Jonathan Warner, a local farmer who inherited land originally purchased by his grandfather in 1697, built this massive farmhouse on over 100 acres at the western edge of the Connecticut River. Warner owned land on both sides of the river, in modern-day Chester and Hadlyme. He then established a ferry crossing the river which had a toll, that helped him amass a great fortune.The Chester-Hadlyme ferry remains today as the second oldest in the state. Warner and his family farmed the land with oxen, pigs, geese and sheep (among other animals) and often traded with nearby towns and colonies as far as the Caribbean. He was also engaged in a successful shipping business, both in New England and in the Caribbean. He was a partner in the ventures of the brig Matilda until she was seized by the French in 1799.
    The homes and estate of land has been subdivided somewhat, but the existing home and over 20 acres of land surrounding it retain the bucolicfeelings of an old farm. It features two double-heightlonic columns flanking the entry and at the center, a gorgeous Palladian window.