The War Office

During the Revolutionary War, Governor Jonathan Trumbull convened the Council of Safety to deal with the defense of the colony of Connecticut and to supply provisions to the Continental Army.  Many of the over 1,100 meetings were held in this building. At one point, the War Office was connected to Gov. Trumbull’s house via a secret tunnel.

The War Office

The building was constructed around 1732 by Captain Joseph Trumbull, father of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, and was used mainly as a store for its first 40 years of existence. Only amid the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, did Gov. Trumbull begin using the office to coordinate actions with military and political leaders and to help provide supplies to the Continental Army and French military forces. The office has been referred to by some as “The Pentagon of the Revolution.”

Encampment

Among the individuals known to have met with Governor Trumbull here in Lebanon are:

  • George Washington
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • John Adams
  • Henry Knox
  • Marquis de Lafayette
  • Count Rochambeau
  • Marquis de Chastelux
  • Israel Putnam
  • Samuel Parsons
  • Joseph Spencer
  • Jedediah Huntington
  • Duc de Lauzun

The building is owned and operated by the Sons of the American Revolution and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Address: 149 West Town St, Lebanon, CT 06429
Hours:
  • June 3 – Labor Day September 4
  • Fri-Sun 12:00pm-4:00pm
  • After Labor Day – September 30
  • Sat-Sun 12:00pm-4:00pm
Phone: 860-334-2858