With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
42 South Main Street, Putnam
- Gertrude Warner Childhood House
- Private Residence
- Gertrude Chandler Warner
-
Childhood home from which Gertrude Warner watched the railroad across the street and took inspiration for the Boxcar Children books.
- Description of Significance/Historical Narrative
- The Warner House is significant for its age and sequence of construction, but most of all for its association with the Warner family. Judge Edgar M. Warner was a prominent citizen and Gertrude Chandler Warner, his daughter, grew up in the house and began her writing career here. She must have walked the short distance to school each day, and planned her stories for the children she taught. Gertrude Chandler Warner became a prominent citizen of Putnam herself, teaching generations of children and pioneering the writing of stimulating stories with carefully selected vocabulary for young readers.
- Date of Construction
- 1860, 1905
- Historic Designation(s)