Josiah Cowles House

The Josiah Cowles House is a historic house at 184 Marion Avenue, in the Plantsville section of Southington, Connecticut. Built in the mid-18th century, it is a well-preserved local example of Georgian architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1] It presently houses a bed and breakfast inn.

Capt. Josiah Cowles House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	184 Marion Ave., Southington, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°35′5″N 72°54′12″W
Area	1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built	1750 (1750)
Architectural style	Colonial, New England Colonial
MPS	Colonial Houses of Southington TR
NRHP reference No.	88003102[1]
Added to NRHP	January 19, 1989

Description and history

The Josiah Cowles House stands on the south side of Marion Avenue, between Sunny Ridge Drive and Old Mill Road west of the village center of Plantsville and Interstate 84. It is a 2-1/2 story wood frame structure, five bays wide, with a side gable roof, central chimney, and clapboarded exterior. Its main facade is five bays wide, with a wide double door at its center. The door is framed by simple trim, while the windows are surmounted by slightly projecting caps.[2]

Although traditionally ascribed a construction date of 1728, the architecture suggests it was built closer to 1750, probably around the time of Josiah Cowles' second marriage.[2] The house was the residence of Captain Josiah Cowles, one of the early settlers of Southington. Cowles was born in Farmington, Connecticut on November 20, 1713.[3] He was a justice of the peace and a captain in the local militia. He held a number of town offices, and was viewed as a leading man in town.[3] At the very first town meeting after the incorporation of Southington, held November 11, 1779, the residents appointed Cowles, along with Jonathan Root to a committee to "provide for the families of officers and soldiers in the field."[4]^:378 In 1774, Cowles was appointed to a committee to deliver provisions to Boston, in response to the British blockade of Boston harbor.[4]^:180

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Southington, Connecticut

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. David Ransom (October 1988). "Connecticut Historic Resources Inventory: Capt. Josiah Cowles House". National Park Service. Retrieved 10 October 2010. and Accompanying photo, exterior, from 1985
3. William Richard Cutter; William Frederick Adams (1910). Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts. Lewis historical publishing company. pp. 792–. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
4. J. Hammond Trumbull (2009). The Memorial History of Hartford County Connecticut 1633-1884. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 978-1-115-33123-4. Retrieved 1 October 2010.