120 Main Street - Frederick Crumb House

1836 Greek Revival

This is a great example of the Greek Revival style of residential architecture with its broad gable roof end entry and portico doorway. The heavy front eaves, cornices and entablature appear to be supported by the exaggerated pilasters on either side of the facade, which mimic the temple inspired design of classic Greek architecture and correspond to the timber frame construction within.

In May, 1836 Mrs. Ellice (Catlin) Crumb, Frederick’s wife, purchased land from James Cowles, Augustus Cowles, John Norton and Abner Bidwell for $20. The land was mortgaged “with dwelling house” for $550.00 seven months later to James and Augustus Cowles. The house is depicted on the 1855 Smith’s Map of Hartford County as residence of the Crumbs. As related in the second volume of the Memorial History of Hartford County (1886), Frederick W Crumb (later “Crum”) and Albert Hill built a small factory in 1854 on the Cowles Canal which manufactured saws and caskets. The business continued until the rise of the great saw factories in Pennsylvania made competition too severe, at which point they sold out to Union Nut Company. Crumb subsequently became an undertaker. The only daughter of Ellice and Frederick, Helen M, married Stanley N. Wadsworth, a corporal during the Civil War; All are buried in Hillside Cemetery.