Hadlyme North Historic District

The Working Girls' Vacation Society Historic District is a 27-acre (11 ha) historic district in East Haddam, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It is significant by dint of the properties having been owned, during 1892–1945, by the Working Girls' Vacation Society of New York City, and used as a summer retreat for working women from the city. The society is similar to the Young Women's Christian Association, founded in 1866, in that it is one of many organizations intending to "minister to the 'temporal, moral and religious welfare of self-supporting women.' Led by enlightened upper class philanthropist/reformers such as copper heiress Grace Dodge, a national network of "working girls' clubs" formed in the 1880s. Their mission primarily was to protect the morality of working women, rather than to improve the conditions of the workplace (note 4); their means included the creation of opportunities for social intercourse, self-improvement (education), and recreation in a morally uplifting setting. The New York Working Girls' Club, founded by Dodge in 1883 and the first of its kind in the nation, maintained, for example, a clubhouse with a library and extensive series of lectures, classes, and social events (note 5). The employment-related health needs of working girls were not ignored. The Working Girls' Vacation Society of New York, an offshoot of the Working Girls' Club, was founded in 1883 to provide summer vacations in the country for women with demonstrated health problems. The founders of the society included prominent upper-class women and social workers (note 6). In a pattern repeated in other cities, the Vacation Society made available low-cost stays generally of two weeks in duration at rural locations (note 7)."A total of 411 working girls were assisted by the society in the summer of 1884. By 1915 the society had created several retreats in Connecticut and served 1450.The district includes three side-by-side properties on a rural road in East Haddam, Connecticut, with three houses and three barns.When listed, the district included six contributing buildings and one non-contributing building. Three of the six are residences. The Phebe Howell House (c.1835), is constructed with pegged post-and-beam framing, and shows what may be its original clapboard siding. It and the Charles Howell House (c.1825) are constructed on granite ashlar foundations. The latter's doorway is flanked by fluted pilasters. A vernacular bungalow house (c.1915) is the other.The three other contributing buildings are 19th-century, wood-frame barns. The one at 66 Mill Road (photograph 5 in accompanying photos) "is similar in size and design to the ell on the Phebe Howell House, which tends to confirm oral history that this barn was formerly attached to the rear of the Charles Howell House."DiNapoli, writing in 1892, describes the working girls' plight.The association renamed in 1950 to become the Katherine Herbert Fund, named after the 1885 founder of the society. In 1974 it merged with the Stony Wold Corporation, an organization that had focused upon tuberculosis, to become the Stony Wold-Herbert Fund.

The Hadlyme Ferry Historic District encompasses a collection of historic buildings related to the Chester–Hadlyme Ferry in the Hadlyme village of Lyme, Connecticut. It is located at the eastern end of the ferry route across the Connecticut River, where ferries have been documented to run since 1769. The district includes six houses dating to the late 18th or early 19th century, as well as the site of the ferry slip. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Gillette Castle State Park straddles the towns of East Haddam and Lyme, Connecticut in the United States, sitting high above the Connecticut River. The castle was designed and built by William Gillette (1853–1937), an American actor most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage. Gillette lived here from 1919 until his death in 1937. The State of Connecticut purchased the property in 1943 for $29,000.

The Chester–Hadlyme Ferry is a seasonal ferry crossing the Connecticut River between the town of Chester, Connecticut, and the village of Hadlyme (in the town of Lyme, Connecticut). It is the second oldest continuously operating ferry service in the state of Connecticut and is a designated state historical landmark. The ferry is part of the scenic portion of Route 148 and provides a convenient link between two of Connecticut's tourist attractions: Gillette Castle State Park in Hadlyme and the Essex Steam Train, which runs between Essex and Chester.

Franklin Academy is a co-ed special education boarding school in East Haddam, Connecticut, serving students in grades 8-12 as well as post-graduate students. The school's primary mission is to provide education to adolescents and young adults with nonverbal learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.

Selden Neck State Park is a 607-acre (246 ha) island and public recreation area on the Connecticut River in the town of Lyme, Connecticut. Accessible only by boat, the state park has four areas for primitive, riverside camping. Hiking, fishing, and hunting are also available. The park was among the first parcels secured for park purposes by the state, with initial land purchases on the island made in 1917. It is managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek (transliterated from Hebrew as "House of Peace; Pursuers of Justice"), is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 55 East Kings Highway, in Chester, Connecticut, in the United States. The congregation is noted for the architecture of its "spectacular" building.

