The Griffin House

Identifying the location of the original homestead is a very straightforward exercise. The defining landmark is the “Burying Yard” with its stone fence. It is now called the Union Cemetery. Worden and Rhoda Griffin are buried just over the fence from the homestead. The road has not changed its course for 300 years. So what of the house that sits on the property?  There are a number of houses in Killingworth that are dated to the early 1700’s. Recently the local historical society has highlighted two houses that research has shown to be built in 1710 and 1735 respectively. The Griffin house, constructed by Samuel and Marah starting in 1762, matches these in architecture, interior features, in particular, the hearth and building materials and techniques. The current residents, when purchasing the house, were given to understand that it was the original house built on the property. In the absence of any detailed investigation I think it is a fair assumption to support this claim. This style of house is called a one-half house. Most homes had two full stories. The left half of the house was the first part constructed. As you enter you are in a small foyer. A staircase rises steeply to a room under the eaves. As you step past the stairs you enter a single large room. The room has wooden floors and has a door across from the front door and one at the end of the room. The room is dominated by a large fireplace that measures some 6 to 7 feet wide and 4 to 5 feet high. It starts at floor level with stonework extending some 2 feet out past the front of the fireplace. It is constructed of shaped stone. Several swinging metal arms are cemented into the masonry from which kettles could be hung. A grate sits on the floor. During the winter time there was probably a warming fire alight most of the time at one spot with a cook fire organized at another as needed. This main room and the attic room are lined with 2-inch bead board that gives a very finished look to the rooms. A trap door in the center of the floor near the wall opposite the fireplace gives access to a basement. Framing and floor joists are of hand-hewn timbers, the walls consisting of rough worked stone, which also serve as the foundation. The room is the same dimensions as the upper room. At some point the second half of the house was completed. From the placement of the doors it’s apparent that additional rooms, since replaced with modern construction, extended out from the main room. The materials, the style, the building techniques, the lack of evidence of major changes, all argue that this is indeed the original Griffin house on Roast Meat Hill. Even with additional rooms it probably was a tight fit to the eleven children and their parents who called it home.