Windsor's Historic Sites

The Lt. Walter Fyler House, 96 Palisado Avenue
The 1640 Lt. Walter Fyler House contains a wealth of furnishings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.  The Fyler House is also home to the town’s first post office and an 18^th century general store which specialized in imported fabrics. In the adjacent Wilson Museum, delight in a rare Hadley chest along with costumes, quilts and other antique treasures.  The museum also holds a remarkable collection of cemetery records, photographs and maps in a nationally recognized genealogical research library.  A guided tour of this home and the historic Palisado Green is available by calling the Historical Society at (860) 688-3813.  Open April through October, Tues.-Sat. 10am to 4pm. 

The Dr. Hezekiah Chaffee House, 108 Palisado Avenue
The Dr. Hezekiah Chaffee House is a true 15 room Georgian Colonial.  This home was built in 1765 and is furnished with invaluable antiques, many made by local and regional artisans.  Tour the first floor and examine the medical instruments and pharmaceutical recipes used by a country doctor.  A guided tour of this home and the historic Palisado Green is available by calling the Historical Society at (860) 688-3813. Open April through October, Tues.-Sat. 10am to 4pm.  

Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, 778 Palisado Avenue
Built in 1740, this majestic building was the home of Oliver Ellsworth, a member of the Continental Congress, envoy to France after the Revolution, framer of the United States Constitution, third Chief Justice of the United States, and author of the Judiciary Act, which forms the basis for our present-day federal judiciary system.  Ellsworth and his wife, Abigail Woolcott, returned to live at the homestead in 1782, where they remained until his death in 1807. While living at the Homestead, Ellsworth was visited by President George Washington in 1789, and by President John Adams in 1799. Today the Ellsworth Homestead serves as a museum operated by the Connecticut Daughters of the Revolution. Visitors touring the house will find many of Ellsworth's personal heirlooms, including a letter to him from George Washington and a square of Gobelin tapestry presented to him by Napoleon Bonaparte.Open May 15 through October 15, Tues, Wed, Sat. 10am to 5pm. 

Palisado Green, Palisado Avenue
This town green comprises part of the site of the Stockade built during the Pequot War of 1637.  The green contains the Founders Monument which lists names of the Windsor settlers who came from England in 1630 on the ship Mary and John.

First Church in Windsor [Congregational], 107 Palisado Avenue
Built in 1794, the present building is the fourth for this congregation, but the parish itself is the oldest in the New World, having been "gathered" in England in 1630. The First Church burial ground contains the grave sites of some of Windsor's earliest settlers. Visitors are welcomed.