship images were etched into the wood walls leading to the attic is located at 85 Boston Street.   This house, known as the Thomas Burgis II house, was built c. 1735/36.   Currently, there is no known record that Thomas Burgis II was a slave owner.  However, his father, Thomas Burgis was a native of Yorkshire, England, and was compelled to serve for several years aboard a British man-o-war.

It is also possible that the ship graffiti was done by a later owner or occupant.

85 Boston Street – Ship 1 (etched)        85 Boston Street – Ship 2 (etched)

65 Water Street – Ship 1 (chalk)                       65 Water Street – Ship 2 (etched)

Photos taken by Tracy Tomaselli (October 2021)

 At a General Court, held at Guilford, June 28, 1652, it was “voted, the matter about a College at New  Haven for us of this jurisdiction to undergo alone; especially considering the unsettled state of New  Haven Town; being publicly declared…to be a place of no comfortable subsistence for the present  inhabitants there. But if Connecticut do join, the planters are generally willing to bear their just  proportions for erecting and maintaining a College there”.  

 In October 1701, the Legislature, granted a charter, constituting “Trustees of a Collegiate School in his  Majesty’s Colony of Connecticut; and invested them with all the powers which were supposed to be  necessary for the complete execution of their trust. The following November, they chose one of their  number, Mr. Pierson, rector of the school, and determined that it should be fixed for the present at  Saybrook”.  

 “In the year 1702, the first commencement was held at Saybrook, at which five young gentlemen  received the degree of A. M. From this time many debates arose concerning the place where the school  should finally be established and continued to agitate the community.” October 17, 1716, with the  community still disunited, four of the nine trustees strongly voted against moving the school to New  Haven. “The trustees, nerveless, proceeded to hold the commencement, the following year, at New  Haven, and to order a college to be erected. It was accordingly raised in October 1717 and finished the  following year.” The building, enabled through a number of considerable donations, “was built of wood,  one hundred and seventy feet long, twenty-two feet wide, and cost about £1000 sterling. Before it was  erected, the students were scattered in various places, as Milford, Killingworth, Guilford, Saybrook,  Wethersfield, &c. Soon afterwards, they all removed to New Haven. The number of the students was  about 40, the course of education was pursued with spirit, the benefactions increased in number and  value, from this time the institution began to flourish.” 

Connecticut Historical Collections, History and Antiquities of Every Town in Connecticut. John Warner Barber 1836 p. 146