Jewett-Gillin House

229 Salmon Brook Street

This House:

This house was also one of a group of houses built about 1830 on a block of land owned by the Jewett family. An 1869 map shows Robert Jewett, a shoemaker, as the owner. In the 1870’s James W. Gillin, the harness maker, lived in the house.

A Bit More:

The story of the Jewett family in Granby is an interesting.one. According to family tradition, Dr. Joseph Jewett came to Granby in the 1700’s in this way:

Dr. Joseph Jewett was a doctor in Norwich but thought the medical profession there was crowded. While searching for a place to settle, he came to Salmon Brook Village. As he was riding up the hill across Salmon Brook, he heard cries of distress in the nearby woods. He found a man who had seriously cut his foot while chopping wood. He gave him first aid and got him back to his home in the village. After tending him for a few days, Dr. Jewett found that he liked the people he met and they liked him so he settled in Salmon Brook Village and spent his life there.

Candle Mold

Even More:

One of the owners was Arthur Clark who moved into the house in 1916. He and his wife did extensive remodeling. They took out the big old center chimney because it made the floor sag and added a kitchen because there was a sink in the dining room.

At that time, workdays were about 10 hours a day. He worked at the creamery from 4 or 5:00 in the morning until about noon and then again in the afternoon if any late cream came in. During World War I store owners had to post signs in their windows about how many hours they were working their help. When interviewed late in his life, Arthur commented that sometimes those signs weren’t too accurate.