Brookside Farm Museum

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Black, white, and dark blue striped header image with the text Brookside Farm Museum

Several weeks ago, I went on a three-day adventure to the Mystic / Lyme area of Connecticut and visited many historic stops. During this trip, I went to Brookside Farm Museum in Niantic, CT, a village of East Lyme. Formerly called Smith-Harris House, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Thomas Avery House, some reasons behind its many names will be explained in this post.

A two-and-a-half story Greek Revival style white clapboard house with dark shutters A two-and-a-half story Greek Revival style white clapboard house with dark shutters A pair of red outbuildings behind Brookside Farm Museum

The route the house getting its complex name was likewise complex. In 1845, local carpenter John Clark built the Greek Revival style house for well-off merchant Thomas Avery and his new wife Elizabeth Brace Griswold Avery. The land on which it was built had been in the family for many years, with Thomas being in the seventh generation, and the new house included parts of an older house. Elizabeth died young in 1852 at age 29, so Thomas’ childless sister, Elizabeth Avery Henderson, moved into the house to care for their two surviving children.

Herb hang over a painted wooden mantle set atop a red brick fireplace A painted wooden sign beside the road An old sign reading Brookside Farm with the k and a missing set atop a red painted wood mantle above a fireplace

While older son William Andrew Avery and his wife Lockie Payne Gorton Avery originally inherited the house, William died young like his mother at age 30. Lockie sold the property to William H.H. Smith and his wife Lovisa P. Starkey Smith, who kept it as a summer cottage. Next in line were Herman W. Smith and Frank A. Harris, his brother and nephew, who married sisters Lula Munger Smith and Florence Munger Harris. For those trying to math this out, Herman was born in 1864 while Lula was born in 1877, making him thirteen years older than her. Frank was born in 1873 while Florence was born in 1883, making him ten years older than her.

A wooden table with a tablecloth and six wooden chairs. German style mantle clock with ornate wooden carving Painted local scenes on the wall. The staircase goes up on the left, and the front door is straight ahead.

At any rate, the town bought the property from the family in 1952 and allowed them to live there for as long as they wanted. After the family members died or were sent to nursing homes, the house closed up and vandalized until the bicentennial loomed, when the town restored the first floor of the property and opened it as a museum in 1976. Today, both the first and second floor are open to the public. The house itself is fairly typical for upper middle class dwellings of the time period. Its first floor rooms include a formal front parlor, informal sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and pantry. On the second floor were bedrooms. If this were all there was to the house, I might have mentioned it as a quick history stop instead.

Painted local scenes with the stairs going up on the right and the sitting room straight ahead Little Wooden buildings dot the Connecticut riverside landscape A tall hill stands behind the fields near a red farmhouse. A sailboat floats on the river.

What made this house stand out from the myriad of other early 19th century small town properties were the murals created in the style of itinerant painter Rufus M. Porter. These were created by the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters (CSDP), which disbanded in 2022, and feature landmarks from the area. Porter himself was an interesting character. Although he excelled at decorative arts such as painting, stencilling, and silhouette cutting, he struggled to stay in one place, often leaving his wife Eunice Twombly Porter and their ten children to go on adventures across the United States. Eventually, he founded the magazine Scientific American in 1845; his name is not mentioned on its “About Us” page.

Small buildings nestle on the green and yellow hills. A twin bed with a plain white coverlet. The white walls are stenciled with flower bouquets, wreaths, and garlands. A child sized bed surrounded by 19th century toys

Brookside Farm Museum is open on Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The docent at this museum was extra friendly and accommodating. The space is not well-lit even on a sunny day despite the number of windows on the building. The house is not accessible to those using a wheelchair, and the stairs to the second story may be too steep for people with low mobility. If you happen to be in the area and have an interest in decorative art, the museum is worth the trip.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 6/10



Location: 33 Society Rd, Niantic, CT 06357, USA