Page 9 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 52 Winter 2025

Mansfield House ready for move
The House at 188 North Main
Street: the Journey from
Wallingford to Lyme
Toward the end of the 19th Centu-
ry, H.L. Davis, a judge in Wallingford, Mansfield House relocated to Lyme
bought the house, modernized it, lived At the time of purchase, the house Colonial was taken down just as it had
in it for a while, and eventually turned was 220 years old and had two apart- gone up in 1760. It was a labor of love.
it into a rental duplex. Now known as ments of four rooms each. Though it Only tools from the 18th century were
the Davis House, it became home to was in rundown condition, Mariotti used, each board numbered, then
individuals and families, and finally an decided to take a chance and move loaded into a pickup truck and driven
illegal drug factory in the 1970s. It was the 90-ton structure from 188 North away from Wallingford, its home of
during this time that the Wallingford Main Street to 88 South Main Street 200 years.
Public Library Association was search- (current Wallingford Credit Union),
ing for a centrally located property on a distance of two and a half blocks. This might have been the end of the
which to build a new library. The pro- In preparation for the move, workers story. Wallingford’s rich history of a
cess was complicated by many factors, pried out the foundation stones, then house and a war hero, lost forever. But
but ultimately the Town purchased split the house into two sections. From the Mansfield/Davis House had yet an-
the Davis House intending to remove the Record-Journal: “The workers will other chapter. It was taken to a 6.71
it to make room for the library. In Jan- use hydraulic lifts to hoist each part acre property on a beautiful overlook
uary 1980, ads for the Davis House up onto shims, and then onto two- in Lyme, CT and rebuilt using all the
appeared in the Record Journal—“for ton steel beams. A total of 10 beams original materials, restored, updated,
sale, must be moved”. In a few weeks, will be placed under the large, front and painted pink. You can find pictures
the Town had a buyer. Mildred D. section in a crisscross fashion, with of the house and interior online, re-
Mariotti with DelVecchia Homes of two beams in the back. Wheels will vealing that it was attached to another
Wallingford purchased the house for be attached to the beams in groups of Colonial house on the property. Today
$27,000. eight. Three sets will be placed under the combined houses contain 5,536
the front section, like a tricycle.” Some square feet and five bedrooms: a spec-
trees were cut down and utility lines tacular showplace.
moved to allow for passage.
Much has happened to that house
On September 24, 1980, a large crowd since it was built in 1760, 110 years
of onlookers stood along the planned after the founding of Wallingford. But
route mouths agape as the old house I am certain the spirit of Captain John
slowly rolled down the street behind Mansfield continues to permeate the
a big Mack truck. The house totally old beams, the stone hearths, and
dwarfed the truck. I remember it well the attic gables. I imagine too that he
as I was in that crowd. is pleased his old home is once again
referred to as the “Captain John Man-
Sadly, plans to renovate the house on sfield House.”
its new plot never materialized and it
faced foreclosure and probable dem- Thanks to Natalie Scott and Shirley
olition in 1984. But fate had some- Hall for their research assistance.
thing else in mind for the Mansfield/
Davis House. A savior in the form of
a man from Lyme bought the house,
Mansfield House rolling down hired expert workers, and dismantled
it. Piece by piece the historic Dutch
Main Street

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