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Your Home for History
Connecticut Landmarks is a state-wide network of historic house museums sharing 400 years of New England history. Our museums are starting points for deeper exploration and greater appreciation of the Connecticut experience. Our real-life stories, as told through our houses, collections, and programs, make history matter. Plan your visit today »
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What’s New?
Ticketing Closed: Hale Family Reunion
Thank you for your interest in the Hale Family Reunion, to be held at the Nathan Hale Homestead on Saturday, September 19th.
Online ticketing has closed for this event. Limited last-minute tickets may be available, but they will NOT include lunch.
Please email hale@ctlandmarks.org for information. Inquiries will be answered in the order in which they are received.
Tickets will NOT be available at the door.
Fête de “Lilac Girls” — September 26th!
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Martha Hall Kelly’s best-selling book Lilac Girls at the museum that first inspired her on September 26th! In 2000, Martha Hall Kelly toured Bethlehem’s Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, home of 20-century philanthropist, Caroline Woolsey Ferriday. Kelly departed the property with a deeper understanding of Ferriday’s profoundly moving actions—and an idea. Kelly’s novel, Lilac Girls, is based on the true story of 75 women imprisoned and experimented on at Ravensbrück and how Ferriday brought them to the U.S. for rehabilitation and the trip of a lifetime. Each year, the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden welcomes visitors from across the world to tour the home of the novel’s real-life heroine.
Tickets to the tea and house tour have sold out, but tickets to meet Ms. Kelly, have your book signed, and explore the festival are still available. See the full schedule and learn more »
Preservation Updates
Completion of Restoration Work at the Hempsted Houses
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!
Request for Proposals: Invitation to Bid – Restoration Work at Nathan Hale Homestead
Connecticut Landmarks is accepting sealed proposals for professional services for the repair and refurbishment of the Nathan Hale Homestead. Project located at 2299 South St, Coventry, CT. Those interested in providing these Services, as set forth in the RFQ/RFP’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 October 27, 2025. Proposals submitted after this time will not be accepted. Each proposer must submit a sealed envelope, the outside of which must be clearly marked “NATHAN HALE HOMESTEAD PROJECT – REPAIR AND REFURBISHMENT” and include the proposer’s company name and address.
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.
A mandatory site examination will be held at 10:00 a.m., September 29, 2025, at the project site: 2299 South Street, Coventry, CT 06238. All General Contractors submitting a bid are required to attend. Any questions regarding this bid should be emailed to Joseph Calabrese at jcalabrese@crosskey.com by October 20, 2025, by 3:00 PM.