The Harrison House is located a short way west of the center of Branford, on the north side of Main Street (Connecticut Route 146) roughly midway between Cherry Hill Road and United States Route 1.

It is a 2+1⁄2-story timber-frame structure, with a gabled roof, large central chimney, and clapboarded exterior.

The second story projects slightly in front of the ground floor, and a rear single-story extension gives the building its characteristic saltbox appearance.

[3] The house interior has been fitted with period furnishings, local historical items and archives, and the property includes a barn and a herb garden.

It was acquired in 1938 by architectural historian J. Frederick Kelly, who gave it a complete restoration.