Eli Whitney Boarding House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as an Official Project of the Save America's Treasures Program, the Eli Whitney Boarding House at 940 Whitney Avenue, Hamden has served as the Connecticut Trust's headquarters since 1989.

Built in 1827 the Boarding House is the only surviving residential structure of the industrial village that centered on Eli Whitney's Armory along the Mill River. It was here that Whitney made rifles for the United States Government in the early 19th century and worked to develop the concept of interchangeable parts. Remaining structures from the village include an early storehouse, Whitney's barn and the Boarding House. A later industrial building across Whitney Avenue currently houses the Eli Whitney Museum, which is dedicated to presenting and interpreting the inventive genius of Eli Whitney.

The Boarding House was designed exclusively for workers and was one of the first generation of industrial workers' housing in the state. The larger spaces on the ground floor, which were originally the kitchen and schoolroom, provide meeting space and library shelves. The smaller former bedrooms on the second floor afford ideal office space.

When the Trust acquired the building in 1989 it had been covered with synthetic siding and had lost most of its original sash. After a careful restoration, the Trust moved in and currently shares office space with the Connecticut League of History Organizations.

With a grant from the 1772 Foundation (see information under Funding) the Trust hired R.J. Aley from Westport to fix a variety of problem areas at the Eli Whitney Boardinghouse. The front columns had rotted from the porch upwards about 12 inches, due to water wicking. These columns were installed during the 1989 restoration of the Boardinghouse and little protected the wood from water on the front porch. Both columns had to be replaced and special molding knives were made to replicate the old molding at the bottom. We added steel casing to the bottom of each column to avoid further moisture damage. Also, the crumbling cellar hatch was replaced and the newly reconstructed kitchen fireplace and mantel was sanded, primed and painted. Jud Aley from R. J. Aley inspected the cornice on the front of the house and advised us that it was deteriorating badly. So, we move ever onward with the continual restoration and maintenance of the Eli Whitney Boardinghouse!