The Mattatuck Museum is sharing pieces from its significant art and history collections with visitors to the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden. Works exploring the themes of women, 20th-century art, and local art will complement the beautiful furniture, art, and objects collected over decades by Caroline Ferriday. Peruse the halls and discuss the artworks and their significance as you learn about the home and its occupants.
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.
1885 - The residents of Blackwood Lake have received a curious letter from the Widow Whitlock. Mrs. Josephine Whitlock invites you to celebrate the life of the recently deceased Luther Whitlock. As we bid farewell to our dear husband and father, we welcome you to join us at Blackwood Manor as we hold visitation hours. We understand our family has been quite reclusive, but this recently widowed woman and her only child could really use your support at this difficult time. The town is abuzz. Luther Whitlock, the cloistered miser who lived in Blackwood Manor, had a family? Why would a wealthy man who could afford to live anywhere move into a house with such a tragic history? What kind of support is this mysterious family looking for? Come to the visitation to find out what dark and dangerous secrets the Whitlock family are hiding.
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.
Saying good-bye in the Victorian Era was a complicated process. Join this fact-based exploration of a Victorian wake presented in partnership with the researchers and performers at Escapism Productions.