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CTMQ > Everything Else > Cultural, Heritage, & Historic Trails > URR Trail: North Stonington

URR Trail: North Stonington

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John Randall House (formerly known as Randall’s Ordinary Landmark Inn & Restaurant)
Route 2

This property is probably the most interesting of the 19 along the Underground Railroad route. There is a ton online about this property – the best of which I’ll copy and paste here. I had mentioned to a knowledgeable woman that I was planning on going here for lunch and she told me that it was no longer open. I was a bit surprised because there is nothing online telling me so.

Turns out, the local Mashantucket Pequots bought the property and don’t publicize that fact. Who knows what they’ll do with the place; but let’s hope they don’t change the character of it. It’s really very pretty and set off the busy Route 2 (busy thanks to those same Pequots and their teeny little casino a few miles up the road) and as I said, has a rich history.

Coming to the new world with his family in 1667, John Randall II was part of a very prominent family. His uncle, Sir William Morton, was a founder of New London, and his grandfather, Matthew Randall, had served as Lord Mayor of Bath, England. In 1680 John Randall I purchased land in North Stonington and five years later Randall II built his home, now known as Randall’s Ordinary. The farmstead stayed in the Randall family for more than 200 years, yet deteriorated with time.

In 1926, a man named Harvey Perry purchased the property and restored the farmstead to its original condition. It wasn’t until 1987, after the property had been sold to Bill and Cindy Clark, that Randall’s Ordinary opened for business. Very knowledgeable in colonial customs and culture, the Clarks ran the inn, providing the effect that guests were traveling back in time 300 years when they entered the homestead, and in some ways they were.

Dinner at Randall’s Ordinary in North Stonington was a unique experience, as close to dining in Colonial times as most of us will ever know. The dishes served are from authentic 18th- and 19th-century recipes, and most are cooked in the fireplaces of three small, low ceilinged dining rooms with exposed beams.

When guests called to make a reservation, they were told that drinks will be served from 7 P.M. until about 7:45 P.M., when dinner begins. At the restaurant, they were cordially welcomed by a waitress in a long skirt and mob cap who invited them to wander through the house, peer into the three guest rooms upstairs (Randall’s had a total of 12 rooms for overnight guests, with the additional nine in a reconstructed 1890 barn nearby) and order drinks in a small tap room in the rear.

By all accounts, the food was excellent and the experience certainly worthwhile. As far as the Underground Railroad, slaves were hidden here on their way to points north. Had it been open, I’d have been able to ask to see the secret hidey hole near the kitchen. Oh well.

The road to the buildings is in terrible condition – but it’s still cool to wander the grounds.

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Comments

  1. I am disappointed to hear the homestead was sold to a private entity that may not apparently keep it open. I still have some furniture artifacts I had considered offering to that historical homestead one day. Particularly a table that was brought West in a covered wagon when my family moved to Ohio from there. As it is I will pass it along to my nephews.

    Is there more information about our family during their life in Stonington that anyone could direct me to? I would like to explore the details. I had heard about the potential link to the underground railroad system. There are more than likely other tales that have been long lost.

    BTW in our local family cemetery both spellings exist using the “a” and the “e” along with an interesting story as to why. Apparently the second syllable of our name was supposed to have the emphasis but so many people accented the first syllable it made the name sound more like RAN’dull. Adding the “e” was intended to cause persons using the name to pronounce the name with more of an upbeat. I remember this well because whenever I mispronounced our name I received the lectures about it as a child from my grand parents. Apparently we were a fussy lot. : )

  2. I was just at the Randall House last month ( Nov. 2009 ) As per my fathers last wishes, With my 2 brothers and my sister. {We Are a direct Randall Descendant} *Via* ((William Vincent Randall )) We also visited the Old Randall/ Brown Cemetery. It was a Shame to see what vandals, and the ravages of time have done.. Who Knows what will happen in just the next decade. The Historical Names and figures there in will be lost forever ( Lucy Grant ) President Ulysses S. Grant’s Daughter is buried there. I saw where some little S.O.B. Spray painted a Nazi Cross, and KKK….. on one of the tomb stones..Looks like Bull dozers and other clearing equipment are moving ever closer to the family Randall/Brown Cemetery.. I hate to think. the grounds will be leveled.. and our ancestors paved over for a casino.. or Hotel.

