The lone survivor of a once vibrant Hartford neighborhood, the Isham-Terry House is a time capsule of the genteel lifestyle of turn-of-the century Hartford. In 1896, Dr. Oliver Isham purchased the 1854 Italianate house for his medical practice and as a home for himself, his parents and his three sisters. His sisters, Julia and Charlotte, lived in the house until their deaths in the 1970s. A life-long love of their family home and an interest in historic preservation led them to donate their family home to Connecticut Landmarks. The footprint of the house remains the same as it was when it was built in 1854 with the three-story rectangular tower added in 1883. The 15-room mansion is adorned with crown moldings, ceiling medallions, lincrusta wall coverings, hand painted walls and ceilings, gilt mirrors and valances, stained glass windows, elaborate gas-light chandeliers and many original kitchen and bathroom appliances and fixtures.
It is filled with objects of historical, artistic and family significance including antique furnishings, decorative arts, rare books, the Terry clocks made famous by their great uncle Eli Terry, ornate gas-light fixtures, stained-glass windows, early Connecticut auto memorabilia and memorabilia from Hartford High School, the Ishams’ beloved alma mater. Dr. Isham’s medical office, with surgical instruments and medicines, has been left largely undisturbed, as has the family’s c. 1920 kitchen.