Statement of Significance (as of designation - July 17, 1991):
From 1831 to 1834, this was the residence of Prudence Crandall (1803-1890), American educator and reformer. In 1831, Crandall had been invited by the residents of Canterbury to open a school for young women in their community; however, Crandall immediately lost local support when in the fall of 1832 she admitted Sarah Harris, a young Black girl who aspired to be a teacher. Parents were outraged; on September 9, 1834, an angry mob broke into and ransacked the school. The next morning, fearing for the safety of her students, Crandall closed her school.

For the past six years, the Prudence Crandall Museum, which is administered by the state of CT, has not been able to secure state/federal funding to begin to rectify structural deterioration of the building. Restoration needs include rectifying water damage and water infiltration, removing and replacing rotting clapboards, and more importantly, eliminating the constant water penetration that has caused the loss of moldings and detailing of the building’s pilasters. Every element of the fence that runs along the north and east perimeters of the property has failed. Water infiltrates the basement due to a lack of gutter and drainage system. The building lacks an HVAC system. Though the recently passed State of Connecticut budget includes some $300,000 to be earmarked for restoration of the Crandall Museum, the funding has not yet been bonded. The Prudence Crandall Museum conducted a Conservation Assessment Program Grant (CAP Grant) in the summer of 2000. Observations and comments of the architectural preservationist who was involved with the grant indicated that the materials that had been used in restoring the building and fence in the mid-1970s were not suitable for exterior use and therefore failed. The report also included recommendations for gutters and drainage, along with site work that would direct water away from the foundation walls.