    It was important to our Father for his children to know where we came from, and for our children to know.. But.. Cruel as time is.. Gravestones will be plowed for Developmental Greed. Loosing the history forever.

  3. Mr. Cooke,

    Unfortunately, I see this type of thing all over the state – and this is a state that does attempt to salvage a lot of its history. You’d hope the Pequots would be sensitive to this type of affront, for obvious reasons.

  4. Thanks for the great info on Randall’s Ordinary. I too was disappointed that it wasn’t open when I visited in the fall of 2009. I did sneak up there and take a few pictures of the cemetery as I have relatives buried there. Such a shame to see it setting deserted like that.

  5. My husband and I were so disappointed when Randall’s closed. It was our all time favorite restaurant and was our inspiration to purchase our current 1740 home where we also do open hearth cooking. Randall’s was so warm and inviting and everyone was treated like family. When the Clark’s sold it, we were fortunate enough to purchase a couple of pieces from the home at an auction, so we will always have the memory and history with us. We also thought the grounds were magnificent with the stonewalls on either side of the gravel driveway. It looked like a live Eric Sloane painting. It was just outstanding….loved it.

  6. Hi,

    This is very interesting for me to read all of this from Australia. I am a descendent of John Randall, a black slave who was enrolled into the loyalist army and then shipped to England and discharged from the army. He was then transported on the first fleet to Australia in 1788 as a convict as he stole a men’s watch in Manchester. It is believed that he was a slave to Captain John Randall so I feel that there is a connection to this place for me. My John Randall was one of only 11 black people on the first fleet. All convicts.

  7. Hi. I’m not an ancestor, but grew up in North Stonington near the Randall place, and wrote an article on the Randall family a few years ago for the North Stonington Historical Society. I have nothing against the Underground Railroad, but I doubt the Randall place had anything to do with it. First, the story about the hiding place came from Mrs. Perry, who wrote a paper about the house and property back in the 1920s not long after she and her investment banker husband bought the place. I think it was her conjecture/speculation. During the research for the article, I interviewed a nice old lady who remembered the last surviving Randall who lived there, in the 1880s–she said he never mentioned anything about slaves hiding at the house in the years before the Civil War. Finally, knowing the geography of the area, I just don’t think it would make sense for someone trying to flee as quickly as possible to Canada to make such an out-of-the-way detour to North Stonington when there were so many other, more practical abolitionist groups elsewhere in New York and New England. If you’d like to see my article email me at TerryBishop624@aol.com. –Terry

  8. Like Greg I too am a descendant of John Randall,the slave of captain John Randall.I am in awe of the place where he grew up .I look at the photo’s of the old house and the property and try to Imagine him running around the grounds,working hard in the fields and playing his flute and TAMBOUR [drum].

    I would love to have any information on other slaves of captain Randall and their descendants.I am happy to read that the slaves of captain randall were treated well.I can also imagine all of his family and other slaves gathering around while John played his instruments and every body sang.Lets hope that is how it might have been anyway!.I am very proud to be a descendant of JOHN RANDALL,AFRICAN/AMERICAN FIRST FLEETER.

  9. I am stoked to find that i am also a descendant of the african/american slave john randall.
    It would be great to read any information other people may have on the history of John Randall, it’s all very interesting to me!

