Celebrate the power of freedom and community as New Londoners share in the reading of the Declaration of Independence paired with excertps from Frederick Douglass' speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
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.
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.
Join Cote d’Ivoire native and Hartford artist Georges Annan-Kingsley for a conversation and discussion of his work on display in the Amos Bull House in Hartford, as well as his recent 2021 mural installation in Hartford.
Spend an afternoon with Hempsted staff on the Thames River Heritage Water Taxi to learn about New London's history. Joshua Hempsted began his diary in 1711 as a way to keep track of his many business activities, court sessions, and travels, as well as ship traffic and many other events important to New London. Join Hempsted Staff on a guided boat tour as we explore trade, slavery, and the Great Awakening through entries from Joshua Hempsted’s Colonial Diary.
It’s 1776, and the Hale family is busy supporting the American Revolutionary War effort from their homestead in Coventry. Learn more with Site Administrator Anne Marie Charland about the family that gave us Connecticut’s State Hero.
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.
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.
Spend an afternoon with Hempsted staff on the Thames River Heritage Water Taxi to learn about New London's history. Joshua Hempsted began his diary in 1711 as a way to keep track of his many business activities, court sessions, and travels, as well as ship traffic and many other events important to New London. Join Hempsted Staff on a guided boat tour as we explore trade, slavery, and the Great Awakening through entries from Joshua Hempsted’s Colonial Diary.
Visit the Revolutionary War encampments of both the Continental Army and the British Army, as they reenact the daily lives of soldiers and perform tactical demonstrations with period weapons, including drilling, musket and cannon firing, and even a Revolutionary War battle! Visit 18th-Century crafters and participate in hands-on programming, including weaving and spinning, wood working, soap making, hearth cooking, plain colonial-era games, and so much more.
What could be better than an afternoon in the garden? After a successful debut in 2021, the Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden will once again offer a concert series in its 1867 barn. New this year are esteemed artists from Connecticut and Massachusetts.
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.
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.
Join an easy 1.5-mile walking tour on the sidewalks of Hartford's historic Main Street from the Butler-McCook House & Garden to the G. Fox Building to learn how the city has eveolved through its significant structures: City Hall, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Traveler's Tower, the Old State House, Center Church, and the Ancient Burying Ground.