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10/18/2022 02:19 PMAt a Town Meeting on Sept. 22, voter unanimously approved the potential acquisition of the David Bushnell House at 121 South Main Street. Negotiations to complete the sale are ongoing.
The David Bushnell House, with a construction date of 1678, is one of the oldest homes in Connecticut. At an Aug. 9 Board of Selecmen (BOS) meeting, First Selectman John Hall told the Board that Leighton Lee III, the current property owner, was willing to donate the historic building to the town. As a condition of the donation, Hall said Lee was interested in a caveat that the building be retained for historic purposes.
Rather than outright donate the house, on Sept. 13 Hall announced that Lee had offered to sell the property for $1, and the potential acquisition of the house was added to the agenda for a Sept. 22 town meeting. At a BOS meeting on Oct. 11, Hall said that negotiations between the Lee and the town to finalize the deal were still ongoing.
With the approval in place, Hall said the next step is figuring out a use for the property . One idea Hall tossed out at the Aug. 9 meeting was possibly moving the historical society into the house once it comes under town control. However, Hall said that public hearings will be held to hear all resident’s input.
The Bushnell House has a long history in town. Marcy Fuller, the president of the Westbrook Historical Society told the Harbor News earlier this year the house was built by Captain Samuel Bushnell, the father of David Bushnell, the inventor of the submarine. However, David never lived in the house – he was born in Westbrook in 1740 but grew up on farm near the intersection of Essex and McVeagh roads.
Instead, Fuller explained that in 1922 the Society of Dependents of Westbrook Settlers, a since disbanded organization, gained control of the property and dedicated the house to the memory of David Bushnell. In the early 2000’s the house was turned into a Museum of Early Engineering Technology.