  10. Hello,

    I am so sorry about the closure and sale of the property. I had always wanted to visit but never made it. I am disabled and in a wheelchair but would so much appreciate it anyone who has photos might be kind enough to email any that you would care to share… my email address is grneyedlady57@aol.com
    I too am descended from the original John Randall of Bath England.
    We have so much to be Thankful for as well as Proud of regarding our Randall Lineage.
    Thank you
    Helen Randall-Matthews

  11. Here is a little curve ball for you. I am living in Australia and am a descendant of a John Randall that came from New Haven, Conneticut but is believed to be a slave of your John Randall that, with a bid for freedom, joined the English army and then was taken back to England (along with quite a few ex-slaves) It is believed that alot of the men took on new names when taken into the English army and this was usually that of their previous owners. The most likely being John Randall of Stonington.
    The problem was that when they retreated back to England, there was a large amount of unemployment, especially with the infux of ex-soldiers, so a lot were left with no alternative but to steal or they would starve.
    So on the first fleet of convicts to Australia there were about 11 black men (Americans) and John Randall was one of them.
    I hope you found this of interest.
    It is difficult when your family history is lost to time and it can happen very easily happen but is there no local historical society that would support your in claims. If the cemetry is to be removed, could not the head stones be collected and kept? There needs to be some pro-active movement of all the descendants.
    Even though I will probably never get to Conneticut, it would be nice to know that something of my ancestors still exist in someway (even though it would be the area, not the genetics)
    Best of Luck
    Elizabeth C

  12. Hi,

    I would like to know if John Randall II ever played a violin? When I stayed there a few nights years ago, I heard one playing during the night. The next morning the receptionist told me it was him. A few other guests hear it too.

    Also I am making a trip to Ct. in May 2012. I would like to know if I can visit the property even though it’s closed. Is it gated off?

    Thank You SO Much,

    Lisa

  13. If there are any Australian descendants of the slave John Randall, get the book (possibly at local libraries) ‘Black Founders’ by Cassandra Pybus. She talks in detail about John Randall, how he got from America to England and then transported to Australia. She also talks in detail about his life in the founding years of Sydney and how he ended up. His daughter Frances is a fascinating character as well.
    John Randall, the ex-slave, was believed to be very handy with musical instruements.
    Elizabeth

  14. I am a descendant I believe of a john randall who own a farm in mystic stonington area and was a fir trapper in the 1800,s or earlier. My great grand mother was born and raised in mystic ct aroun 1852 her name was frances anna randall or frances randall and she had a sister named Lucy and I believe a brother named Arthur. I have always said that I would like to try to trace that history,but everyone that could give me more information has passed away I just remeber what my aunt told me. Need to find a historian to help me connect the dots

  15. One of my maternal great great grandmothers was Sarah Randall, daughter of Zebulon C, great granddaughter (through Joshua Jr.) of Joshua (shipwrecked) Randall, and thence all the John Randalls, etc.. My mother had visited this farm before it was turned into the Inn. I have a copy of the original deed they found in the fireplace while renovating it. I am wondering whether other Randall descendants (and those of allied families– in our branch of this line alone are found Congdons, Sissons, Cooks, Chesebroughs, Barnes, Whites, and more– might have an interest in forming a non-profit historical trust to acquire (if possible) the farmhouse and cemetery for historical and humanitarian preservation. Heaven knows how many of all of our ancestors may be buried there. I am sad that this lovely historical site may, if nothing can be done, otherwise be lost to time, and wonder if we could not actually do something to save it. I will be back east in May and can check on the status of the property. Is anyone else interested in at least looking into this?

  16. Hi Michele, I would be really interested in trying to do something to help preserve or perhaps even try to aquire this property under a non-profit historical trust. I know there are alot of family memebers who would like to see this place preserved as well. I am also a direct decendant of John Randall, he was my great, great, great (not sure how many greats…) grandfather. Please contact me I would love to hear more of your ideas and see how we can start taking the next steps. jennifergeorgius@gmail.com

  17. My grandfather told me about this place and our history in America. I never thought that the public would find it so interesting. I never cared to listen, it was boring to me. I suppose that I should have paid more attention. My mother remarried and change our last name, so I no longer carry the Randall name. My mother’s lineage traveled with the sister ship to the Mayflower, but the couple died at sea. Another family member came soon after and settled in the same area the the Randall family would later settle in.

  18. Jennifer Georgius,
    I just sent you a message to your posted email address.
    I was thanking you for your interest in the Randall family. That applies to you too Michele.
    I was explaining in the email that I am the last Randall in the Randall family genealogy in America. If I don’t change my last name back to Randall and that of my son’s, that is it. There truly will not be any more Randall lineage. For all you Randall family members, let me remind you how it works. A lineage is pasted down from father to son, not to the second or third son, not to the daughter. I am not trying to step on anyone’s toes or hurt someone’s feelings. You are all special. Everyone is important. That is just how it works. I am 100% the real deal with this lineage thing. Believe me, my father has reminded me of this and is very pissed that I haven’t fixed the problem. We haven’t talked now in a few years.
    I haven’t had the time or money to change my name back. That is why it hasn’t happened.
    If I had known that this family history stuff was so important to others I may have been more active with you in doing something to help you with your quest for answers or something, don’t know what, but I may have paid more attention to the Randall family history, etc.
    But honestly, I do not like conflicts with other who have such an attitude about what they think they know and who they are in the lineage. It has turned me off greatly to what to interact with others on the family history. Secondly, the Randall family is not a close and friendly bunch. It is my age group and under that are more social with each other, thanks to facebook.
    I will think more about this later. You guys are welcome to contact me, but keep it nice or I won’t reply. kapt6810@yahoo.com

  19. Hi all, I posted here almost two years ago, and it makes me really happy to see all the people with a connection with the Randall place who’ve left a message here. In addition to the Clifford Randall above, there’s another Clifford Randall who is the head/former head of the Randall Family Association–there’s even a genealogical book out on the family. He has tried to arrange for some sort of trust to protect the homestead; I think he’d be pleased if any of you reached out to him. His email is crandall@hvc.rr.com.

    I grew up a short distance from the Randall farm, and know most of the grounds–I walked all over the property when I was a kid. If anyone is interested in visiting the area, in addition to the old house, there are three Randall Cemeteries. The first is on the left side of the driveway running from Route 2 to the Randall House. It’s a small cemetery; I recall that most graves are from the 19th C. There are another two, older cemeteries located to the east, not close to the roads. I’ll be happy to give directions. I’m also going to be in North Stonington in July, and I would enjoy visiting the cemeteries if anyone’s interested. If anyone’s interested in getting a copy of the history of the Randall Family in North Stonington, just send me a request at TerryBishop624@aol.com

    Terry Bishop

  20. My ancestry is from Sicily and Calabria, so I’m definitely not a descendent. However, I did live in SE Connecticut for 5-plus years starting in the late 1990’s, and loved the area’s history, including and especially Randall’s Ordinary. My parents came down from Detroit and thoroughly enjoyed being taken to lunch in such a historic place. I also took business colleagues there. Two years ago I came back on business for a few weeks, and after my work was complete, brought my new wife up for a vacation and so that I could show off SE Connecticut to her. While we had a great time, my one disappointment was not being able to take her to Randall’s Ordinary to experience an 18th century meal. I hope somebody does something to preserve this three hundred year old national treasure. I want to go back someday.

  21. I am working on our family genealogy and just recently found out about our Randall ancestors. When I saw the pictures of the house I was really excited and planning on visiting. Then I found out the house had been bought by the Pequoits. Does anyone know the current status of the property? Are there rules to protect it since it is on the national registry of historic places or can they just destroy it in order to add their casino? That would certainly be a shame.

  22. Hi everyone. Just recently i fond records of my family lineage linking Capt. John Randall as head. I have in my position records of the lineage birth, death, marriage, children dating back to 1761. Please contact me @ lww530@aol.com for more info. This is realy great to see so many people interesting in our descendant.

