The David Bushnell Memorial House
ORIGINS: The David Bushnell Memorial House was built sometime between 1680 and 1720. It is believed that is has always been owned by members of the Bushnell family. However, David Bushnell of “The Turtle” fame was not born there and did not live there. He lived about a mile away on the road to Essex. When the Society of Descendants of Westbrook Settlers was formed in 1920, the current owner Edna Hirons (a Bushnell descendant) donated the house to this newly formed society as a permanent memorial to David Bushnell and a place for the society to hold their meetings.
MEETING HOUSE: The house was renovated, and members contributed antiques of rare value to fill the house. Edna Bushnell Post Hirons also displayed her original Bushnell letters. The house was open to visitors several hours each week and docent Estelle Post Dibble lived upstairs.The house has had many renovations and restorations through the years. The latest advancements in heating and cooking were installed. In the mid-19th century lath and plaster were added to the original walls. The posts of the original post and beam construction were hewn down to the studs with an adze so wallpaper was easier to apply. In the 1920s, the society wanted to restore the house back to its more original look so the lath and plaster were then removed, and the posts and beams were restored to their original dimensions by sistering or butting new posts and beams to the originals.
PRESENT DAY: The Society of Descendents eventually disbanded, and the house was returned to Edna Hirons. In 2002, Leighton Lee III bought the house and established his Museum of Early Engineering Technology. In 2021, Mr. Lee moved his museum and donated the house to the town of Westbrook with the stipulation that it be used for something historical. The Westbrook Historical Society hopes to reopen it as an antique house museum.