Groton Orders Dilapidated Historic House Demolished

Years ago, James Mitchell and others envisioned restoring the house at the corner of Packer and Cow Hill Roads, a building once owned by a sea captain in the 1800s.

The group formed the Burnett's Corners Preservation Society, Inc., took ownership of the property, held a fundraiser and even got a modest state grant for the project. 

That was perhaps 15 years ago.

It didn't work out as they'd hoped. The money wasn't enough. The rules that went with the state grant were complicated. The Preservation Society itself became fragmented over time. Members grew old and left town. As years went by, the house deteriorated to near ruin.

Now the town has labeled the building unsafe and says it must be demolished.

In a Feb. 23 letter to Mitchell from the town's planning and development services, the town wrote that the structure violates code in that the “building is in imminent danger of failure or collapse.” The house was inspected on Feb. 8, the letter said. 

Mitchell said the building could be saved if someone had the money. It would probably cost $100,000, he said.

“We all love the building and it’s amazingly historic,” he said. “If others were willing to get involved and were interested in it, then perhaps the whole problem of demolition would go away.”

Richard Burnett built the house in the early 1800s and was well known in his time, as a sea captain who lived along a stagecoach route from New York to Boston. He joined the Lodge of Masons, which met for a time in his house.

When he retired as sea captain, Burnett bought the hotel where the Mitchells now live diagonally across the street, and ran it as a stagecoach stop.  It was active until the train came through.

Groton Town Mayor James Streeter said he also had concerns about preserving the building for its historic value. But he said the preservation group had years, said it would do the work and yet never got it done.

The Burnett's Corners Preservation Society, which at this point includes Mitchell as its secretary, was ordered to install a safety fence at least eight feet high to secure the property and to obtain a permit with a licensed demolition contractor.

Nancy Mitchell, who runs the Pequot Hotel Bed & Breakfast, said she understands the building is in bad shape, but it's still sad to her.

“It just breaks my heart,” she said. “I understand that it looks terrible. I understand that it’s an eyesore. But it find a shame that it has gotten to this point. Because when these buildings are gone, they’re gone forever. “