The Henry Whitfield house has stood in Guilford Connecticut for almost 4 centuries. The pristine stone walls have been preserved to exhibit the cause of the colonists scission from the tyranny in Britain. The walls have seen so much over the years; laughter, tears, new life, and of course death. During the visit, I was quite surprised by the history of this house as it was built in 1639. This was 5 years before the end of the Ming Dynasty, the same year the Taj Mahal was being constructed, and three years before the birth of Isaac Newton. This building is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone structure in New England.
Henry Whitfield came to America in search of a new life. He became the first minister to live in Guilford Connecticut and earlier was the leader of the Founders of Guilford. Henry Whitfield embodied numerous American Identities. Early America consisted of brave colonists that fought for what they believed in, and spoke out for what was right. Henry Whitfield, having manifested this culture, shows that he was not afraid to speak freely (an American Identity). Being a minister and founder of a particular area, you are bound to have many followers. Henry shared his hospitality with many new comers and foreigners to the land. Hospitality is an American Identity that Henry personified, however, many Americans do not think that it is identified as often today considering peoples political background and our current political battle. The historical narrative associated with the Henry Whitfield house includes the defeat of the Red Coats, however, this narrative does not include the murdering of countless Native Americans, just to add onto their land. The Native Americans should not have been left out of this narrative because they are a significant part of our history. The intended narrative has to do with how the public sees this sight. Our country did not want me to see the history of the murdering of the Native Americans, rather I saw this first hand by only being given this information by a small plaque dedicated to the Pequot War. This war was a big part of this buildings history and should not be skipped over due to not making the colonists look good.
As I was walking around this magnificently old building I wondered why the rooms were so big. Why do they not make smaller rooms for the fire place to warm up the room more easily? This specific flaw seems that it would make a big difference in the harsh and cold New England winters. I also do not understand why they built the house to withstand Indian attacks if there were no documented attacks against this house?
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