Welcome to the historically significant Maxson House nestled
within the charming seaside New England village of Mystic,
Connecticut. As our guest, you'll enjoy this entire privately
owned residence and expansive property as your very own vacation
rental home and coastal retreat. Rich with maritime heritage and
listed in the National Register of Historic Places, our house
dates from 1854 and was crafted by the distinguished master
shipbuilder William Ellery Maxson.
Maxson House
offers 4 comfortable bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Upstairs, the
master bedroom features a king size bed, a walk-in closet, and a
private bathroom with a shower. Our guest bedroom has a queen
size bed, while a third nautical-themed bedroom includes two
twin beds and a delightful book nook for children. The hall
bathroom showcases an antique cast iron clawfoot bathtub along
with a separate shower. The reading room on the first floor may
also be utilized as a spare bedroom, as it is appointed with a
twin daybed sofa with a pullout trundle. A half bathroom is
located on the first floor as well.
Our well-stocked
galley kitchen is equipped with everything you’ll need to
prepare either a simple snack or a complete gourmet meal. Apart
from providing your own fresh ingredients and beverages… you’ll
find the kitchen generously appointed with a coffee & tea
station, cookware, bakeware, dinnerware, glassware, drinkware,
silverware, utensils, cutlery, appliances, essential spices, and
much more.
You're invited to roam the spacious lawn
& gardens of Maxson House. Over almost an entire acre you'll
discover a babbling brook, mature trees, seasonal flowers,
fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Our beautiful red brick patio is
bordered by a formal privet hedge, ensuring privacy while you
enjoy dining outdoors with friends and family... whether under
the shade of market umbrellas during the day or the cozy glow of
enchanting café lights at nighttime.
Foremost
amongst a bountiful array of amenities is our highly desirable
location. Maxson House is ideal for scenic walks and sightseeing
in the heart of Mystic. You'll certainly benefit from our
private motor court and lengthy driveway that allows ample space
for parking... as plentiful shops, restaurants, and attractions
are just a short and enjoyable stroll away. In fact, mere steps
across Noank Road and practically in our backyard is Mystic
Market West, the award-winning gourmet kitchen & eatery.
Original watercolor on cotton paper depicting Maxson House. Photo courtesy of MAXSON HOUSE, LLC.
Keeping the house cool during the warmer months are window air
conditioning units placed in each bedroom and the dining room.
Cast iron steam radiators grace our rooms with class and
elegance, bringing warmth and comfort in the wintertime.
During
the day, watch and wave as Amtrak's modern Acela and Northeast
Regional trains quickly and efficiently whizz by. Kids and
children at heart love the quaint crossing bells that routinely
sound as a tangible connection to a bygone era. Passenger trains
have continuously traversed this very same route since the
earliest days of steam locomotives in the mid-19th century.
Today's all-electric trains on the high-speed Northeast Corridor
can be only subtly heard from time to time inside the house, and
they do not run throughout the night.
Be mindful
that Maxson House, situated in the Mystic River Historic
District, is a property steeped in tradition. And, while we
thoughtfully continue to invest in modern conveniences, many
authentic attributes remain. Apart from a few reserved utility
spaces (i.e. the butler's pantry, basement, attic, and garage),
you’ll have free rein of the entire house and grounds during
your stay.
You may occasionally notice our gardeners
working diligently about the premises while they're tending to
the lawn & gardens. Please do say hello to them if the
opportunity arises. Also, over the course of your stay, you’ll
most likely be corresponding directly with the well-regarded
local firm of PMI Southeast CT, as we have entrusted them to act as
our exclusive property management and booking agents.
While
you are at Maxson House, you're home!
With its two full stories, gables, and classical trim, Maxson House remains to this day as an outstanding period example of the modified Greek Revival architectural style that became fashionable in Mystic with the village's newly prosperous sea captains and merchants during the pre-Civil War era.
The National Register of Historic Places medallion affixed to Maxson House. Photo courtesy of MAXSON HOUSE, LLC.
Officially placed into the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 by the United States Department of the Interior, our historic district property on School Street is specifically recognized within the nomination form as a "Mid-19th Century. 2½-story, Greek Revival, three-bay house with horizontal flush boarding in the pediment." Furthermore, as the documentation states, "The mid-19th century popularity of the Greek Revival style coincided with Mystic's period of prosperity. The homes that remain from that era are the strength of the district."
William Ellery Maxson was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on
November 18, 1818, to Silas and Elizabeth Stillman Maxson. Silas
named his firstborn son after his close friend William Ellery, a
Founding Father of the United States as one of the 56 signers of
the Declaration of Independence.
At the age of 16,
Maxson began working as a protégé under his cousins George,
Clark, and Thomas Greenman at their acclaimed shipyard located
near present day Old Mystic. By the mid-19th century, he had
risen to become a skilled designer and master shipbuilder in his
own right.
Cabinet card portrait of William Ellery Maxson from the studio of Everett Augustus Scholfield. Circa 1866-1895. Colorized. Original photo courtesy of Mystic River Historical Society. | William Ellery Maxson standing amidst the citizens of Mystic, Connecticut. Circa 1866-1895. Original photo courtesy of Mystic River Historical Society. | Hand-painted wooden plaque affixed to Maxson House, honoring William E. Maxson. Photo courtesy of MAXSON HOUSE, LLC.
In company with several co-partners, he set up a new shipyard in
1853 along the banks of the Mystic River at Old Field on Willow
Point. He soon established a homestead for his family on the 13
original acres of adjacent land that he had purchased from
Captain Peter Forsyth, completing the construction of Maxson
House in 1854.
