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The Henry Whitfield House
was built in 1639 when Guilford was first settled by Puritans
fleeing religious persecution in England. They sailed directly
to New Haven, settled in 1638, and proceeded to purchase the
land known as Menuncatuck from the local tribe.
The Old Stone House was
the home of Guilford's first minister, Henry Whitfield, and
also served as a defensive stronghold for the community. Local
legend has it that church services were held here before the
construction of the first meeting house in 1643. However, Whitfield
and other town leaders probably met here often, the house was
not large enough for the entire community to worship in.
 In
1650, Henry and his family returned to England during the Counter
Migrations. He took a position under Oliver Cromwell in the
newly-empowered Puritan church and died in 1657. The Whitfields
later sold the Guilford house to the Thompson family, absentee
landlords who managed their property in the colonies as a tenant
farm until the 1770's.
From 1776 to 1900, the
Griffing and Chittenden families (related through Marriage)
owned the Whitfield House. Prominent Guilford citizens and successful
business owners, they lived in the house at various times, rented
it to tenant farmers, and possibly used the site for offices
and warehouses. In the 1860s, they allowed St. George Catholic
Parish to meet in the house until their church was built. The
Chittendens heavily remodeled and expanded the building in 1868.
Sarah Chittenden Clone sold the house to the State of Connecticut
in 1900. |
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