National Register of Historic Places

Barkhamsted Center Historic District

Barkhamsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut
Listed
December 22, 1999
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
99001594

About this property

Barkhamsted Center Historic District is a historic district at the intersection of Center Hill Road and Old Town Hall Road in Barkhamsted, Connecticut. It encompasses the surviving elements of Barkhamsted's original town center, most of which was flooded by the creation of Barkhamsted Reservoir in the early 20th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Barkhamsted Center is located near the geographic center of the roughly rectangular town. It is set on the western shore of Barkhamsted Reservoir, centered at the junction of Center Hill Road, Day Road, and Old Town Hall Road. The latter road now comes to an end near the reservoir shoreline. Five of the district's six buildings are public in nature: they are a church and parsonage, school, the old town hall, and a former tavern. The Center Schoolhouse, built in 1821, was originally a two-story building; it was converted to one story about 1880. The first story was removed, keeping the second. The school was moved from its original location, very near the reservoir, to its current location on Center Hill Road in 1980. The school is now a museum run by the Barkhamsted Historical Society. The oldest building is the Nathaniel Collins House, a 1+1⁄2-story frame Colonial at 131 Center Hill Road. The town of Barkhamsted was incorporated in 1779, and has always had a rural character. It developed several small village centers, of which this one became the primary seat of civic activity. The town was divided in the 20th century by the creation of Barkhamsted Reservoir, serving the city of Hartford, on the East Branch Farmington River. The reservoir inundated much of the original village of Barkhamsted Center, and all of Barkhamsted Hollow. The town's civic center moved to the village of Pleasant Valley, and its main commercial center is now Riverton. As a result, the district shows the character of a rural mid 18th century community, now displaced by a 20th-century water supply reservoir. National Register of Historic Places listings in Litchfield County, Connecticut

Location

119, 131 Center Hill Rd.; 2,5,6,8 Old Town Hall Rd.
Barkhamsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut
41.92940, -72.96640

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Nearby Historic Sites

Peoples Forest Museum
Industrial
1.6 mi
American Legion Forest CCC Shelter
Industrial
1.9 mi
Moore Jr., William, House
Industrial
3.4 mi
Old Riverton Inn
Industrial
3.5 mi
Riverton Historic District
Listed
3.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Barkhamsted Center Historic District listed on the National Register?

Barkhamsted Center Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Barkhamsted Center Historic District?

Barkhamsted Center Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Barkhamsted Center Historic District?

The period of significance for Barkhamsted Center Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Barkhamsted Center Historic District?

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