The Captain Hills Suite

The majority of the room today appears much as it did in the 1740s when the family, under Captain David Hills, expanded the house to accommodate their growing numbers. One of the remarkable features of this suite is the original or very early paint color on the raised paneled fireplace wall. It is extremely rare to find an intact original paint scheme on most of the trim work in a given space, making this room unique in the house. The color, called "lampblack," is made of linseed oil paint and is believed to date from the 1740s to the 1760s. The flooring is pitch pine (heart pine), also dating to the 1740s.

All the antiques in this suite are from the 18th or early 19th centuries, predominantly from the New England area. The suite is named after Captain David Hills, the patriarch of the Hills family for most of the 18th century. He and his wife, Mary Lord Pitkin, were responsible for the house's current appearance. They married in 1745 and had eight children, all of whom survived to adulthood. David fought in the French and Indian War and was called to aid the English at Fort William Henry in August 1757. He was also active in the Revolutionary War, providing beef and supplies to the Continentals. While there is no record of David fighting in the Revolutionary War, likely due to his older age, three of his sons did fight. The Hills family was prominent in the East Hartford Society and Hartford as a whole during the 18th century. They owned and operated a timber mill, which may explain the size, scale, and refined nature of the house.