Webb House
The house was built in 1752 by Joseph Webb following his marriage to Mehitabel Nott in 1749. A young and successful merchant, he hired Judah Wright to frame a stylish three-and-a-half story house and shop with a massive gambrel roof that provided greater upper-floor storage for Joseph’s trade goods. It was also probably used as the sleeping quarters for the household’s enslaved Africans.
When Joseph Webb died in 1761, the property was inherited by his son Joseph Jr., who married Abigail Chester in 1774. The couple entertained lavishly, earning their home the nickname “Hospitality Hall.” In May 1781, they were the host and hostess when Gen. George Washington spent five nights in the house. Here, in one of the front parlors, Washington met with the French general Comte de Rochambeau to plan a joint military campaign that led to victory at Yorktown and American independence.
Due to economic difficulties, Joseph was forced to sell the house in 1790. After a series of owners, the property was finally purchased by Judge Martin Welles about 1820. He modernized the south half of the house and it remained in his family until his grandson died in 1913.
In
1914 the Webb House was bought by a group of local businessmen
who sought to operate it as an athenaeum or library. When
they failed to raise sufficient funds, they sold it to Wallace
Nutting in 1916. After extensive redecorating, including
the installation of painted murals in the hallway and front
parlors, he opened the house to the public on July 4, 1916,
as a sales area and studio. The Webb house was one
of several historically significant sites in the “The
Wallace Nutting Chain of Colonial Picture Houses.” Unfortunately,
with the travel restrictions created by World War I, Nutting
lost money on the venture. 
He sold the house to the
Colonial Dames of Connecticut in 1919 to be preserved as
a house museum. Click here for more
information on Wallace Nutting and his ownership of the Webb
House.
Project Completion Report, Washington Bed Chamber, Joseph Webb House
Project Completion Report, Exterior Restoration, Joseph Webb House
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