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The Savage/Butler Homestead, Main St. Cromwell, CT
The Savage/Butler homestead, Cromwell, CT. Probably circa 1885-1890.
Sylvester B. Butler
Essay
Nov. 27, 1906.
Room 9
Sophomore Class
An Interesting Old House in Our Town
[An outline follows that I have omitted]
In the early part of the nineteenth century my great-grandfather, [Absalom Savage] a sea-captain, who transported products from the United States to the West Indies, built a house, in which he and his wife might live.
It was a plain, old-fashioned peaked-roof house with a door on the centre in front with a room on either side on the interior, back of which was the dining room with the pantry on one end and a small bedroom on the other. The plan of the second floor was similar, above which was the big garret where the children and grandchildren have had many a frolic. Since then there have been some additions. There was more added on the back part for a kitchen and a well room. On the south part of the house a veranda was built about four years ago. In three of the rooms there are old fashioned fire-places [There are 4 if you count the small one upstairs.] the largest of which is in the dining room where there is still the old crane which was used to hang the pots and kettles on for cooking purposes. The fireplaces are now all closed up. In the dining room is an old-time brick oven in which my grandmother used to cook many delicious Thanksgiving dinners.
On the south of the house is a very old native grape-vine from twelve to fifteen inches in circumference. It is surely one hundred years old. By the fence south of the house is a butternut tree which my grandmother started from a small butternut putting it in a flower pot until it had well rooted, then set it out, and it grew rapidly into a delightful shade tree. The shad-blow tree on the north side of the house my grandmother also started from a seed and in the summer many birds flock into the tree to get the fruit.
Around the yard are many bushes such as syringa, althea, white rose, etc., which my grand-mother started from cuttings. There are quite a few trees about the house which were named in honor of the different grandchildren as they were born. My tree is north of the road that goes into the yard and is a maple. There also is a horse chestnut tree, a white birch tree, and others for my brother, sister and cousins.
Last August we celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of this house. My great-uncle, who is eighty-nine years of age and son of the builder of the house, came on from Chicago for the anniversary [this would be Rev. George S. F. Savage]. The long table was set under the butternut tree, of which I have previously spoken, laden with good things to eat and after we had finished our delightful repast our uncle gave us an interesting talk of bygone days interspersed with various anecdoetes of some of our ancestors. He also read us a letter written to him by his aunt very many years ago, and of the death of his father the sea-captain at sea when he was but four years of age.
There were eight of his nephews (my uncles) and nieces at the gathering besides many grand nieces and grand nephews and the day will be remembered with pleasure by all.
[Comments in brackets by David Butler, grandson of Sylvester B. Butler]
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