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Bushnell House to Get New Roof

The David Bushnell House is getting a little facelift. Following a bid process, the Town selected National Roofing to repair the roof of the historic home for $29,997.

With a construction date of 1678, the David Bushnell house located at 121 South Main Street is one of the oldest homes in Connecticut. In 2022, First Selectmen John Hall announced that Leighton Lee III, the previous owner of the house, was willing to give the historic building to the Town. Voters unanimously approved the acquisition of the David Bushnell House for a cost of $1 in early 2023.

Given the construction date of the house, it’s not a surprise the building is in need of a little maintenance. Earlier this year, the Town put out a request for proposal for fixing the roof of the building and received multiple responses.

At the Aug. 13 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, the board unanimously voted to award the bid to National Roofing, LLC out of Guilford. During the meeting, Hall said that the repairs at the Bushnell house would use historically accurate materials. Repairs to the gutters would still be needed in the future, but Hall noted it was important to fix the roof ahead of unpredictable fall and winter weather.

The Bushnell House has a long history in town. Westbrook Historical Society President Marcy Fuller explained in 2022 that 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 a 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 2000s, the house was turned into a Museum of Early Engineering Technology.

In addition to the work on the Bushnell House, the BOS unanimously voted to award two other roofing projects to National Roofing on Aug. 13, The Old Library Roof project will be completed for $14,400 and the Academy Building Roof project for $12,800.