Historic House Is Ready For A Short, Strange Trip

WILTON — Fitch House, an 18th Century house being displaced by DOT because of the widening of Route 7, is scheduled to move south on Danbury Road on Wednesday, January 17, Wilton Historical Society has announced. Snow date will be January 18.

Preparation for the move began last fall, when the 7,000-plus items in the collection of the Wilton Historical Society went into storage off site and work began to prepare the house for its physical relocation. The 19th and 20th Century additions to the building were dismantled, the chimney taken down to the attic floor, and the roof removed. Each part was marked and documented for later reassembly on the new site.

Nicholas Bros., building movers from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., have worked for several weeks to separate the house from the foundation and to get temporary steel under the house. The undercarriage will now be assembled under the house to roll it south about 2,000 feet to the Betts-Sturges-Blackmar site.

It is a very sensitive job to keep 18th Century post and beam construction intact and especially to support the huge stone central chimney mass. Because the house is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a museum, it is especially important to preserve the historical integrity of the building.

This kind of project requires coordination of many elements. Because the overhead wires must be moved, Connecticut Light & Power, Cablevision, SNET and another company to take down the traffic lights are all required to be on duty to handle their particular lines as the building moves.

In addition, traffic will have to be rerouted for a period of time from the busy artery. Although there will be a three-hour period set aside, it is expected that the actual time required to move down Route 7 will be about 30 minutes.

On Tuesday, the house will be hydraulically lifted off its foundation, partially turned, and the moved to the curb. At its destination, it will be lifted up and moved onto and above its final resting place to the north of the Betts-Struges-Blackmar House.

First, the 18th Century post and beam house must be fully supported by large steel I-beams running north and south and east and west, with special support for the 120-ton stone fireplace. At the same time, much of the original foundation stones will be removed, leaving piers to support the structure.

Two massive steel beams will be inserted under the other steel, forming a chassis-like undercarriage. The chassis will have 16 pneumatic airplane type wheels on which the house will roll. This will then be joined to a tractor-trailer with a fifth wheel turntable so that the entire package can make a U-turn to go south and then turn again to be placed on its new location.

When it is hydraulically lifted off the original foundation, the building will be rotated completely so that the front door faces west instead of east because it will be relocated on the opposite side of the street.

After it is moved 2,000 feet south it will again be hydraulically raised and placed above a hole in the ground that has been prepared for it. At the present time, perimeter foundation footings are in place as well as a 12 by 14-foot concrete base for the fireplace structure.

Fitch House will be placed on temporary supports, with steel still in place, hovering above its future cellar. The society’s preservation contractors will then dismantle and move the original foundation and fireplace stones and rebuild them at the new site. When the foundation and chimney base are reconstructed, the hovering house will be carefully lowered, with new sills meeting reconstructed foundation.

Then begins the difficult job of restoring the venerable building to its former stylishness. All mechanical, electrical systems, wiring, etc, will require replacement. The roof will be rebuilt as well as the chimney top. It is hoped that the interiors will have survived these last four months in relatively good condition­ including the original plaster, paneling, flooring and windows.

It is hoped that by late summer, interior and exterior restoration will be complete and that the collection will be returned for placement in the period rooms. “Our hope is that we will reopen our period rooms in October,” said museum director Marilyn Gould.

The costs for all of the logistical support is very high and will be entirely paid by the historical society. In addition to the cost of seven extra-duty police officers, each of the four utility companies requires very substantial fees, with CL&P the highest at more than $23,000.

Future And

Continuing Projects

While this project is underway, construction will be taking place that will connect the two important 18th Century houses. It will include a reconstruction 19th Century Wilton barn which will provide exhibition space for the large permanent collection of dolls, toys and dollhouses, special exhibits, and in the lower level a properly outfitted area for textiles and costume storage, conservation and exhibition.

Another summer project will be the furnishing of two more period rooms in the Betts-Sturges-Blackmar house. By May, the textile making room, showing home production of wool and linens, should be completed in time for education programs.

“When we reopen next fall, we will have 11 period rooms showing the evolution of style and family life between 1740 and 1900,” explained Mrs Gould. “These, along with our important collections of textiles and objects of childhood, our working blacksmith shop, and barn-to-house farm equipment and woodworking tools, will place us in the forefront of local historical museums. This site should be an important resource for … a regional audience.”

Wilton Historical Society is beginning a major Capitol Campaign — its first — to help complete this ambitious project. The State of Connecticut has made a lump sum payment to meet its obligation to relocate Fitch House and restore it to the level required for its continued inclusion on the National Register.

The society is using its own funds for the construction of the “connector” gallery but must have outside assistance to cover the projected $500,000 budget. Hunter Brown is chairman of the ambitious fundraising project.

Walter R.T. Smith is the historic building wizard who is organizing and implementing the complete project from beginning to end. Steve Hoyt, of Tecumseh Woodworks of South Salem, N.Y., is the contractor in charge of construction and reconstruction, working under the direction of Walt Smith. Robert Faesy, of Faesy & Sanders Architects, is the project architect, as he has been on all society projects since the 1970s.