Just a short twenty-minute ride from my current hometown of West Hartford lies Old Wethersfield, CT which has the distinction of being the largest historic district in the state with over 1,100 contributing structures. The area was settled in 1634 and by some counts is the first settlement in the state (there is some debate over that!)
There is so much to share about Wethersfield, but for this post I wanted to highlight the Comstock, Ferre & Co. building. This landmark structure sits on Main Street and is a long-standing symbol of the towns agricultural history.
Established in 1811 as Wethersfield Seed Gardens, the building still displays its original tin signs. Wethersfield was the center of the American seed industry in the 19th century with seven or so different seed companies at one point. Until 2009, Comstock, Ferre & Co. was the longest continuously running seed company in the country.
The company went up for sale in 2009 and was purchased by the owners of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in 2010. After being closed for a period of time to renovate and prepare for re-opening (with a focus on preservation!), Comstock, Ferre & Co. continues its long tradition of selling seeds with a focus on heirloom varieties.
With its current renovation adding a natural foods grocery store and cafe, as well as garden supplies, Comstock, Ferre & Co. is a destination unto itself. It’s just a bonus that it is surrounded by hundreds of other historic buildings and museums.
Like doors with a little side of history? Then you may enjoy other doors in the Thursday Doors series here and here. Thursday Doors is a weekly round-up hosted by Norm 2.0. Feel free to contribute or visit his site to view the weekly collection!
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My name is Deb Cohen, and I am a lifelong resident of Connecticut, a lover of all things historic and New England, and a realtor who helps buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals and dreams. When I’m not working, I enjoy life with my husband, our two adult children, and our two rescue pups. Renovating and decorating our historic home, dating to 1800, is another favorite pastime.
I love the whole building!
janet
I’m glad you enjoyed it Janet!
Great choice Deb. I was so glad when this was saved from what could have been a horrible fate.
Yes! They are undergoing more renovations right now but hopefully they stay financially stable and in business.
Nice one! Love the building.
Thanks so much, Geert!
What a beautiful building with character! You don’t see red brick buildings like that around here, unfortunately…
I do love a good brick building, especially with the “distressed” look of the brick on this one!
That’s a great old building, I love the ‘shabby-chic’ red brick on the front. Was it covered in ivy at any time in the past?
I’m not sure, Jean, but it certainly may have been! I love the look of the brick too – kind of distressed looking!
Great post. I love the fact that the building is still being used today for the same purpose as it was all those years ago.
Yes, it’s wonderful. Hope they can keep it going! I think the community is very invested in it.
Nice post. Here is some more background on the towns seed companies.
http://wethersfieldhistory.org/articles-from-the-community/wethersfield_the_cradle_of_american_seed_companies/
Thank you!! There is quite a history there!
I used to live in Wilton CT and can’t tell you how much I love these door. Thank you
Thank you John! So glad you enjoy!! Where do you live these days?
Love your choice this week because you not only covered some great historical points but you mentioned seeds which means spring which means gardening. 🙂
Yes!! I actually found some good blog posts from others about Comstock…people who write garden blogs! Apparently the place is a bit of a legend 🙂 it has gone through some hard times financially over the last few years with change of ownership etc but it’s an institution…hope they can keep it going!