Curtis House Inn (South Woodbury, Connecticut). Daybook, 1814-1815.
The Curtis House Inn, in the prosperous town of South Woodbury, Connecticut, was built in 1735 by Anthony Stoddard, and is still in operation today. The business changed ownership within the family many times, and was sold outside of the family in 1799. When this daybook was recorded from 1814-1815, the inn was owned by Elisha Hatch. Hatch ran an extremely busy, successful business, and all 553 pages of this volume are filled. Daily entries show the sale of a variety of items, including not only alcohol (brandy, gin, even mead), but items such as cotton, silk, tobacco, molasses, snuff, and brown sugar. This bustling inn, as legend states, is said to be haunted, making this item an interesting piece for researchers interested in business and travel, and ghost hunters alike!
