Few can drive through Burlington without noticing the Brown-Elton Tavern on the Town Green, painted in the historically documented shade of pink. This beautiful Federal-style house, built by Giles Griswold in 1810, served as private home, public house, and inn during the next 164 years, until the Town of Burlington purchased it in 1974. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is headquarters for the Burlington Historical Society.

In recent years , The Burlington Historical Society has enhanced the period rooms and painted the tavern interior. With grants from the Bristol Brass Foundation, the Burlington Fund of the Hartford Foundation, and the James Parker Trust, it has just completed a chimney renovation project. Now, fires can glow again in the hearths of all seven fireplaces.

The Tavern is the most visible symbol of the efforts of the Historical Society to preserve the local history of the town. For the Historical Society it provides a most appropriate background for cultural and historic programs that if offers each year.

In early September of each year the Historical Society provides tours of the tavern and demonstrations of historic crafts on Tavern Day. In addition, The Society offers a series of programs throughout the year. This past year, there have been programs on genealogy, the Nepaug Reservoir, and Farmington-area taverns as well as an exciting appraisal night.

The Historical Society hopes to work with state and regional organizations to bring additional funding to Burlington for historic restoration and educational projects. The Society envisions the future of the Brown-Elton Tavern as a community museum that tells Burlington’s story, a destination for both townspeople and visitors. It plans rooms that will bring to life Burlington’s own past –from the earliest days when Giles Griswold built the tavern as the most elegant house in town, through the Tavern’s days at the crossroads of a town that produced muskets, clocks, and baby carriages, to a return to a quieter agricultural life.

These are just a few of the programs inspired by the Brown-Elton Tavern and sponsored by the Burlington Historical Society. Members of the Society hope your visit to this website has sparked an interest in the Brown-Elton Tavern and the Historical Society.

Please join and lend your support to this valuable community institution. The Society can be reached at 860-673-3382 for information on upcoming programs and membership or click here for Annual Membership details.

Make checks payable to Burlington Historical Society and mail to BHS, P.O. Box 1215, Burlington, CT 06013. Payment is tax deductible.