MUSICAL CHAIRS & WOODSTOCK’S STREETSCAPE

By Jennie Shurtleff

Over two hundred and fifty years ago, the first settlers of European descent arrived at what is now the Village of Woodstock. To them, it appeared to be a wilderness. The land was rough, and the dwellings that they created were generally crudely-made structures that were built quickly with the materials such as brush, bark, and logs. As sawmills were erected, many began building framed timber structures; however, even these structures were often small and quickly made as most early settlers had numerous other tasks competing for their attention, such as clearing the land and raising crops to put food on their tables.

It was only as people had more time, more money, and better building materials that they began to create more commodious homes. Sometimes, the small, original home on a site was moved back to form an ell or a wing to a larger home that would then be positioned as the most central building. An example of this in Woodstock is the Dr. John D. Powers House, located at 29 The Green. In 1810, Dr. Powers, who had purchased the Mallard House that stood on the lot, moved the small existing structure back and built a larger, two-story building perpendicular to it that fronted the street. The Mallard House which had previously been the home, became a back ell.

Above: Current view of the Dr. John D. Powers House at 29 The Green.

Above: 19th-century view of the western side of Dr. John D. Powers House showing the original house built by John Mallard as a back ell.

Another common scenario in the 19th century when a building no longer suited the needs or tastes of its owner was to move the building to a more remote location. While many of the buildings that were relocated are lost to history, the Woodstock History Center does have records for some of the buildings that were moved, and knowing where these buildings were originally sited, helps us to envision what the town looked like in earlier times.

One of the areas in Woodstock that has a large proportion of buildings that have changed locations is the Green. This is in part due to the area around the Green being settled early when building materials were limited and buildings were erected quickly. However, it is also due to the fact that the area around the perimeter of the Green became a highly sought after location for both homes and businesses, so as people could afford to upgrade their living quarters, they kept their building site and rebuilt on it rather than moving to a new home in a different area.

One of the many buildings that was moved from its original site was Woodstock’s first jail, which is now located at 22 The Green. This structure was originally built in 1788 in front of where the brick cape known as the William Cubley House now stands at 20 The Green. From 1788-1797, the building housed prisoners in its stone dungeon. The dungeon apparently proved not to be very secure, and within a decade, the decision was made to build a new jail building on Central Street.

Above: The “old jail” as it appears today as a single-family home.

After the new jail on Central Street was built, the first jail building became known as “Burtch’s Tavern” and later as part of Tille Parker’s hostelry establishment. Around 1833, local entrepreneur Lyman Mower purchased the property and moved the “old jail” building to its current site and made it into a double tenement. In recent years, the building has been converted to a single family home.

Above: The William Cubley House, which is now located at 20 the Green. The old jail was originally oriented so that it faced northeast, and it stood in front of where the William Cubley House is now located.

Above: Late nineteenth-century image showing the Methodist Church on the left and the old jail being used as a dwelling on the right.

As for the William Cubley House, at 20 the Green, on this site there was originally a Methodist Church, that was built in the early 19th century but self-denied by 1936. After a brief stint of serving as a movie theater, the Methodist Church was demolished in 1961. The William Cubley House, which had been built in 1826 on Pleasant Street, was moved to the site of the former Methodist Church to take its place.

Above: The William Cubley House being moved in 1961 from its original location on Pleasant Street to its new location on the south side of The Green.

Above: Print of the current Court House on the Green. On this site, there had formerly been a building described as a “long building,” part of which was moved to River Street.

Traveling east around the Green, one comes to the site of the present Court House. On this site, according to historian Henry Swan Dana, once stood a “long building.” Unfortunately, no known photographs of this building exist. However, we know from accounts that it was divided in two and that it housed at various times a saddle shop, law offices, a school, Dr. Joseph Gallup’s medicine shop, and two maiden ladies who worked as seamstresses sewing clothes for the boys in town. Part of this building was eventually moved to River Street to an unknown location. The other part was later torn down to make room for the current court house after the second court house on the Green burned in 1854.

Turning north from the current court house, there once stood a structure built by Captain Israel Richardson that was literally located on what is now called the Green. In 1796, after deeding the east end of what is now the Green to the “Good People of Windsor County,” Israel Richardson moved his tavern off this land to its current location at 9 The Green.

The site of 9 The Green must have been rather crowded for at least part of the early 19th century as according to the National Historic District Nomination, in addition to the Richardson tavern building being moved to the site, the Levi Mower Store building was constructed on the site in 1807. Henry Swan Dana’s History of Woodstock indicates, however, that the store building was moved in 1823 to its current location at 23 The Green where it was converted into a dwelling house. Currently, this building is commonly referred to as either the “Levi Mower Store” (reflecting its original builder) or “Three Gables” (reflecting one of the building’s most prominent architectural features).

Above: Current view of “Three Gables,” located at 23 The Green.

Above: Nineteenth-century view of “Three Gables.”

Above: The Gallowhur House

Above: Moving the Dr. Mack House from its original site on The Green to its new site on Pleasant Street near the old railroad depot.

Just to the east of Three Gables is a structure known as the Gallowhur House (or 21 The Green). On this site, during the 19th century, there were once three smaller structures. One of which was torn down, and the other two moved. Of the two homes that were moved, one was known as the Dr. Mack House. This building was moved to Pleasant Street, near the East End Park. The whereabouts of the other house that was moved are currently unknown.

Above: The “Zebulon Chandler Tenement” in its current site at 5 School Street. This building was originally located on The Green.

The next stop, continuing west around the Green, is 27 The Green. On this site, there was a building constructed around 1794 known as the “Zebulon Chandler Tenement.” This building was moved in 1869 to 5 School Street. In its place at 27 The Green, in 1869 local grocer George Mellish built a large two-story house that still stands at this site.

While we have documentation for the above-described structures, many other early buildings were undoubtedly moved, but not recorded. Many others were completely demolished, leaving virtually no trace of their existence behind.

While researching the original locations of homes can be both confusing and time consuming, it is also a valuable activity as it provides us with a mental glimpse of what Woodstock’s streetscape looked like. What is clear by looking at the Green (and many other areas in Woodstock) is that streetscapes were not static. Streets were constantly evolving — with old buildings being torn down or moved, new structures being built, and modifications being made to existing structures to reflect the fashions of various periods as well as the needs of their owners.