Property Overview Inventory List District Map

Morehouse Taylor House

LHD boundaries as described are approximate and subject to change. Consult the LHD Study Report on file with the relevant local district commission or municipal authority to verify district boundaries and whether a specific property, particularly one in proximity of a boundary line, is within the district. Also note that LHD boundaries may differ from those of State or National Register Districts.

Town:
Westport
Year of Establishment:
2009
Property Authority:
Historic District Commission
Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
Features:
Buildings, Open Space
Architectural Style:
Transitional
Era:
18th Century

The early 18th century cape form Morehouse Taylor House is located at 81 Clapboard Hill Road, near its intersection with Maple Avenue South in the Green's Farms section of Westport, Connecticut. The modest farmhouse is situated in a residential neighborhood of period historic house with 20th and 21st century infill construction. Located in a typical New England wooded coastal plain, the area was once farmland, near Long Island Sound. Constructed c. 1727 in transitional style, the one and half story, one and a half room deep structure has two 20th century ells attached to the northern or rear elevation. The side gables, wood frame structure is sheathed in painted, face-nailed shingles. [2]

On March 3rd, 1727/28, Nathan Morehouse, son of Thomas Morehouse II, a member of Green's Farm Trainband, purchased a small parcel of land on Clapboard Hill Road. It is believed that he soon erected the dwelling house at 81 Clapboard Hill Road. The Morehouse Taylor House is a rare surviving example of early 18th century transitional architecture that retains much of its historic fabric, rests on its original foundation and has not been compromised by later additions. [2]

Assessors information retrieved from the website www.visionappraisal.com.
[1] Historic Property information retrieved from the town of website http://www.westportct.gov/.
[2] Morehouse Taylor House, Report of Town of Westport Historic District Commission, 2009, SHPO library, Hartford.
[3] Historic District handbook accessed in the town website [http://www.westportct.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=280].
GIS information retrieved from http://www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?page=538.

Date of Compilation:
12/31/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation