What to See in Old Saybrook - Top Sights and Attractions

Lighthouse. The Lynde Point Light or Lynde Point Lighthouse, also known as Saybrook Inner Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Connecticut River on the Long Island Sound, Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The first light was a 35 feet wooden tower constructed by Abisha Woodward for $2,200 and it was completed in 1803. A new lighthouse was eventually needed and a total of $7,500 was appropriated on July 7, 1838. Jonathan Scranton, Volney Pierce, and John Wilcox were contracted to build the new 65-foot octagonal brownstone tower. It was constructed in 1838 and lit in 1839. The lighthouse was renovated in 1867 and had its keeper's house from 1833 replaced in 1858 with a Gothic Revival gambrel-roofed wood-frame house. In 1966, the house was torn down and replaced by a duplex house. The original ten lamps were replaced in 1852 with a fourth-order Fresnel lens, and with a fifth-order Fresnel lens in 1890. Lynde Point Lighthouse used whale oil until 1879 when it switched to kerosene. It was electrified in 1955 and fully automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1978. In 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is significant for its "superior stone work in the tapering brownstone walls".^[2]

Performing arts center in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, known as The Kate, is a performing arts center in Old Saybrook, Connecticut that opened in 2009. It is named for Katharine Hepburn, the 4-time Academy Award winning actress and Old Saybrook's most celebrated resident.

The Kate is a non-profit performing arts organization located in a historic theater/town hall on Main Street in Old Saybrook. Originally opened in 1911 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Center has been renovated with public funds from the Town of Old Saybrook and donations raised by the Trustees of the Kate. It includes a 285-seat theater and the Katharine Hepburn Museum. As befits an organization born of such a public/private partnership, programming is eclectic, offering something for all ages and attracts patrons from throughout Connecticut and the region. The Kate presents more than 250 performances and events each year, including music, theater, comedy, film, simulcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, and dance, as well as host arts education programs for children and youth.

The Katharine Hepburn Museum presents an authentic view of the cultural and historical impact of Miss Hepburn and her family. In addition to many photographs from Katharine Hepburn’s life and career, the exhibit features her 1975 Primetime Emmy Award, examples of letters written to her family during the early years of her career, costume and personal wardrobe pieces, and two of her paintings, including a self-portrait. The Kate frequently entertains offers for donations to add to the collection.

The building in which the venue is housed dates from circa 1910 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as Old Saybrook Town Hall and Theater. The property is also known as The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and Theater.

The 285-seat theater had the blessing of the Hepburn Estate and the actress's family. Cynthia McFadden of ABC News, an executor of the Hepburn Estate, was an honorary capital campaign committee member. Hepburn's brother-in-law, Ellsworth Grant, was instrumental in helping the Board of Trustees honor the actress with his knowledge of Hepburn and her family. Grant was an author and former Mayor of West Hartford, Connecticut.

Former Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell said the following about the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center: "It is my pleasure to recognize that one of Connecticut's own is being honored in the naming of an historic building that will perpetuate her legacy. Katharine Hepburn contributed much in her long career in film and theater, not only to Connecticut, but throughout the world. To remember her in this manner is most fitting and I salute the efforts of all those involved."

Connecticut U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd had also recognized the theater in saying: "I commend everyone participating in this grand effort to restore the old Town Hall building in Old Saybrook to create in its place the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, I'm honored that I can lend my name in support of what will be a meaningful and inspiring tribute to our Connecticut treasure, Katharine Hepburn."

The building was designed by New London architect James Sweeney, and "is a fine example of the Colonial Revival Style." The general contractor was William L. Roe Jr. also of New London.^[3]

The Ambrose Whittlesey House is a historic house at 14 Main Street in Old Saybrook, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The house was built in two sections. The first section was one story high, built in 1765, measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m). This is now at the rear of the house. Around 1800, a two-story main block measuring 30 feet (9.1 m) by 34 feet (10 m) was added. The main block has a relatively plain facade, but it has a Georgian style portico to accent it. The columns holding up the portico are consistent with Georgian proportions, but the fanlight over the door is more related to Federal architecture in style and design. The interior of the 1800 section of the house is generally consistent with Federal-style architecture. This section contains a massive center chimney, dating back to Colonial architecture in its simplicity. The chimney contains flues for six hearths, three on each floor.

The house has architectural influences indicating a transition between Georgian architecture and Federal architecture. There are only a few such buildings remaining in this section of Old Saybrook. The actual identification of architectural styles is complicated by the mix of elements such as the large central chimney, reminiscent of colonial-period architecture; the Georgian-style portico, and the Federal-style detailing in the interior. Since there are few other Georgian-style details in the house, it appears likely that the portico was added later.

The owner, Ambrose Whittlesey, was the great-great-grandson of John Whittlesey, who was an early settler of the Saybrook Colony in the 17th century. The Whittlesey family was involved in farming, the merchandise trade, and shipbuilding. Ambrose started his career as a sea captain at age 21, trading with the West Indies. He later went on to voyages to Spain and Portugal after the War of 1812. When he died in 1827, his house was inherited by his youngest son, also named Ambrose, although his mother had an encumbrance on the property until her death in 1838. In 1839, his surviving siblings granted him full ownership via a quitclaim deed. The house remained in the Whittlesey family until 1967.^[5]