The main attraction at the Simsbury Historical Society is this house and tavern dating back to 1711 and expanded 70 years later.
The property was owned by the Phelps family for five generations over 200 years, but is named for Captain Elisha Phelps, who played a role in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. The tavern was in business from around 1786 to 1849, and was donated to the Simsbury Historical Society by Mary Phelps Ensign Lovejoy in 1962. You’ll go back to the tavern days inside, checking out a series of period rooms combined with interactive exhibits and broader details about the role of such establishments in New England in the 18th and 19th centuries.
