After beginning significant structural work in September on the 1728 addition of the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House, Connecticut Landmarks is excited to announce the museum is ready to re-open its 350-year-old doors to visitors!

Over the course of the project, Kronenberger & Sons Restoration expertly corrected structural deficiencies in the house by adding new beams and Lally columns in the cellar as well as reinforcing the summer beam and installing a new support post in Nathaniel’s Kitchen. Their team also installed new support posts in the second-floor bedchamber and added new headers and collar ties in the rafters in Adam’s Garret. Last week, our wonderful collections team carefully reinstalled collection pieces in each room, including Nathaniel’s Kitchen and Chamber pictured above.

DeStefano & Chamberlain, Preservation Connecticut, the CT State Historic Preservation Office, Crosskey Architects, and Kronenberger & Sons Restoration played crucial roles in guiding this project to completion. Funding for this work was possible through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. All aspects of the project were carefully planned in compliance with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office and United States Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this project to help us preserve such an important historic landmark in New London. We’re able to keep history standing strong because of you!

We hope you will join us on 10/25 for Hempsted Halloween. This family-friendly event is free, and first-floor tours of the Joshua Hempsted House will be available! Interested in by-appointment tours or field trip opportunities? Please contact hempsted@ctlandmarks.org. Stay tuned to our website for a special ‘Re-Welcoming’ to the property next Spring!

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Have you seen the new sign outside our museum? We are pleased to announce that significant restoration work on the upper levels of the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House is currently underway. Connecticut Landmarks and Crosskey Architects have contracted the expertise of Kronenberger & Sons Restoration to complete this project to restore the 350-year-old house’s structural integrity. This work couples with the installation of two commercial-grade dehumidifiers installed in the house to help control moisture and mitigate pest damage. These important preservation efforts ensure our ability to continue engaging visitors in stories about colonial life and northern slavery through the history of the Hempsted and Jackson families in the spaces where they lived – empowering folks to begin their conversation with history and make a difference today.

We would like to thank DeStefano & Chamberlain, Preservation Connecticut, the CT State Historic Preservation Office, Crosskey Architects, and Kronenberger & Sons Restoration for their guidance and expertise with this project. We also want to extend our gratitude to the supporters of the Hempsted Houses. Your commitment to our work, the history of the property, and presence during events, tours, and programs makes the experiences at our museum even more meaningful. We look forward to welcoming you for generations to come!

Click here to discover more about the Hempsted Houses, restoration work, and impact on tours » 

Connecticut Landmarks is accepting sealed proposals for construction services for structural repairs to the Joshua Hempsted House. Project is located at 11 Hempstead St, New London, CT. Those interested in providing these services, as set forth in the Invitation to Bid’s specifications, are invited to submit their proposals in triplicate to Joseph Calabrese, Project Manager, at the Crosskey Architects, LLC office, 750 Main Street, Suite 150, Hartford, CT 06103, until 2:00 pm on May 5, 2025.

Bids will be received for furnishing all labor, materials, tools and equipment necessary for the project scope of work consisting of structural repairs to the Hempsted House and associated site work. The Contract will include selective demolition, structural work, interior construction, and all other work necessary for or incidental to the completion of the project. For details on the project and instructions, please see the full RFP document here.

Connecticut Landmarks is undertaking a significant restoration project on the upper levels of the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House. For the safety of our visitors and our historic property, tours are currently restricted to the first floor of the home. Tours of the property during general open hours have been canceled until further notice, though visitors may inquire about a private tour by advance reservation. In light of this, we have reduced admission costs until further notice. Thank you for your understanding as we continue to care for the oldest remaining home in New London.