East Windsor Hill Historic District

The East Windsor Hill area was settled in 1638 by families from Windsor, just across the Connecticut River to the west. The two communities were joined by the first ferry service to span that river, established in 1648 by John Bissell. The eastern end of the ferry was located at the western end of Ferry Lane, a short way south of the mouth of the Scantic River, and includes a surviving ferry tavern house dating to about 1750. Mainly agricultural in character, the village received a boost in the 1830s, when the theologically conservative Theological Institute of Connecticut was established here. Although none of its academic buildings survive, homes of people associated with the institution do.[2]

The architecture of the East Windsor Hill village is diverse, representing over 150 years of largely vernacular domestic architecture. Several houses were built in the high Federal style, typically for merchants who were dealing in the area's agricultural products. A number of locally well-known builders constructed houses in the village, and there are several fine instances of the elaborate carved doorway surrounds for which the Connecticut River valley is well known. Probably the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in the district is the 1835 high-style home of Bennett Tyler, the first president of the Theological Institute.[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut