National Register of Historic Places

Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House

Newtown, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Listed
June 20, 2007
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
07000557

About this property

The Sanford–Curtis–Thurber House, also known as James Thurber House, is a historic house at 71 Riverside Road in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, Connecticut. It is a Georgian style house built in c.1780 that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The house is a large, rural Georgian style farmhouse built for a prosperous farmer named Thomas Sanford (1732-1814), one of the first settlers in the Newtown area. The family farm was sold in 1824 to Hezekiah Curtis (1796-1866). The house was purchased in 1931 by Althea Thurber, the first wife of author and humorist James Thurber (1894–1961), and it was used as a weekend or holiday home. It was ostensibly a place where Althea could have dogs, and the family dogs inspired and appeared in Thurber's humorous sketches in The New Yorker magazine. Thurber’s only daughter was born while he lived in this home, and he wrote much of his most famous work My Life and Hard Times while here. Sections of wall were covered with his sketches and are now housed in the Thurber House at Ohio State University.

Location

71 Riverside Rd.
Newtown, Fairfield County, Connecticut
41.42527, -73.26314

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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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Nearby Historic Sites

New York Belting and Packing Co.
Listed
0.9 mi
Russian Village Historic District
Listed
1.8 mi
Baldwin, Caleb, Tavern
Early Republic
2.5 mi
Glover House
Industrial
2.5 mi
Newtown Borough Historic District
Listed
2.6 mi

Nearby Battles

Tryon's Connecticut Raids 1777 — Newtown
1777Revolutionary War
4.7 mi
Tryon's Raid on Danbury
1777Revolutionary War
10.1 mi
Raid on Danbury
1777Revolutionary War
10.1 mi
Danbury Raid Apr 26 1777
1777Revolutionary War
10.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House listed on the National Register?

Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 20, 2007.

What type of historic resource is Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House?

Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House?

The period of significance for Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Sanford-Curtis-Thurber House?

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