  23. Hey, I’ve received three-four requests for info and my history of the Randall family since my original posting! I plan to visit North Stonington in March or April of next year, and would be happy to help arrange for a tour of the Randall place while I’m there. Let me know if anyone will be in the area then. There’s a chain-link fence in the dirt road leading to the place, so I would need to reach out to the Mashantucket Tribe to see about access to the property. You can reach me at TerryBishop624@aol.com. –Terry

  24. Iam a direct decendent of john randall he was my great grandfatherx5 his daughter married john atkines a free carpender from jamacia i would love to hear from all blood relatives please sorry about the spelling

  25. for those who may be interested john was the first person to shoot an emu he and only two others that were slaves were allowed to carry firer arms for the purpose of hunting for food after his time was up in 1792 he joined the police force for a short time

  26. Hi all–Six Randall ancestors have contacted me about their interest in the John Randall house; five of these evidently contacted me after reading this website. Clearly there’s a lot of interest in the Randall family in North Stonington, Connecticut, so I just reached out to the six people to find out who would be interested and able to join me if I organized a tour of the house and cemeteries sometime next year in the spring (April through June 2013). I go home about that time any way, so I’d be happy to add a day to take people around to these locations. I figured I should reach out to this website as well in case anyone reading this is a Randall ancestor who is similarly interested in visit their ancestral home.

    Terry Bishop
    TerryBishop624@aol.com

  27. I am an 8th decendent of John Randall the Negro slave who was said to be the slave of Captain John Randall Of Stoneington, Connecticut. Beleived to have been recruted into the English army as a musician in 1783, and then transported to England where he stole some small item and finnished up being transported on the first fleet to Australia. His daughter Mary, married a second former Negro slave John Martin, Randalls close friend. I am so proud to have ancestors like these strong men who survived such terrable hardships. Their story is written in the book, Black Founders by Cassandra Pybus. I would love to know more about the life of the slaves at Stoneington…..

  28. Bev, above is my cousin & I too am therefore related to John Randall (the negro slave). I have read Black Founders, which was very interesting, but would love to have more information re his earlier life. As a slave, was he treated well, or not? It is so hard to find out information, especially from Australia. Is there a book on the Randall family history? Thanks for any assistance anyone can give me.

  29. It is very sad that a peice of such great history is now a closed chapter. I have been to Randalls Ordinary twice, once on accident and once planned. THis was such a beautiful place. Legend has it that Mr. Randall haunted one of the bedrooms upstairs above the restaurant. As for this being a part of the underground reailroad, I was shown the hiding spot where the slaves where kept until it was safe to move them. This was right in the restaurant, that from what I was told, used to be an old school house. I toured the rooms upstairs when they were no longer able to be used due to fire code laws. I have stayed in the “Barn” gorgeous rooms, and I have toured the grounds a bit. Can the historical society of Connecticut get involved in preservation of this landmark?

  30. This is a thank you to Terry Bishop who set up the tour of the Randall farm this summer. I wrote a story about our visit that I want to share with everyone. I am looking for pictures the Randall home to include in our family book. If you have pictures or stories, you can email me at lcattrysse@yahoo.com.

    The year is 2013 and stories about vampires and zombies are the very popular now in books, on TV and in movies. Well, I have a real life ghost story to tell you; our ancestors spoke to us from the grave. It’s a story about rocks, elders, and history.

    It started a couple of months before my sister Laural and I were going to Stonington Connecticut to trace our family history. Well actually it started about 10 years ago when my daughter, Jill and I went to Bremen Germany for an astronomical conference. We were seated at a table for dinner with two Jewish gentlemen. I asked them if I could ask about their culture because there was a scene in the movie Schindler’s List that I always wondered about, but didn’t know what it meant. In the last scene in the movie, which is a true story about the Holocaust, the real survivors went to Schindler’s real grave and put rocks on his grave. I asked these gentlemen why they put rocks on the grave. They told us that it means “we remember you”. Then one of the men said his father-in-law was in that concentration camp and was on Schindler’s actual list. He worked for Schindler. His father-in-law was one of the people at the end of the movie who put a rock on the grave and his father-in-law was a pall bearer for Schindler’s funeral. This was the first time our ancestors spoke to me, you see if the man’s father-in-law hadn’t been a Holocaust survivor, his story wouldn’t have spoken to me and I wouldn’t have remembered it.

