Thomas Lee House & Little Boston School

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A black, white, and dark blue striped header image with the text Thomas Lee House & Little Boston School

Several weeks ago, I took a three-day trip to the Mystic / Lyme area of Connecticut and visited many historical sites. The most remarkable hidden gem I found during this trip was Thomas Lee House & Little Boston School, properties in Niantic, CT belonging to East Lyme Historical Society. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970, Lee House was among the best examples of post-medieval houses in New England that I have visited.

A two-story Post-Medieval style unpainted house A two-story Post-Medieval style unpainted house beside a one-story red wooden building A long wooden branch driven into the ground with another branch balanced on top and a rope hanging from the top branch and dropping down into the well

In the late 1660s, the original portion of the house was built for Ensign Thomas Lee III who used the lower chamber as a Judgement Hall for holding court cases. Additions in 1709 and 1765 brought the house to its current size. The Lee family lived in the house until some point in the 19th century, when a neighbor bought the property and turned it into a barn. Today, the lower chamber on the left is a 17th century design, while the lower chamber on the left is an 18th century or Georgian style design, allowing visitors to compare tastes between the two periods.

Inside a lower chamber with an ornate Post-medieval style wooden table at the center of the room. A matching chair is set in back and two simpler chairs in front. A chamfered summer beam connected to a gunstock post beside a casement window Early 20th century painted sign with last words from a home owner
Georgian style painted paneling around the fireplace and caned chairs at the edge of the room. A small wooden cube-shaped box with a keyhole in front Large cooking hearth with two bread ovens

When the building was rediscovered by preservationists in 1914, its restoration required a joint effort by East Lyme Historical Society, Society of Colonial Wars in Connecticut, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Connecticut, and The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, the former name of Historic New England. Leading the charge was architectural historian Norman Morrison Isham, who had been instrumental in saving other historic houses, including Eleazer Arnold House and Clemence-Irons House in Rhode Island, and Browne House in Massachusetts.

A curved piece of wood once found on the hull of a ship now holding up a ceiling A modern wooden table holding yarn with a card describing what ingredients cause what colors An exterior casement window turned interior window roughly cut into the side of the wall

Thomas Lee House has all the Post-Medieval architectural details that obsessive old house visitors like to see. The chamfered summer beam in the Judgement Hall has a clean lambs tongue and pip design on either end. Exposed gunstock corner posts show the timber framing holding up the structure for near 400 years. Wooden elbow braces from a ship were recycled to hold up parts of the kitchen ceiling. The former exterior of the house became the interior of the attic, but the window hole was never removed, allowing visitors to peer from the attic into the bedroom. The stone chimney stack is in good condition.

A simple rope bed in a corner held up by a gunstock post Chamfered Beam with Lambs Tongue and Pip at Thomas Lee House Bedroom with canopy bed at Thomas Lee House

Besides its significance in colonial history, contribution historic restoration, and unique architectural structure, the house also holds unique artifacts. A locked box now held in the Georgian style chamber was intended to keep thieves away from valuable spaces. Painted nearby on the wall were words supposedly given by John Lee as a dying charge to his children in 1715. A display on the upper floor showed how colonial Americans could dye brightly colored clothing using natural ingredients like cochineal or crushed little insects, and plants such as indigo, turmeric, madder, henna, and brazilwood.

A trough at the center of a wooden table is filled with fake foot A paper card with yarn attached next to the name of the dye ingredient, including cochineal, indigo, turmeric, madder, henna, and brazilwood Stone Chimney Stack in the Attic at Thomas Lee House

It this was not enough, the property contains a bonus building: Little Boston School. While not much different than other one-room schoolhouses I have visited over the years (I just created a new Schoolhouse tag on the blog), the restored building with vintage desks and a wood stove was a nice end to the tour. This was also the perfect way to get elementary school students involved with local history.

Vintage wooden desks and a wood stove inside the one-room schoolhouse. Vintage wooden desks and a wood stove inside the one-room schoolhouse. A whitewashed wooden sign with red and blue stenciled letters

In 2024, Thomas Lee House is open July through early October, Wednesday through Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tours are free for all. Like most historic houses, the buildings are not accessible by wheelchair and may be difficult to navigate for people with limited mobility. Parts of the house are dimly lit. Additionally, the website is difficult to navigate despite having a current design. Even with these limitations, if you are an old house enthusiast or love New England history, this property is a must-see.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 9/10

Accessibility: 6/10



Location: 228 W Main St, Niantic, CT 06357, USA