Robert Chitty Mitchell House (circa 1850)

The Robert Chitty Mitchell house probably predates 1850. I am confident it was originally a barn converted into a dwelling. It has significant post and beam construction.

In 1860 Robert Mitchell and wife Elizabeth Dodge lived here with children ranging from 19 to 8 years of age  Robert was a farmer and owned well over 35 acres to the south and west. One of their sons, Oliver and sister Laura never married and lived in the house their entire lives. Oliver was a blacksmith. Laura, the last of the family died In 1905.

William Teal bought the house in 1908 and lived here with family until 1926. He was a former keeper of West Side Life Saving Station.

In 1926 he sold the property to Arthur and Eleanor Penn. They had previously owned Smilin Through on Cooneymus Road. Arthur, a New Yorker, was a frequent summer visitor for years. He was a song writer and writer of operettas. His most famous song was Smilin Through. To this house, Arthur and Eleanor added the north porch, the west sun porch, and the bump out to the right of the front door.

A Mott and Klein family lived here from 1933 through 1982. Peter and Sandra Greenman purchased the property in 1982 and have faithfully restored all five buildings. We intend to make this a separate historic district within the town.