    Our ancestors also spoke to me at a work lunch. I casually asked my boss if he was a reader and what he likes to read. He told me one of our co-worker’s husband’s is a writer and he writes fiction books about the Ojibwe Indian tribe in Northern Minnesota. The writer is William Kent Kruger. He uses names of people he knows as characters in his books and several of my co-workers names were used. This intrigued me so I read several of his books. The writer describes Ojibwe ceremonies to remember and honor their elders; they use sage and tobacco in their ceremonies. This was the 2nd time our ancestors spoke to me, you see the Ojibwe are also called Chippewa and it has been said that Cordelia Worden Randall, our 2nd Great Grandmother, was Chippewa. We haven’t been able to verify this yet, but the ceremonies spoke to me and I remembered them.

    Do any of you remember the TV show, “So Who Do You Think You Are”? Laural and I both watched the story when they traced Rob Lowe’s family history and they followed his ancestors back to the American Revolution. Laural and I started wondering, since our family came to this county in the 1600’s, were they involved in the Revolution? In the fall of 2012, we were all going to Philadelphia for our niece Jenny’s 10th wedding anniversary. Since we knew our family lived in Stonington, Connecticut Laural started looking into our family history and discovered the Randall family home was still standing. Laural and her family visited the home in 2012. While Laural was looking up family history on the internet, she came across Randall Roots web site. A young man who grew up in Stonington posted on the blog that he would be visiting his family in Stonington the summer of 2013 and would like to set up a tour of the house if any Randall’s were interested. How does it happen that Laural finds a blog about our family home at the same time a gentleman from Stonington posts a story to invite Randall’s to tour the home? This was the 3rd time our ancestors spoke to us.

    Now let’s get back to the beginning of my story. A couple of months ago Laural asked me if I would go to Connecticut with her to tour the home. One night as I was drifting off to sleep, I had a vision and it told me the story is in the rocks. I thought about the pictures of the family farm we found on the internet and I saw all the rock walls made out of fieldstone. I wanted to bring one of those rocks home to Minnesota, but it didn’t feel right to steal a rock. What would be right? Then I remembered Schindler’s list, leaving a stone to say I remember would be the right thing to do. Since the home is owned by Mashantucket Pequots I also felt I needed to do something to honor their traditions and having a Ojibwa ceremony would be right thing to do. That’s when I knew, it would be okay to take a stone, if I left a stone. I will remember our ancestor by taking a stone from my home in Minnesota and leaving the stone at the cemetery on the farm. I would have a stone that they moved from their land in order to grow their crops and they would have a stone I removed from my garden that would link us forever. The ancestors spoke again.

    Unfortunately when we went to tour the family farm on June 22, the Pequots had the home securely boarded up and we couldn’t get in. So we toured the grounds and the cemetery on the property. The cemetery didn’t seem to have any of our direct ancestors so Laural suggested we have our ceremony at one of the other Randall cemeteries in the area. At first I thought, she might be right. Then a voice spoke to me and said, “No it has to be here.” Once again our ancestors spoke to me.

    I asked our group if everyone was okay if I conducted a remembrance ceremony at the cemetery and if they wanted to be included. Everyone thought that would be the right thing to do to honor our family. Laural and I traded our Minnesota stones for the stones our ancestors touched and we started the ceremony. I had tobacco and sage because they are central to Native American prayer ceremonies. The tobacco is offered and smoked as a means of communicating with the Spirit. Gifting tobacco is a way of showing respect and giving thanks. I offered the tobacco to the spirits by letting the leaves fall into the wind facing east first, then south, west and finally north.

