230 Main Street - William Griswold House

1837 Greek Revival Style

This clapboard sided house has a long-gabled roof and an exaggerated flat frieze which contains attic vents. Originally, these vents may have had operable windows. There are two large pilasters flanking the facade and a recessed entryway with a generous pilaster and header surround, and decorative header trim work above each window.

William Griswold purchased a 31-acre area of land from John Isham, with buildings for $1,150. Griswold may have incorporated one of the earlier structures into the back of the home he erected. Griswold was a carpenter/joiner and reportedly built Unionville’s third schoolhouse in 1868. Tradition holds that Griswold operated a meeting hall in the upper story, where the Odd Fellows held their early meetings. Dances were also held in the hall. Griswold was the first man to try to bring fresh water into homes. He dug a ditch from a water source on Huckleberry Hill across the road to the rear of his house, where a small reservoir stored the water. The plan was not successful thanks to cold weather and animal interference, forcing Griswold to end his “impractical and useless enterprise.”

Later owners include Lucius Pond, a founder of Pond & Hart, a cutlery manufacturer which employed over 60 workers.