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.
So, you think you know trivia? Now you can prove it! Don your thinking caps for tavern-style trivia in the Nathan Hale Homestead barn as we celebrate Flag Day and the start of summer.
Hartford joins cities worldwide on the longest day of the year to celebrate the annual Make Music Hartford with perennial crowd favorite Ed Fast and Congabop. Music will happen rain or shine in the intimate setting of our community room of Amos Bull House from 7-9 pm, 59 S Prospect in Hartford at the rear of our historic Butler-McCook House & Garden.
The Palmer-Warner House is open for tours on Saturdays, June 1-22 from 12 noon–4 pm in celebration of Pride Month! Specialty tours of the home will introduce visitors to its residents and explore the themes of Equity, Unity, and Reflection. A Historic Timeline of Connecticut’s LGBTQ Community on loan from the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History will be on view in the barn.
Phelps-Hatheway staff will guide you step-by-step as you create a unique work of art with blooms 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!
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.
On Historic Gardens Day, sixteen historic gardens around the state welcome you to explore a variety of beautiful garden styles from different periods. Enjoy free admission to visit the gardens of the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, the Butler-McCook House & Garden, and the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden!
Inspiration is everywhere in the Litchfield hills! Join best-selling author Martha Hall Kelly to discuss her books (Lilac Girls, Lost Roses, Sunflower Sisters, The Golden Doves) and the history that sparked her imagination over afternoon tea at the exquisite Winvian Farm. This intimate event will include a talk and Q&A from the author herself, and light refreshments including assorted tea sandwiches, crudites, fruit, and sweet treats.
Spend an afternoon with Hempsted staff on the Thames River Heritage Water Taxi to learn about New London's history. This tour will explore the stories of a fugitive slave, Black Revolutionary Patriots, Black Governors and Whalers, the Amistad and more.
Two East Haddam organizations create an historic Pride Celebration! Begin at the East Haddam Historical Society (EHHS) for a presentation by Ken Simon, Emmy award-winning filmmaker, founder of Syracuse New Times, and Executive Producer of SimonPure Media, that will highlight Kate Swift and Casey Miller who helped make strides toward gender equality. After, explore EHHS’ exhibit, “Linguistic Warriors: Casey Miller and Kate Swift” that highlights their groundbreaking work changing pronouns. Continue to the Palmer-Warner House with the Connecticut Museum of Culture & History’s traveling exhibit on our state’s rich LGBTQ+ history. At 3 pm, Dusty Rader will lead a discussion on gender identity and expression. Dusty, who transitioned his senior year of high school in 2009 and has never looked back, has provided training and professional development on LGBTQ+ youth across the nation, taught Introduction to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at CCSU, and served as their interim Coordinator for the LGBTQ Center. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for PROUD Academy.
Cruise along the Thames River and hear about sites along the Thames that sparked authors' imaginations to write their stories. Explore books that tell the tales of the people and events that inspired them like Night of the Moonjelllies, Love and Brutality: The Mysterious Saga of Gallows Road, For Adam's Sake: A Family Saga in Colonial New England; Diary of Joshua Hempsted, Morton F. Plant and the Connecticut Shoreline, Venture Smith: The First Slave Narrative, Jordan Freedman Was My Friend, and Ice Diaries - the incredible true story of Capt. William R. Anderson and his crew's harrowing top-secret mission aboard the USS Nautilus, and more. As these authors attest by their writing, the Thames truly is one river with a thousand stories.
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.
Connecticut Landmarks honors heroes this July with the 7th annual Flag Field for Heroes, presented in partnership with the Coventry Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Coventry American Legion. The Opening Ceremony will include patriotic poem readings, fife and drum music, and brief words from some of our veterans.
The 7th annual Flag Field for Heroes will be on display at the Nathan Hale Homestead July 6-27, 2024. Presented in partnership with the Coventry Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Coventry American Legion.
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.
