Haddam Historical Society

Thankful Arnold House Museum/Haddam Shad Museum

July 6, 2023

Summer Pot-luck Picnic at Orrin Freeman House

Monday, July 10, 2023

3 pm

Our friends, Clark and Kamilla Gardner, at the Orrin Freeman House at 37 Maple Avenue East have invited members of the Haddam Historical Society to a pot-luck summer picnic to be held on Monday, July 10, 2023, starting at 3 pm.

The Orrin Freeman House is probably one of the most fascinating houses in town. This majestic and romantic style villa was built in 1841. The house is a brick structure with stucco facing. It blends features from the Greek Revival and Italianate periods including the overhanging eaves and porch columns. Freeman, a life-long bachelor, once owned and operated a brickyard and the largest lumberyard and sawmill in Middlesex County and supplied much of the lumber used to build ships at Higganum Landing. In 1908 Eugene Orlando Burr purchased the home and it remains in the family today. Between 1910 and 1942 Burr ran a dairy farm on the premises known as Higganum Dairy. Highlights of the Freeman House include the large “Spirit of ‘76” mural, painted on the southwest elevation of the house; it was painted by Burr’s son-in-law Bill Gardner in 1976 to commemorate the Bicentennial; Gardner also installed a kitchen ceiling clock which measures nine feet and was salvaged from the Middletown Municipal Building clock tower when it was demolished in 1962. It is a sight to behold

If you are interested in attending, please email Lisa at the museum contact@haddamhistory.org and let her know what you are bringing.

From the Vault

The Haddam Historical Society recently received a wonderful donation of award medallions presented to the Higganum Manufacturing Corporation between 1872 and 1895 for products they exhibited at multiple Agricultural Expositions.

These exhibitions were hosted by regional agricultural organizations and allowed manufacturers to highlight and demonstrate their products, similar to a trade show. It was an opportunity to meet with industry partners and potential clients to show off their equipment and services.

The Higganum Manufacturing Company (later Corporation) was founded in 1867 by brothers, George and Thomas Clark. They manufactured a variety of agricultural implements including cultivators, grinders, cider mills, root cutters and the popular Cutaway Harrow. The brothers were responsible for constructing the Higganum Reservoir which provided waterpower to their large manufacturing complex in the center of Higganum (now known as the Rossi site). At one time the firm was the largest employer in Higganum with up to 150 employees. Later the firm changed its name to Clark Cutaway Harrow and by the 1940s was purchased by the Orkil Corporation. It ceased operations in the early 1950s.

During its heyday, Higganum Manufacturing presented its products at many agricultural fairs including those sponsored by the New England Agricultural Society, Hornellsville Exhibition, and Cincinnati Industrial Exposition. Awards and medals were given to the company’s potato digger, cutaway harrow, and monitor horse rake to name a few.

The medallions were donated to the museum by Raymond Jansak in memory of Marie Sallak.