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.
Get into the “spirit” of the season! Our special, candlelit tours will take you around the property and into the house, all the way up to the dark, shadowy attic. Hear long-standing and new Homestead ghost stories from staff members and spooky encounters reported by guests, as featured on the Syfy channel’s Ghost Hunters.
Join us on this new walk for 2025, as we cover what may seem like familiar geographic ground of Main Street, only with new stories to tell as we celebrate the lives of Hartford Women. Learn about Hannah Bunce Watson, Caroline Hewins, Elizabeth Colt, Beatrice Fox Auerbach, Ann Uccello & Carrie Saxon Perry, Ella Grasso, Katharine Houghton Hepburn, Mary Townsend Seymour and CT Suffragists, the Beecher sisters, and more.
The serene grounds of Winvian Farm in Morris will set the scene as best-selling author Martha Hall Kelly discusses her newest novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Attendees to this intimate event will enjoy a talk and Q&A from the author herself over delicious light refreshments and tea service. Tour of the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden available as add-on.
Visit the Butler-McCook House & Garden, 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.
Linda Murphy will guide you step-by-step as you create a unique work of art on textile using blooms (we favor dahlias, cosmos, pincushions, and greenery) grown by Suffield’s own Willow View Farm. This workshop is sure to bring a smile to your face as you work those muscles to make a masterpiece!
Paranormal Investigation group Eastern Connecticut Paranormal investigated the Nathan Hale Homestead Museum in hopes to connect with residents from long ago. Tonight, join us as they share stories about their investigations throughout Northeastern Connecticut.
Get hands-on with history with a new workshop for 2025! Designed to acquaint participants with the process of wood block printing, which was used to manufacture our 18th-century Parisian wallpapers, the objective of this workshop is to bring the manufacturing process of our wallpapers to life! Guests will gain hands-on experience that will couple with a tour of the house to view the stunning Réveillon wallpapers. All materials included. Light refreshments will be provided.
Join us for a walking tour of the Hempstead Historic District, one of New London’s first African-American neighborhoods. Hear the stories of the people who lived in this neighborhood and explore how this diverse area evolved. The neighborhood grew up around the Joshua Hempsted House, built in 1678. Residents have included slaveholders, civic leaders, abolitionists, a Revolutionary War hero, and at least two enslaved people. Offered in collaboration with Thames River Heritage Park. Advance registration required.
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. Stop into the visitor’s center for the Pastel Paintings exhibition by artist Gina Trusiewicz.
Upon a Midnight Dreary invites the audience to explore the haunting world of Edgar Allan Poe. As you move through the space within the Isham-Terry House, you will encounter live performances of Poe’s most iconic works, each brought to life by a different actor in a unique room. From "The Raven" to "The Tell-Tale Heart," each piece is presented as a dramatic monologue, blending poetry and prose with atmospheric staging.
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.
New Englanders have always shown particular care for their dearly departed. Explore the burial customs, traditions, and superstitions around death in the region from colonial times through the 19th century with Dean Massey, an urban planning researcher at a university in Boston. Following Massey's talk, a short walk to the Warner Cemetery will offer participants the opportunity to closely examine epitaphs and iconography up close, as well as engage in a thoughtful discussion about the rich diversity of New England’s remembrance practices.
Get into the spirit of the season & meet the ghosts of New Londoners who have ghoulish stories to tell – hear their tales & talk with them if you dare! Experience the city's oldest house at twilight & make s’mores over an open fire.