Spring House

From the late 19th or early 20th century

This stone building sits on top of a freshwater spring, which served as the primary water source on this property until the late 1980s. The 1799 deed lists a well at approximately the same distance from the dwelling house, and it is quite likely that this spring is the same one mentioned. Spring houses do not appear in the Bristol tax assessments or deeds, however, and it’s likely that in 1799 the spring had little more than a fence and curbing to control livestock access, if that. The Portland-based mortar used in the construction of this building indicated a construction date note earlier than the third quarter of the 19th century and its overall architectural esthetic suggests that it may have been part of Samuel Colt’s stone building campaign.