Page 20 - North Haven Magazine Issue 7 Winter 2019

MARTHA CULVER

he stately brick home on HOUSE UPDATE
TQuinnipiac Avenue in the
Montowese section of town is the
Martha Culver House - it is owned by the Town of North Haven, and is used by
the North Haven Historical Society as a museum and educational resource. It
is representative of a mid 19th century home built of North Haven brick by
its owner Ammi Culver. Its last owner, Martha Culver Smith, passed away in
the 1920s and willed her home to the Town of North Haven; it has acted as a
community gathering place, library, and now as a museum documenting early
North Haven family life and agriculture. Prior to the beginning of renovations,
approximately 250 students visited each school year, in addition to about 100
summer visitors. The Martha Culver House has also been a destination during
annual Trolley Tours.

Eleven years ago the North Haven Historical Society was awarded an Historic
Preservation Technical Assistance Grant from the Connecticut Trust to plan
the restoration of the Martha Culver House. The grant provided funding for
an architect to study the structure and make recommendations for resto-
ration. The recommendations made were completed by the town, including
structural repairs to the roof, plumbing and heating system repairs, and some
ceiling work. Exterior work included paint removal, repair, and repainting of
the porches, doors, and removal of the steel fire escape. In the last ten years
the town has worked to make the structure sound and safe to occupy. It is
commendable that our town values this unique historic structure, and we look
forward to completion of the next phase of restoration.
The town and the historical society are
partnering in the next phase of resto-
ration with another grant application
- these funds (if granted) will be used
to develop a detailed plan for window
repair and interior restoration. This plan
will give us a “punch list” of items to be
completed, making for a more historically
accurate, efficient and economical resto-
ration. We would like to document the
progress of the project on our website
northhavenhistoricalsociety.wordpress.
com and in the local press. At the proj-
ect’s completion we will celebrate with
an Open House for our benefactors and
the community. Keep watching Facebook
and our website for updates!

20 North Haven Magazine - Winter 2019 NorthHavenMag.com 21