"The Derrings (Derrin) built a home
before 1766 in a section of West Avon..." is the only reference in a local
history book to this c. 1747 farmhouse. Little is known of the family other than
they built several houses in the western part of Avon in the 18th century. It is
obvious from the size and architectural detail of the house they were engaged in
farming and were of modest means.
Currently under restoration, the front part of the house was probably remodeled since the windows and interior woodwork are of a period much later than the house frame visible in the cellar. The Kitchen area will someday have the bricked up fireplace fully exposed. The Borning Room, where births, deaths and illnesses were dealt with by the family, has the original fireplace and a dry storage cabinet.
Upstairs the front bedroom contains a trundle bed that would typically have had a feather mattress on a rope frame. The recently added stenciling is not original but of the same period. Additional rooms on the second floor are being restored as bedrooms and exhibit rooms.
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