National Register of Historic Places

Tully, William, House

Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut
Listed
March 15, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82004340

About this property

The William Tully House, also known as Hartsease or Heartsease, is a historic house at 135 North Cove Road in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Built about 1750, it is a well-preserved and architecturally unusual example of period architecture. It also has a well-documented history, having association with one of Connecticut's leading physicians of the early 19th century, and an incident in the American Revolutionary War. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The William Tully House is located on the north side of North Cove Road, between it and the eponymous North Cove in eastern Old Saybrook. North Cove Road is a historic road dating to the mid-17th century. The house is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, four bays wide, with a central chimney and centered doorway. Architectural evidence suggests it was originally built as a single-room house, with an attic loft and basement kitchen, which was later enlarged. The house's name, Heartsease, is of uncertain origin. There is no documentation why this name came about, but it could be in relation to the flower Viola tricolor (also known as heartsease) once growing in the yard. It could also be related to its use as a summer house for working girls during the 19th century. The house was built circa 1750. The exact construction date is not documented, but William Tully's father divided his land holdings in 1745. This event, and the 1779 American Revolutionary War incident described below, guided architectural historians to date the house at about 1750, assuming that William Tully built the house soon after receiving the land. The house was the site of a minor incident on August 8, 1779, in which Tories from Middletown sought release of some of their own goods to sell to the British. The second William Tully defended the property, killing two of the attackers. The house was later owned by Dr. William Tully (the fourth with that name), described as one of Connecticut's leading scientific doctors of the first half of the 19th century and a teacher at the Yale Medical School. National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Connecticut

Location

135 N. Cove Rd.
Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut
41.28922, -72.35680

Categories

MILITARYHEALTH/MEDICINEARCHITECTURE
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

Black Horse Tavern
Early Republic
0.1 mi
North Cove Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Cypress Cemetery
Listed
0.4 mi
Connecticut Valley Railroad Roundhouse and Turntable Site
Industrial
0.5 mi
Eliot, Samuel, House
Industrial
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Tully, William, House listed on the National Register?

Tully, William, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 15, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Tully, William, House?

Tully, William, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tully, William, House?

The period of significance for Tully, William, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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