Town Living

In Search of New Canaan History: Stephen Weed’s Fort

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New Canaan’s long and storied history has produced its fair share of characters and legends, some apocryphal, some true. One such legend and character is Stephen Weed and the story of his Revolutionary War-era fort. Weed was a Canaan Parish soldier in the American Revolution who helped defend New York against the British under the command of Captains John Carter and Daniel Benedict, historians say. According to 1951’s “Landmarks of New Canaan,” published by the New Canaan Historical Society, he was captured and ultimately imprisoned in the notorious Sugar House prison in New York City. Eventually Weed was released and returned home, though as a shell of his former self: His battlefield experience and subsequent imprisonment had caused postwar syndrome.

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New Canaan Now & Then: Josiah Weed House

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‘Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The Josiah Weed House is a 2 ½ story, side-gabled house that was built in 1745 (town records indicate 1780 construction) with a fieldstone foundation. 

John Bouton I is the earliest owner of the property on record and was a descendant of two notable families from Norwalk. Mr. Bouton’s great grandfather, also named John Bouton, arrived in Boston in 1635. It is unclear when Mr. Bouton passed away, but there is a record that his widow, Alice, married Matthew Marvin in 1647. The Marvins were part of a group known as the Ludlow Agreement Settlers and moved to Norwalk in 1650.

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New Canaan Now & Then: 370 Wahackme Road

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‘Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. Built in 1930, the Colonial-style home was originally owned by Gerhard F. Behre, the eldest son of John H. Behre. 

Mr. Behre attended Williams College, settled in Brooklyn, and spent summers in New Canaan. From 1925 to 1952, he worked at the New Canaan Savings Bank, first as the secretary, then treasurer, and finally president in 1946. He married the youngest daughter of Edward Brady Lawrence and Fannie Maria Davenport of New Canaan in September 1916 at the Congregational Church of New Canaan. The Behres were active in the community and supporters of “Camp Kiwanis.” The Behres moved to Oak Street after they sold the property on Wahackme Road.

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New Canaan Now & Then: The Lee Garden

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‘Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The Olive W. and George S. Lee  Memorial Garden on Chichester Road is an amazing tribute to the Lees’ dedication to gardening. 

Mr. Lee was born in June 1897 and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey. He attended Hamilton College and worked as a tax accountant until 1962 when he retired and devoted his time to his garden. His wife, Olivia Wagner Lee, was born in Rutherford New Jersey and was the daughter of Elizabeth Smythe Wanger and Henry Wagner. Ms. Lee was a graduate of the New Jersey State Teachers College.

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New Canaan Now & Then: Lone Tree Farm

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‘Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The property known as “Lone Tree Farm,” consisting of 45 acres, was purchased from Eliphalet and Sarah St. John in 1830 by Charlotte and Hiram Brown. 

The St. Johns made their residence farther north on Canoe Hill Road near Ferris Hill and when the property was sold to the Browns the deed indicated the only building on the property was a barn. It is assumed that the Browns built the original home measured 18-by-14-feet.