Woodbridge Farmstead (Doedatus Woodbridge House) and Manchester Historical Society

The Greek-Revival Woodbridge Farmstead and its accompanying barns in Manchester Green (now Manchester) are the last surviving buildings that once stood as the centerpiece of the 149-acre Meadow Brook Dairy Farm. The first property owner, Deodat Woodbridge, operated a tavern that was visited by George Washington on November 9, 1789. Construction on the historic Woodbridge Farmstead occurred somewhere between 1830 - 1835, accomplished by Doedat's youngest son. The Woodridge family maintained ownership of the property for five generations, from the early nineteenth century until 1998. The fifth and last generational owner, Ray and Thelma Carr Woodbridge, gave the property to the Manchester Historical Society in 1998. Since then, the historical society has operated a museum at the historic home. 

Meadow Brook Farm, for which the Woodbridge Farmstead existed as its visual centerpiece, operated as a highly successful dairy farm for nearly two centuries. The 149 acres of land and the dozen structures constituted a notable agricultural enterprise. 

The history starts with Deodat Woodbridge (1757-1836), who operated the Woodbridge Tavern at the west end of the Green and accumulated vast stretches of land, which he divvied up among his sons at his death. The youngest, Deodatus (1800-1857), inherited Deodat's primary residence and 130 acres of land, located northward across the street from the tavern (the property that became Meadow Brook Farm). Deodatus likely built the historic home sometime between 1830 and 1835. 

Other descendants who lived at the farmstead include:

• Joseph Woodbridge (c. 1827-1901)
• George Williams Woodbridge (1857-1929)
• Arthur Woodbridge (1886-c. 1975)
• Raymond Brewster Woodbridge (1912-1997). Ray and Thelma Carr Woodbridge gave the property to the Manchester Historical Society in 1998. 

Other members of the Woodbridge family lived near the Woodbridge Farmstead. Wells Woodbridge lived next door and managed a store where he also served as Manchester Green's first postmaster. Wells and Joseph Woodbridge purchased stock in a textile company which, in 1850, built the brick mill buildings to the east of the property. But, it was the farm that evolved into the dominant Woodbridge-family story. The dairy farm operated successfully from the 1830s until 1951 when the family sold the vast majority of the land to residential real estate developers. 

The family maintained two acres of the land until 1998 when Ray and Thelma Carr Woodbridge gave the property to the Manchester Historical Society in 1998, who subsequently turned the site into a museum; a Meadow Brook sign is still in place over the old cow barn door. Thelma passed away in 2009, or about 220 years after George Washington frequented Deodat's tavern in what was known as Manchester Green. 

Historic Buildings of Connecticut. "Deodatus Woodbridge House (1830)." historicbuildingsct.com. Accessed December 16, 2020. http://historicbuildingsct.com/deodatus-woodbridge-house-1830/. 

Manchester Historical Society. "Woodridge Farm." manchesterhistory.org. Accessed December 16, 2020. http://www.manchesterhistory.org/MHS3_Woodbridge_Farmstead.html

Ransom, David F. "Nomination Form: Woodbridge Farmstead." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. August 5, 1999. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/257c868c-5f89-4a61-b821-98c86f54a6a9/