    Now it was time to light the sage. The smoke from sage is similar to the incense used in Catholic ceremonies. I asked if anyone had a lighter, no one did, but one man said he had a book of matches. There were 5 matches in the book. We lit one match and the wind blew it out. We lit the second match; the wind blew that one out too; then the third and the fourth. One match left; I wondered if our ceremony would fail. We all stood in a tight circle our hands protecting the sage, I struck the last match…held it to our bundle of sage and it lit! We blew out the sage and let the smoke float into the wind, pushing it along with our hands. We each said a silent prayer, remembering the past and thinking of our future. When we were finished we all tucked our sage into a space between the rocks in the stone wall. It felt like the right thing to do, to make sure we didn’t start a fire but to also leave our sage tucked into the walls our ancestors built.

    So how do I know the ancestors spoke to us each and every time? Well my husbands’ bosses are Jewish, but I didn’t ask them about Schindler’s list. I asked a stranger at a dinner and his father-in-law was on the list, because of that I remembered it. I asked a co-worker about books and he recommended books with Ojibwe ceremonies which reached out me. We watched “So Who Do You Think You Are?” and thought that could be our history. I had a vision connecting us to the rocks and decided that is how we could connect the past and the future. We did our ceremony which took just a little bit longer because the wind blew out every match until the 5th one.

    If all of these things hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have done the ceremony and we wouldn’t still be at the farm when a neighbor came walking though the property with her dogs. I watched as she was going past the house and suddenly one of her dogs turned and came running as fast as his little legs could carry him over to our group. The lady doubled back to retrieve her dog and found out we were Randall’s who had come from across the county to tour the home. She told us she had a box of Randall papers that she had been holding on to. I believe our ancestor sent her dog to us, you see she was getting ready to move and didn’t want to take the box with her. The box of papers might have been lost forever.

    I am so grateful the Mashantucket Pequots, for allowing us to tour the property. It was an honor to be where our ancestors lived and worked. I believe our ancestors asked us to save their historical home. I ask for the support of everyone in the community and the tribe to preserve this home.

    This true story was written by Lynn Cattrysse, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The John Randall home in North Stonington was built by my 7th Great Grandparents. I give you permission to use my story as long as you credit me as the author. We would like to try to save the John Randall home in North Stonington.

  31. If we all come together, what can we do to save Randall’s Ordinary?
    Any comments welcome.

  32. I’ve worked on the Randall genealogy for 50 years ,and my mother Patricia Randall before that ,I’am descendant from John’s son Benjamin ,thru his son Elias Randall/Mary Meacham

  33. I’d be interested in any efforts to preserve the Randall Ordinary. I did hear a rumor the other day from a Stonington resident that someone has bought the place to reopen it as an inn. But I could not find any info on the internet. Keeping my fingers crossed.

  34. I’m a direct line of John Randall. I’m visiting out East soon. Does anyone know if you can visit this with out getting arrested? :} Does anyone know who you would talk to if you want to take a tour inside? Why was Lucy Grant buried there? Who else is buried there and where? Thanks in advance!

  35. Randall’s Ordinary sold, will return
    21 Comments

    Published: March 26, 2015 | Last Modified: March 27, 2015 05:41AM
    By MICHAEL SOUZA Sun Staff Writer

    NORTH STONINGTON — One of the oldest homes in the area is being saved, much to the delight of local historians.

    Randall’s Ordinary, the old inn and restaurant that hasn’t operated for almost a decade, has been sold to Carla and Rodolfo Bartolucci for $700,000 by the Mashantucket Tribe. Even better, the couple plans to treat the property with the respect a truly historical parcel deserves.

    Located at 41 Norwich-Westerly Road, Randall’s Ordinary has a special connection with the new owners.