The Jonathan Warner House, also known as Warner-Brooks House, is a historic house at 47 King's Highway in Chester, Connecticut. Built in 1798, it is a well-preserved local example of Federal period architecture, featured prominently by architectural historian J. Frederick Kelly in The Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut (1963). The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The Deep River Freight Station is a historic railroad depot at 152 River Street in Deep River, Connecticut. Built in 1915 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H), it is one of two surviving early 20th century stations on the southern end of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad (CVR) line. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 21, 1994. It is now a station on the Valley Railroad, a heritage steam railroad.

The Warner House is a historic house at 307 Town Street in East Haddam, Connecticut. Built in 1738, it is notable for its high quality interior woodwork and hardware, the latter of which were probably made by some of its owners. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The house is now owned by Connecticut Landmarks, and in 2019 it opened as a historic house museum.

Villa Bella Vista, also known as the Eila Pierre House and The Ledges, is a historic house at 7 Old Depot Road in Chester, Connecticut. Built in 1908 by Italian masons, it is an architecturally distinctive structure, designed to resemble farmhouses of northern Italy. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Doris is a sailing yacht, which has also been known as Astarte, Huntress and Vayu, in Deep River, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. She was designed by Nathanael Herreshoff, who designed five America's Cup defender yachts and who also was the main architect of the America's Cup rule change called the Universal Rule. That rule allowed for displacement as well as length and sail area to be included in a formula defining yacht eligibility, and enabled more "sea-kindly" and roomier yachts to be competitive. The vessel known as Doris was constructed with a primary emphasis on speed and novelty, representing an avant-garde design that was highly appreciated in her era. She participated in a plethora of prestigious regattas and races, including the Annual Cruise of the New York Yacht Club and the Newport-Bermuda Race, showcasing her remarkable agility and endurance. As the years went by, Doris was passed from owner to owner, each making alterations and updates to the vessel in various ways. In 1984, her tremendous contributions to the world of yachting were recognized when she was inscribed into the National Register of Historic Places. Doris remains an exceptional and precious manifestation of the Herreshoff's oeuvre, and she is adored by sailing enthusiasts and historians worldwide. Previously, America Cup racers were often "either sleek and fast, but had unseaworthy characteristics, or scow-like vessels which were cumbersome but safe and able passage-makers.": 4  Doris is believed to be the largest Herreshoff-designed sloop that was built and has survived.: 5  She is said to be the first boat built under the Universal Rule. Built in Bristol, Rhode Island, in 1905, by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.,: 5  Doris is the largest all-wood vessel ever built by the firm. The ship was commissioned by S. Reed Anthony, a founding partner of investment banking firm Tucker, Anthony & Co.,: 9  who paid $18,000. She soon proved her worth, as Doris "... proved to be a sensation in the yachting world when she defeated Gloriana, an earlier Herreshoff design built in 1891 and reported to be the fastest sailing vessel of her day, in a series of match races off Marblehead, Massachusetts.": 4  The ship is also unusual for two construction details. Herreshoff employed metal hanging knees instead of the more traditional sheer clamp, and Doris is the only boat to possess what Herreshoff called "belt" or "web frames", whereby oak frames were bent "over the ceiling".: 4 Although originally rigged as a gaff-sloop / cutter, the rigging was changed prior to the 1932 Bermuda Race. This proved to be advantageous, as the yacht led the race "for a good part of the race before light winds gave favor to the smaller vessels.": 5  In 1934, under the ownership of Lawrence Lowell Reeve, she was converted to a Marconi-ketch.: 4 Over the years Doris has gone under a number of names. Under Lawrence Reeve she was referred to as Astarte from 1934. She was renamed Huntress in 1937 under new owners, and became Vayu when purchased by Richard Hart in 1940. James Mercanti purchased Vayu from Frederic B. Smith of Winthrop, Massachusetts. The ship remained as Vayu under the next owner, Jim Mercanti, who had the boat between 1957 and 1975, before coming into the possession David Revenaugh. Under Brian Amble, who owned the boat from 2001 until at least 2007, she was known once more by her original name, Doris.At its NRHP listing in 1984, the yacht was located in the Connecticut River off River Rd., Deep River, Connecticut, but it was expected to be moved for an upcoming restoration. Latest information is that the ship is owned by Crocker's Boatyard in New London, Connecticut. According to the Herreshoff Registry, the ship "is currently in poor condition and is in imminent danger of being cut up."Original construction drawings for much of the ship are preserved in the collection at the Hart Nautical Museum, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.She is currently under restoration at Snediker Yacht Restoration.