Press Release, Branford Land Trust

Have you ever driven by the Land Trust House in Stony Creek and wondered about its history? Curious about what’s inside this historic building that has been part of our town since the late 1800s? Now is your chance! To kick off a $300,000 fundraiser for desperately-needed renovations, the Branford Land Trust welcomes the public to two free Open House events: Sunday, Sept. 10 from 1 to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Land Trust House, 26 School Street, Stony Creek. Parking is available in the municipal lot on School Street behind the firehouse.

The Land Trust House is part of the Stony Creek Thimble Islands Historic District, and is comprised of two connected structures, a schoolhouse built in 1865 and a firehouse built in 1901 and expanded in the 1950s. The Open Houses offer a rare opportunity for the public to tour the House and learn about its storied past.

Dedicated shortly before school began in 1865, the schoolhouse had “all the modern conveniences.” Perched on a Stony Creek granite foundation, many of the building’s original elements, such as the wainscoting and yellow pine floors, still exist. Looking closely around the two front doors, built as separate entrances for girls and boys, you can still see what might be the carved initials of long-ago students. In 1895, the schoolhouse became town hall — some residents still remember voting there into the mid-twentieth century.

The Stony Creek fire company was established in the newly designated town hall on School Street in 1900, shortly after a fire destroyed the Albondi Grocery Store. In Stony Creek, the Live Oak Hook & Ladder Co., which later became Hook & Ladder Company No. 5, was established under the direction of Alexander Sutherland, a foreman at one of the local quarries. In the 1920s, the company got its first motorized pumper, and built a second engine themselves in John Brainerd’s garage.

In 1953, the firehouse was expanded after the tragic Collins fire killed three and threatened to spread to much of Stony Creek. In October 1983, the Town of Branford donated the property to the Branford Land Trust. Since then, the House has served as the BLT headquarters and is critical to the management and maintenance of more than 1,400 acres in more than 130 parcels and 30 miles of hiking trails in town.

Today, the Land Trust House is undergoing desperately-needed renovations that includes repairing structural problems, resolving an obsolete electrical system, removing hazardous materials, and replacing the failing septic system, as well as addressing the energy inefficiency of buildings that are more than a century old. The Land Trust House will emerge as a handsome marriage of historic architectural design and energy efficiency reflecting the organization's values of environmental stewardship; where land conservation meets historic preservation.

The project has garnered community support from the Branford Historical Society, Branford Rotary, former Town Historian Jane Bouley, the Stony Creek Association, and the Stony Creek Museum.

Based on professional estimates, the project will cost approximately $500,000. A large portion of the funding will be provided by matching fund grants from the Connecticut State Office of Historic Preservation and the 1772 Foundation. Together, these grants will provide $210,000, leaving the Land Trust to raise $300,000.

To make a donation and for more information about efforts to preserve the Land Trust House for future generations, please visit branfordlandtrust.org, or watch your mail for an upcoming town-wide special mailing. Your contribution — large or small — will help ensure the continued protection of Branford’s history and its natural resources.