The Buttolph-Williams House in Wethersfield was built in 1711. The house is open May-October because it isn't heated. If you happen to visit during October, the stories that you hear during your tour are centered on the prosecution of witches in Connecticut as well as the history of the house. It adds a very entertaining touch.
Many people, especially women, from all parts of the United States, know Wethersfield, Conn. as the setting for the Newberry Award winning book The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. While Connecticut never got into the whole witch hunt frenzy that gripped Salem, Mass. the state does have its own shameful past when it comes to persecuting witches, or should we say suspected witches, because really no one was safe. Connecticut's witch hysteria began in the 1660s through the last trial was in the 1720s.
During that time 43 people were accused and 11 were executed. All you had to be was a widow who had something that someone else lusted after, and usually, that would be your land. A simple accusation could be enough to get you railroaded out of town or much worse. Being a pretty serving girl could also make you a target.
The Buttolph-Williams House is more than three hundred years old and has been restored and maintained beautifully. The second owner was glove maker David Buttolph, and the style of the house has the feeling of old England about it. The diamond panel casement windows and the wood siding that has become almost black with age, gives it all the atmosphere you could possibly want when visiting a colonial period home. It is the finest home of its kind in Connecticut.
In order to visit the Buttolph-Williams House you must sign up for a tour at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. and there is the option of doing all four houses or just the one. Because of time constraints on this visit we just did the Buttolph-Williams House. We took the 2:30 tour.
Tours meet in the courtyard at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. You must be able to walk easily on a path through the woods. No parking is provided at the Buttolph-Williams House, you need to find public parking in downtown historic Wethersfield. It is not too difficult and parking is free. However, a fee is charged for the tour.
The house itself is not handicapped accessible and you need to be able to climb very tight circular stairs to visit the second floor. It is worthwhile to do so, however. The house has been lovingly furnished with period antiques and it has a very authentic feel. From the open hearth in the kitchen to the bedroom on the second floor, it is all very much in keeping with the time period of the home. None of the items in the home are original to the family but there is certainly enough authenticity to make a visit here very enjoyable.
On the walk back to the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, take the time to walk through the cemetery. Many of the important people from the history of Wethersfield are buried here and even more interestingly there are four marked slave graves, which is very unusual.
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