By 1883, the year that he retired
and sold his interest in the successor shipyard, Maxson was one
of Mystic's most distinguished citizens and was widely known as
one of the top ship designers in the country.
As
noted on his Certificate of Death, Wm E Maxson succumbed to
Erysipelas (St. Anthony's Fire) on December 12, 1895, at the age
of 77 in West Mystic, Connecticut. His occupation was recorded
as Ship Builder. Maxson was interred at the First Hopkinton
Cemetery in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. He is laid to rest in the
same burial plot as both of his wives, Elizabeth Moore Smith
Maxson (1818-1848) and Sarah Maria Fenner Maxson (1825-1916),
whom he married after Elizabeth's untimely passing. Maria, as
she was known, recollected that they were joined in marriage on
March 4, 1849, the day that Zachary Taylor was originally
scheduled to be inaugurated President of the United States.
A hand-painted plaque affixed near our front
doorway honors William E. Maxson's enduring legacy.
In 1853, along with his business partners, William Ellery Maxson
founded a brand-new Mystic River shipyard. As president of the
company, and with his name listed first on the deed, the yard
was established as Maxson, Fish & Co. He would principally
manage ship design and construction, while Captain Nathan Gallup
Fish handled finances.
In the 1850's the era of the
American clipper ship was at its zenith, and Mystic shipyards
during that decade alone launched twenty-one ships of this type.
The storied firm of Maxson, Fish & Co. would build and
launch over thirty-five clipper ships, brigs, schooners,
ironclad steamers, steam tugs, barks, and gunboats between 1853
and 1870. These included the wooden-hulled ironclad steamship
USS Galena built for the United States Navy during the
American Civil War and the three-masted clipper ship
Dauntless.
Clipper ship Dauntless built by Maxson, Fish & Co. at Mystic River, Connecticut. Circa 1869-1883. Colorized. Original photo courtesy of Mystic Seaport Museum.
The heavily armed Galena was launched on February 14,
1862. Dauntless, launched on November 4, 1869,
became the last full-rigged ship to be built in the esteemed
19th century shipyards of Mystic. It has often been said that
she was the most beautiful ship ever built in Mystic.
With
the death of Fish in 1870, ship building at the yard was
suspended and remained idle until 1873 when Maxson formed yet
another partnership with Alexander Irving to build small
coasting vessels under the name of Maxson & Irving. That
company would endure on Willow Point for another 10 years until
Maxson's retirement.
Purpose-built for the New Haven, New London and Stonington
Railroad (NHNL&S), William Ellery Maxson constructed the
railroad depot at West Mystic for no charge in lieu of some very
particular stipulations. It was originally located just across
the street from our front walkway. The street itself was
initially called Skipper Street, later Cherry Street, and is now
dignified by the name West Mystic Avenue. Maxson fabricated the
wooden building, conveniently placed near both his shipyard and
his house, in exchange for at least one scheduled stop per day
and the understanding that if anyone wanted to board a passing
train, they only needed to flag it down and it would stop.
Moreover, on April 20, 1859, the actual strip of
land to accommodate the new railroad depot was recorded as sold
to the New Haven, New London and Stonington Railroad by William
Ellery Maxson and his co-partners in Maxson, Fish & Co. --
namely, Captain Nathan Gallup Fish, Captain William Clift,
William H. Barber, and Benjamin Franklin Hoxie.
West Mystic Station with a portion of Maxson House visible beyond a picket fence in the background. Circa 1915. Colorized. Original photo courtesy of Mystic Seaport Museum. | West Mystic School, Maxson House, and West Mystic Station from the Willow Point side of the School Street railroad crossing. Circa 1867-1891. Colorized. Original photo courtesy of Mystic River Historical Society.
Sitting directly opposite the focal point of West Mystic
Station, Maxson House was periodically captured as well in some
of the earliest known photographic images taken within the
village.
The interior of the depot was divided in
order to accommodate the grand opening of the West Mystic Post
Office on April 16, 1890, with the railroad waiting room
continuing to occupy half of the building. Incoming mailbags
were heaved out of passing trains, while outgoing mail was
snatched into the moving mail cars by a hook that plucked bags
from a metal bracket placed beside the tracks.
Today,
the depot building is still present, but it is now situated
alongside the School Street crossing. The Great New England
Hurricane of 1938, one of the most destructive hurricanes to
ever hit the United States, made landfall on September 21st and
flooded Mystic. The deluge lifted the building, floating it back
and around. After the waters receded, it was left lying at an
angle over the street. The postmaster, Robert D. Bradley, then
decided to have it placed perpendicular to the tracks on School
Street facing northeast.
The Crandall family resided at Maxson House for 55 years, from
1891 to 1946, the single longest period of recorded ownership to
date. Martha Ackerly Crandall ran a millinery shop upstairs,
making stylish hats for the local ladies, while her son
established the first wet wash laundry in Mystic. Charles
Thompson Crandall, Jr. set up Crandall's Steam Laundry in 1895
at the corner of Noank Road and School Street, essentially in
our backyard.
A one-story building was constructed
over a brook that supplied fresh water to a boiler, which
delivered steam to power the washers and mangles. Clean laundry
was dispatched back to customers to be hung and dried upon a
line. Otherwise, drying and ironing services were made available
for an additional fee. The business was sold in 1905, and its
operations were transferred to Mystic Laundry, a facility
located on the opposite side of the river.
Although
the original steam laundry building no longer exists, the same
babbling brook remains flowing through our property to this very
day… for you to discover yourself during your stay at Maxson
House.
