Craftsmen, clients, and buildings: The domestic architecture of Guilford, Connecticut, 1689-1789

For much of the twentieth century the work of Norman Morrison Isham and Albert F. Brown, as well as J. Frederick Kelly, has been the last word on colonial domestic architecture in Connecticut. This case-study builds on the work of Isham, Brown, Kelly, and others to construct an object-based community study. By focusing on a single community, rather than the whole state, and examining not only the buildings, but also the men behind them (i. e. , those who paid for, and built, the houses), this work begins to examine domestic architecture in a different way. The ebb and flow of the town's population, and the traits the buildings exhibit, were considered in light of documentary research into tax and vital records, as well as other public and private documents. What results is a fuller picture of how the buildings in a community reflect its social structure. The dissertation begins with two chapters that introduce the terms and concepts that will be used throughout the work. Chapter Two focuses on the role that craftsmen play in the development of building practices within the community. Chapter Three discusses the ways in which the buildings reflect the attitudes of both the craftsmen and their clients. The next three chapters discuss the chronological development of the community as it was shaped by the craftsmen and their clients, and reflected in the buildings. Chapter Four describes the period from 1689, fifty years after the town was settled, to 1729. Chapter Five covers the years 1730–1763. Chapter Six describes 1763–1789. Each of these chapters describes the craftsman population during the years being discussed, the role of the client in the building process, and the importance of the buildings constructed. Chapter Four focuses on the consolidation of styles and techniques which occurred during the 1689–1729 period, while Chapter Five discusses the impact of non-native craftsmen on the construction techniques used within the community. Chapter Six discusses the greater regional awareness of the community and the way in which it is reflected in the houses constructed during this period.