The Moses Estey
House is a fine example of American 18th-century Georgian architecture
comparable in size and proportion to the original section of the Ford
Mansion in Morristown. Before its relocation to Speedwell, this house
stood at the corner of Spring and Water Streets in Morristown,
opposite the L'Hommedieu-Gwinnup House. Captain Moses Estey, a veteran of the American
Revolution, built it after a fire had destroyed his earlier house on
the same site in January, 1786. Estey, a chairmaker by trade, had at
one time a chair factory in the back of his residence. He had two
daughters, Hannah and Sarah. Hannah married David Burnet, who became
the first president of the Republic of Texas, and Sarah married Lewis
Mills, a prominent Morristown citizen, who owned the house in the
1830's.
The Estey House is two-and-a-half
stories high over a basement and has a spacious entrance hall flanked
by two rooms on each side. The second floor has a similar plan. All
eight rooms have fireplaces and the house has two chimneys on both
sides. Each pair of chimneys has been brought together in the attic to
appear as a single chimney above the roof. Double recessed arches on
opposite sides of the cellar support the massive stonework for the
fireplaces. The stairway in the front hall is obviously of a later
date than 1786 and was probably built as an auxiliary to the original
box stair still remaining.
Although the Estey House has undergone some renovations over the years, its structural integrity remains intact. Visitors to Historic Speedwell admire its elegance and the classical harmony of its lines.
The Moses Estey House was removed from its location on the corner of Spring and Water Streets when it faced demolition by an urban renewal project. The Speedwell Village made the same agreement with H.U.D. as made for the L'Hommedieu-Gwinnup House. Since then, the roof has been repaired and the chimneys capped. Awaiting restoration.
