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Governor John Trumbull House

169 W Town St #1550, Lebanon, CT 06249, USA

Connecticut

state

CT - New London

county

CT - New London

city

MUSEUM

TICKETED:

NO

PARKING:

NO

RESTROOMS:

NO

TICKET INFO

The John Trumbull Birthplace, also known as the Governor Jonathan Trumbull House, is a historic house museum on the Lebanon Green in Lebanon, Connecticut, built in 1735 by Joseph Trumbull as a wedding present for his son Jonathan (1710–1785). It was also the birthplace of John Trumbull (1756–1843), an artist known for his depictions of the war and its people. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

SITE FEATURES

Surviving Structures

On this site...

Joseph Trumbull built the house in 1735 when his son Jonathan married Faith Robinson. The house is a 2+12-story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side-gable roof, wooden clapboard siding, and a large central chimney. Its centered entrance is flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by a transom window and an entablature. Two ells extend back from the house, joining it to another small cottage used as a caretaker's residence.

HOME

EST. 1735

Jonathan Trumbull was elected governor of the Connecticut Colony in 1769 and became the first governor of the State of Connecticut in 1776. He was also a successful merchant, managing his affairs from this house. Many meetings took place in his home during the years of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), as well as in the adjacent War Office. The War Office was originally connected to the house by a secret passage, and it functioned as a major logistical center for the northern states.


A troop of French Army cavalry was stationed on the Lebanon Green during the winter of 1780–1781, and these troops joined those of the Comte de Rochambeau when he marched through in 1781 on their way to join George Washington and the Continental Army prior to the Siege of Yorktown.


John Trumbull was born in the house June 6, 1756. He served as an aide to George Washington in the war and became an artist. He was commissioned by Congress in the 19th century to paint four of the eight historical paintings that adorn the United States Capitol rotunda. He also painted portraits of many of the war's military leaders.

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HISTORIC PEOPLE

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John Trumbull Jr

Lt Colonel

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John Trumbull Sr

Governor NY

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