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1858 MARTHA CULVER HOUSE, NORTH HAVEN
by Susan A. Iverson

The old brick house on Quinnipiac Avenue is known to those familiar with the structure as the Martha Culver House. It's not much to look at; it isn't a spacious mansion owned by a wealthy family, or anciently quirky and eye-catching. But it is thoroughly North Haven - built literally from North Haven clay excavated less than a mile away along the banks of the Quinnipiac River. The clay was dug out of the ground, packed into molds, dried, and then used to build the structure. Those deposits of clay were commonly found along the river, and North Haven had lots of them. Several brickyards operated here in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Look at the town's seal - there's a brick included, because the brick making industry was so important!) In fact, the Culver family brickyard was one of the earliest in North Haven, and has some interesting history associated with it. So there are lots of reasons why the house is so special - it's made from North Haven clay, it represents an industry responsible for the growth of our town, and it was lived in exclusively by a family who came to North Haven early in its history.

Martha Culver	Martha Culver Notecard
The Martha Culver House was built by Ammi Culver in 1858, the year he married Delia Young. Ammi was the second generation of Culvers to own the Samuel Culver and Sons Brickyard. He and Delia had two children - Benjamin and Martha. A few years after Martha was born her father, sadly, died. Ammi's widow sold the brickyard but continued to live in the house her husband built. She later married Sam Sackett (another well known North Havener) so Sam also lived in the brick house on Quinnipiac Avenue. Benjamin, Martha's brother, never married and lived in the family home until his death. Martha had married and divorced, finally returning home after her brother passed to live alone in the house. Martha was always active in the community, particularly the Friday Afternoon Club and the Baptist Church. Both groups were instrumental in establishing a lending library in the Montowese neighborhood, where the Culver house was located. Because neither Martha nor Benjamin had any children, Martha bequeathed the house to the Town of North Haven upon her death in 1925. Since that time the Town of North Haven has used the home to serve the community as a meeting space, library and museum.

Now the Martha Culver House property at 290 Quinnipiac Avenue includes a fire station, ball fields, and inside the Culver house is the Brockett collection of North Haven artifacts and farming tools. The building is presently being restored, thanks to the efforts of the Town of North Haven and the North Haven Historical Society. More information about this unique and historical property can be obtained by contacting the society at nhhistsoc@gmail.com, or by calling 203-239-7722.