This lovely home, built in 1780, is considered to be one
of the best examples of Georgian architecture in Western Massachusetts.
Built of native brick by Deacon Nathaniel Ely, it was intended to house
two families. Deacon Ely was a Captain in the Revolutionary War. The house
was used during the war to board Tory prisoners enroute from Boston to New
York. Deacon Ely's son, Nathaniel, Jr., is credited with bringing the
first umbrella to Longmeadow! In 1800 the house became embroiled in
controversy after two grandsons of Rev. Stephen Williams' renegade sister,
Eunice, came from Canada to live with the Elys and study in Longmeadow.
The rumor abounded that one of the boys was in fact the Lost Dauphin, son
of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI of France. This theory holds little
credibility today. The house boasts a "butterfly" staircase once
belonging to the Dwight Store, built in 1799, on the comer of Main and
State Streets in downtown Springfield. It is said to have once concealed a
tunnel leading towards the river which was, perhaps, a link in the
Underground Railway.
