National Register of Historic Places

Rising Sun Tavern

North Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut
Listed
August 20, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
79002638

About this property

The Rising Sun Tavern is a historic house and former public accommodation on Old Tavern Road in North Haven, Connecticut. Probably built around 1760, it is a well-preserved example of an 18th-century tavern house, serving in that role into the mid-19th century. Now a private residence, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The former Rising Sun Tavern house stands in eastern North Haven, on the south side of Old Tavern Road. The roadway is an old alignment of a major 19th-century north-south turnpike, now bypassed by the modern alignment of Connecticut Route 17. The tavern is a 2-1/2 story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof, two brick end chimneys, and a clapboarded exterior. The main facade is five bays wide, with sash windows set symmetrically around the center entrance. The entrance is framed by pilasters, which rise to a corniced entablature. The interior of the building follows a typical center hall plan, with a single-run staircase in the central hall, and four chambers, two on either side, on each floor. A single-story kitchen ell extends to the rear of the main block. The property, encompassing more than 3 acres (1.2 ha), is notable for the lack of modern intrusions. The exact construction date of the house is unknown, but is likely mid-18th century, based on stylistic and documentary evidence. The property includes a sign with a rising sun motif, and naming two of the early tavern proprietors. It is marked with the date 1738, suggesting an active tavern has been standing here since at least then. The owner in 1738 was Caleb Hitchcock, whose family sold the property to Gideon Todd in 1786. The Todd family operated the tavern until its closure in the 1860s. They also served as tolltakers on the Middletown Turnpike (now CT 17) which opened in 1812 and had a toll gate nearby. National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven County, Connecticut

Location

North Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut
41.37223, -72.82381

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Fourth District School
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2.2 mi
Williams, Warham, House
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Barker, John, House
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Pines Bridge Historic District
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2.8 mi
Baldwin, George, House
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Nearby Battles

Raid on New Haven (Connecticut)
1779Revolutionary War
7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rising Sun Tavern listed on the National Register?

Rising Sun Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Rising Sun Tavern?

Rising Sun Tavern is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rising Sun Tavern?

The period of significance for Rising Sun Tavern is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Rising Sun Tavern?

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