The Ebenezer Gay House, also known locally as the Gay-Hoyt House, is a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...
at 18 Main Street in
Sharon, Connecticut
Sharon is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, in the northwest corner of the state. At the time of the United States 2020 Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population ...
. Built in 1775, it is a well-preserved example of Georgian colonial architecture in brick. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1979, and is part of the
Sharon Historic District, listed in 1993.
It is now home to the Sharon Historical Society.
Description and history
The Ebenezer Gay House stands at the southern end of Sharon's elongated town green, on the east side of Main Street directly opposite the First Congregational Church. It is a -story brick building, with a side gable roof, end chimneys, and a rubblestone foundation. The main facade faces west, and is five bays across, with a center entrance sheltered by a gabled porch support by slender round columns. The styling of the porch is Federal, suggesting it was added c. 1820. The interior has a central hall plan, and retains numerous original features, including fireplace paneling and cupboards.
The house was built in 1775-76 by
Ebenezer Gay, a prominent local businessman who also led the local militia during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. Gay apparently financially supported the war effort to his personal ruin; he died insolvent in 1787, and the house was lost to foreclosure. The house was bequeathed to the Sharon Historical Society by Anne Hoyt in 1951. It now houses the society's collections, with a residential space for a caretaker in the rear ell.
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See also
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References
External links
Sharon Historical Society web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Ebenezer, House
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Houses completed in 1775
Houses in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Sharon, Connecticut
Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut