Community Corner

Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties

This week's gem is a property full of history that can still be experienced today.

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The Welles-Shipman-Ward property, located at 972 South Main St. in Glastonbury.
The Welles-Shipman-Ward property, located at 972 South Main St. in Glastonbury. (Google Maps )

GLASTONBURY, CT — This week's Hidden Gem is a walk back in time that can still be experienced today.

The Welles-Shipman-Ward property, located at 972 South Main St. in Glastonbury, features a 1755 River Valley Mansion built by shipbuilder Col. Thomas Welles for John and Jerusha Welles after their marriage. The house has been preserved in its original colonial style and has one of the largest colonial era hearth fireplaces in Connecticut.

The property also features a four-story colonial-era New England bank barn, a 19th century tobacco shed and an 18th century privy (a fancy name for an outhouse or trash disposal unit) that originally served the patrons of the nearby Moseley Tavern, according to the historical society.

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Historians tell us that the Welles family owned the property until 1789. The family was compelled by business losses to sell it to a pair of creditors — Stephen Shipman Jr. and Nathaniel Talcott Jr.

In 1925, the home was acquired by Berdena Hart Ward, who restored it and gave it to the Glastonbury Historical Society, historians tell us.

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It is available for functions from April to October. The venue can accommodate up to 120 people in the original tobacco shed and there is plenty of room for a tent for larger gatherings.

The main house is available for private tours for an additional fee.

Click here to see more.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Hartford and Tolland counties. Do you have a favorite Hidden Gem in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to Chris.dehnel@patch.com.

Other Hidden Gems in the series:
2025

2024

2023

2022 and earlier

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