    “I’m originally from New London and my husband from Italy, and we had eaten there many times in the past,” said Carla Bartolucci. Her husband, an Italian native, appreciated the setting. Presently, the couple splits its time between Italy and Connecticut.

    “We loved it and it reminded us of the time we had spent in Italy — the farm, the open hearth. We would bring family and friends there and thought it was the best,” she said Monday in a phone interview from Italy.

    For the last 20 years the couple has built a successful business on selling healthy food alternatives under the “Jovial” name, and two of their brands have received national distribution. Their company has also expanded to hosting cooking seminars and vacations in an 18th-century villa in central Italy.

    A similar plan is in store for the Ordinary.

    “It is a beautiful property and we want to make it our headquarters. We recognize its history and have every intention of fixing it right,” she said.

    The company’s current home base is North Franklin.

    “It’s wonderful news. I’m very excited,” said resident Mary Riley. Her family roots date back to the first settlers of Newport in 1630. “The house was built by my seventh great grandmother and great grandfather and one of their parents.”

    What is properly called the “Randall House” was constructed in 1685. The homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was believed to be a hiding place for slaves journeying along the Underground Railroad and the house is listed on the Connecticut Freedom Trail as such.

    Also on the land is a 32-foot-high barn, transplanted from New York State and originally built in 1819, and a private cemetery.

    “It is so nice to know that the property is now in the hands of someone that wants to restore it,” Riley said.

    “The process of getting the property has taken about a year,” Carla Bartolucci said. “One of the problems was the condition of the Randall House. It really could have used a new roof years ago and some of the side walls were leaking. We knew we had to make extensive repairs and that affected the price.”

    Rehabilitation work began last week when Block Design Build of Hadlyme began cleaning the site.

    “The Randall House was in poor condition, we had to clean everything out of it,” said Erik Block, owner of the company. “The roof and side wall are not in good condition, but Carla wants to do things right. It’s been cleaned and the doors and windows sealed. An asphalt-shingle roof will go up immediately to stop the leaking and preserve what’s left. It will eventually be replaced by a wooden shingle roof.”

    “We’ve done the same to the east wall. We’ve made some temporary repairs to stop the water damage for now but a more historical repair must be done in the future,” Block said.

    Until 2006, Randall’s Ordinary operated a unique inn and restaurant, giving guests a 17th century experience with open-hearth Colonial cooking served by staff dressed in period clothing.

    The Bartolucci family will restore the buildings, construct a new test kitchen, plant a fruit orchard while expanding the existing one and a field of einkorn, one of their specialty crops. In time will come culinary getaways, farmers markets, cooking classes and a craft brewery.

    “We feel very good about the purchase,” said Mary Bishop, the treasurer and newsletter editor of the North Stonington Historical Society.

    “For years it has sat there and there wasn’t anything that could be done. The Bartolucci’s are very serious in rehabilitating the buildings and bringing back the inn,” she said. “We are looking forward to seeing the tradition of the Ordinary Inn and Restaurant return.”

    Originally purchased a decade ago for $1.4 million, the Mashantuckets sold it for half that amount on March 10.

    B

  36. I found the above article while searching Google for information on the Randall family. I hope this means our ancestral home will once again be enjoyed by those who will really appreciate it.

  37. I thought you might like to see photos published online this spring of the latest evolution of the John Randall II homestead. The property was bought by Jovial Foods & it is interesting how they are transforming the buildings & environs while retaining much of the historical integrity.

    Here’s the link providing backstory & progress of the new facilities, but more importantly, photos of the progress of restoration of the main house.

    UPDATE on the Randall property with best photos of
    new owners’ restoration: https://jovialfoods.com/randall-update / April 2019

  38. I am desperately wanting to connect with Greg, the Australian who left a comment saying his slave forefather John Randall was a slave for the original owner of this property…John Randall the freed slave is also my forefather…it’s a long shot but hey…May this miracle connection happen. I can be contacted by energiszer@icloud.com. ??

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