See Phelps-Hatheway come to life during the Suffield Garden Club’s May Market! Embark on a garden-themed tour of the museum and an exciting scavenger hunt of the gardens as they begin to bloom. Plant seeds for summer herbs and share stories about your favorite flowers.
View the stunning homes and parcels that make up the historic district along Suffield's Main Street and learn about the town's rise to prominence in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
It’s pollinator season! Let’s take a look at all of the pollinator friends that live in the garden and the much bigger living things who provide food, shade, and shelter. Then, meet inside the House to find bugs, birds and trees represented in the museum and learn about how CTL staff cares for the collection. Collect bright green leaves from the gardens to make your own masterpiece!
Guests will have the opportunity to participate in this celbration of Connecticut's stunning historic green spaces by visiting one of 15-member gardens around the state. For more information visit cthistoricgardens.org
The Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the very first time in Suffield on July 8, 1776. Visitors will read this important document together and wonder how the Burbank family may have thought of the new nation. Inside the museum, hear about the first newspapers and how residents were informed of important events. Budding journalists will create their own front page to share with others. Which stories will you include?
Exciting discoveries await those who venture into secrete spaces! Phelps-Hatheway's believed summer program returns for 2022 with new activities and crafts in store.
Explore the places in the museum where the Burbank, Phelps, and Hatheway families kept cool (or at least tried to!) and learn about personal hygiene in the 18th and 19th centuries. Visitors will entertain themselves with simple games and make a handmade fan to refresh weary bodies.
Did you ever wonder what school was like in the 18th and 19th centuries? If you think that your classes are long and homework tedious, think again! Learn about Suffield’s first schoolhouse, the subjects' children studied, and what happened when their homework was late. Practice your penmanship with a quill pen, draw figures on a small chalkboard and practice times tables using bean bags.
After the Revolutionary War, Oliver Phelps attempted to settle over one million acres of land in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Learn about the Connecticut Western Reserve and the original peoples that once inhabited this area. Hear beloved stories of the Iroquois people and how they preserved the harvest. Create your own nature story illustrated with leaf rubbings to delight your family and friends!
Debora Reynolds of Old Hill Gardens will lead participants through the age-old process of creating an evergreen wreath inspired by the natural landscape.
Join students from Suffield Academy as they install and dedicate the Witness Stones memorializing two enslaved people listed under Oliver Phelps’ 1790 census record. Their research showed that when Lewis and Barbara Butler later moved to Canandaigua, NY, they helped their daughter Patience and her husband Austin Steward establish deep ties to the Underground Railroad network in the Rochester area, a community that later assisted Frederick Douglass with his abolitionist work in the region.
Please join us as we usher in the 51st season of programming at the Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden! Meet artist Lynne Centore, whose vibrant textile art will be on display in our visitor center gallery. Step inside the museum to be transported to the 18th and 19th centuries and discover newly-acquired furniture from Emma and Sumner Fuller, who were instrumental in preserving the house. A stroll through the Hatheway garden is a must, as the lilacs reach their peak bloom in May.
Hello, Spring! Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden is pleased to host Suffield Garden Club’s 45th Annual May Market. The 1867 Hatheway Barn and adjacent lawn will be filled with friendly and knowledgeable vendors and town committees offering exquisite wares and gardening tips for everyone!
Asher Benjamin (1773-1845) was one of the most influential of the first generation of American architects. Join Connecticut Landmarks at Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden in Suffield to celebrate his work and legacy.
CTL Members are invited to join Caroline D’Otreppe and CT Landmarks staff for an inaugural viewing of the newly acquired Emma Fuller pieces donated to the museum in 2022. Guests will be treated to Caroline’s first-hand retelling of Mrs. Fuller’s fascinating life, and of her intimate connection to Phelps-Hatheway.