Visit the Butler-McCook House & Garden is the only 18th-century home remaining on Hartford’s Main Street for a guided tour to learn about the McCook family, who loved music, art, and travel through explorations of the museum’s collections which include paintings, Japanese samurai armor, furniture, and toys.
Joshua Hempsted held many positions throughout his lifetime, one of which was headstone letterer. On Wednesday, December 27th, 1749, our diarist writes, “fair & cold I finisht engraving a headstone for Samll Bills wife.” Join headstone carver Andrew Carr as he re-creates a headstone using Joshua’s lettering style with 18th–century carving techniques. A tour of the house is included with admission.
The Coventry Farmers’ Market on the grounds of the Nathan Hale Homestead is an experience not to be missed. This market carries the tradition of being the largest farmers’ market in the state, featuring some of the best of Connecticut-grown, Connecticut-made products in one of the most unspoiled countryside settings in the state. Each week, the staff of the Homestead will lead a family-friendly activity to connect the history of the site with the theme of the market.
Admission to the Nathan Hale Homestead is by regular admission and is not included in the Farmers’ Market program.
Step inside the museum to be transported to the 18th and 19th centuries and learn about the lives of those who built, lived in, and preserved the house. Understand the role of Connecticut in the American Revolution, examine colonial era trade and commercial exchange, consider land and real estate speculation and Indigenous people’s land rights, and observe the ways we display wealth and status in our homes. Winning submissions from the 2023-2024 Trees for Suffield Photo Contest will be on display in the Visitor's Center.
Bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner and enjoy music in the lovely setting of the Butler-McCook historic garden on the Richard P. Garmany Fund Music & Education Terrace at the Amos Bull House. Celebrate a featured artist’s exhibition opening at the Amos Bull & Butler-McCook Houses and experience free tours of the first floor of the Butler-McCook House & Garden.
Sip cider and connect with Scotland during a trail walk around the beautiful Palmer-Warner led by Portland & District Pipers. Enjoy local cider tastings from Yankee Cider Co. including a signature “Dunstaffnage” bourbon designed to take you to the Scottish Moors through hints of Highland peat smoke. Bring your friends to test your knowledge in a round of Celtic-themed pub trivia, with prizes for first- and second-place teams.
Experience the home Frederic Palmer and Howard Metzger made together in what they called “the wilds of Connecticut.” Explore the property's Colonial-era history to understand why Palmer was interested in purchasing the home with his mother in 1936. Learn about the collection of letters and diaries, photographs, historic furnishings, and decorative arts used to reconstruct their lives together. When weather permits, explore the grounds to see the constructed landscape Metzger and Palmer created.
The Coventry Farmers’ Market on the grounds of the Nathan Hale Homestead is an experience not to be missed. This market carries the tradition of being the largest farmers’ market in the state, featuring some of the best of Connecticut-grown, Connecticut-made products in one of the most unspoiled countryside settings in the state. Each week, the staff of the Homestead will lead a family-friendly activity to connect the history of the site with the theme of the market.
Admission to the Nathan Hale Homestead is by regular admission and is not included in the Farmers’ Market program.
Explore this beloved family home to learn about the booming industries and culture of Hartford in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, understand medical practice and public health at this time, and learn more about the Isham and Terry families through the items they owned.
Walking tour of one of New England’s earliest graveyards, with a special focus on those of African descent who are buried there.
Expand your knowledge of Hartford’s architectural treasures by venturing east and west of Main Street. Understand the historical and cultural significance of buildings along South Prospect Street, from the 1788 Amos Bull House to the BPO Elks Lodge, to the Hartford Times Building. To the west, explore more of the city’s South Downtown neighborhood on Elm and Gold Streets.
On Saturday, September 21, Connecticut Landmarks and Mattatuck Museum members will receive free tour admission to celebrate the opening of the Mattatuck Museum's exhibit at the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden. Complimentary celebration packets with refreshments will be distributed after tours. Supplies are limited and pre-registration is recommended to reserve your packet.
Accomplished stone artisan, gardener, and horticulturist Andrew Pighills discusses the evolution of stone walls and structures from colonial times to present day, and how they fit into the garden and broader landscape past and present. Born in Yorkshire England, Andrew received formal training with The Royal Horticultural Society at Harlow Carr Gardens. Andrew spent thirty-one years building dry stone walls in the Yorkshire Dales and English Lake District and continues his work here in the U.S. as a professional member of The Dry-Stone Walling Association of Great Britain.
The Coventry Farmers’ Market on the grounds of the Nathan Hale Homestead is an experience not to be missed. This market carries the tradition of being the largest farmers’ market in the state, featuring some of the best of Connecticut-grown, Connecticut-made products in one of the most unspoiled countryside settings in the state. Each week, the staff of the Homestead will lead a family-friendly activity to connect the history of the site with the theme of the market. Admission to the Nathan Hale Homestead is by regular admission and is not included in the Farmers’ Market program.
Step back in time to learn a craft from the 18th century, with some modern tools to make the process a bit easier. During this workshop, woodworker John Baron will instruct guests to make a wooden box modeled after a Nathan Hale Homestead museum artifact.
