Nathan Lester House and Farm Tool Museum

Nathan Lester House and Farm Tool Museum

The Nathan Lester House is a historic house museum located in the Gales Ferry section of Ledyard, Connecticut, and is on the U.S. List of Historic Places. Built in 1793, it is a well-preserved example of an unpretentious late 18th-century farmhouse and one of the few houses of that age left in the town. It is located on over 110 acres of land owned by the town and overseen by the Ledyard Historic District Commission. The grounds include the Great Oak Garden, which was designed, installed, and is maintained by the Ledyard Garden Club. There is also conservation land with over 2 miles of trails.

Description and History

Description and History

The Nathan Lester House is located in a rural setting east of the village of Gales Ferry, on the east side of Vinegar Hill Road at its junction with Long Cove Road. The property is mostly wooded, with a long drive providing access to the farmstead. The main house is a two and ½ story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side-gable roof, clapboard siding, and a large central chimney. The interior follows a typical central chimney plan, with a narrow entry vestibule that has a winding staircase and parlors to either side of the chimney. The kitchen (keeping room) extends across much of the rear, with a large fireplace and beehive bake oven. Small chambers at the corners may have served as the farm ‘study’, pantry, and borning room originally.

The house was built in 1793 by Nathan Lester on land that had been purchased by his grandfather Peter. It is one of a small number of 18th-century houses in the town. The property historically included a site where once stood the Ledyard Oak. The tree was believed to be over 400 years old and was a local landmark to native and colonial people alike. The property remained in the Lester and Larrabee family until 1880. The history of the property between that sale and the purchase by the Graves family is murky. Dr. Charles Graves purchased the house in 1908, beginning a restoration that accounts for the survival of much of the original details. Their daughter, Elizabeth Graves Hill, and her husband Norbert Hill raised their family there and in 1967 sold the farm to the Town of Ledyard through the Open Space Program.

The Nathan Lester House and Farm Tool Museum represents a unique partnership between the Town of Ledyard and the Ledyard Historical Society. The buildings and grounds are owned and maintained by the Historic District Commission while the collection of furnishings, textiles, looms, tools, paintings, and vehicles belong to the Historical Society.

Visit

Visit

Tours of the Lester House and its barn and carpentry shop are available from Memorial Day through Halloween on Saturdays and Sundays, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment.
 
The grounds, including the Great Oak Garden and the trails, are open year-round, from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
 
The Lester House and its grounds are available for weddings, meetings, and other special events.
 
Please contact the caretakers at (860) 464-2040 for more information.

Links

Links

  • 2015 Civil War Anniversary Independence Day Celebration

https://youtu.be/Xq_JF2yt28g?si=cCST8jRhZ3HjWLf6

https://youtu.be/0S-3xm202tE?si=G31zNVTT0cVEmAy7

  • Link to CT Collections & update wording to talk about upcoming cataloging project.

https://www.ctcollections.org/

Directions

Directions

The Nathan Lester House and Farm Tool Museum is located at 153 Vinegar Hill Road, Gales Ferry, Connecticut, 06335.