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Hempsted Houses2025-05-01T14:00:14-04:00

Hempsted Houses

11 Hempstead Street, New London, CT 06320
hempsted@ctlandmarks.org

Important Update for the 2025 Season:

Connecticut Landmarks is undertaking a significant restoration project on the upper levels of the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House. Learn more »

For the safety of our visitors and our historic property during this work, tours of the house during regular open hours are canceled until further notice. Tours will be accommodated by appointment only, as the restoration schedule permits. Please contact Site Administrator Lynette Fisher at hempsted@ctlandmarks.org if you would like to schedule a tour. Planned public programs will still take place, though some operations may have to be shifted or reduced. Registrants will be notified of changes that may impact their experience.

Thank you for your understanding and your flexibility as we continue to care for the oldest remaining home in New London. Your donations support this work.

Hours

Currently closed for public tours while restoration takes place. Open for public programs. Contact hempsted@ctlandmarks.org to inquire about private tours by appointment or school group visits.

Admission

Ticket prices are currently reduced due to ongoing restoration work.
$8 / Adult & Senior
$4 / Child 6-18
Free for Connecticut Landmarks Members & Children under 6

House Tour

The Hempsted Houses provides a window into urban life in Colonial New London. In his 18th-century diary, Joshua Hempsted recorded family and civic life and documented the life and labor of Adam Jackson, a man of African descent who Hempsted enslaved for decades.

Upcoming Events

Juneteenth Festival | Community Celebration

June 14 @ 11:00 am4:00 pm

Housing Panel Discussion

June 28 @ 1:00 pm2:30 pm

Pirate Days

August 30 @ 11:00 am4:00 pm

LEARN MORE

The 1678 Joshua Hempsted House in New London is one of New England’s oldest and best documented dwellings. Home to the Hempsted family until 1937, the wood-frame house was extensively restored by Connecticut Landmarks. Adjacent to the Joshua Hempsted House is the stone house built in 1759 for Nathaniel Hempsted by Acadian exiles. Both structures survived the 1781 burning of New London by Benedict Arnold and stand today as testaments to 17th– and 18th-century daily life.

Born in the house that bears his name in 1678, Joshua Hempsted (the second) kept a diary from 1711 until his death in 1758. Today, the diary is one of the best sources of information about the people of colonial New London and their activities. On Thursday, September 21, 1727, Joshua Hempsted went to settle the estate of Samuel Fox, a neighbor. He wrote that he purchased Adam Jackson, a farmer who had been born into slavery, for £85. Adam would live and work at the property for more than three decades.

As a site of northern slavery, the Hempsted Houses work to engage the public in understanding the historical roots and current-day implications of issues related to equality and freedom and empower people to make a difference today.

Want to help share the stories of New London’s history? Learn more about the Thames River Heritage Park Docent Academy.

Restoration Updates

With the expertise of structural engineering company DeStefano & Chamberlain, along with the guidance of Preservation Connecticut and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), we are developing a plan to restore the structural integrity and control the moisture and pest damage within the house. Jim DeStefano and his team performed a structural assessment of the house and will be working closely with Connecticut Landmarks on this project.

Request for Proposals: Invitation to Bid – Structural Repairs

Connecticut Landmarks is accepting sealed proposals for construction services for structural repairs to the Joshua Hempsted House. Project is located at 11 Hempstead St, New London, CT. Those interested in providing these services, as set forth in the Invitation to Bid’s specifications, are invited to submit their proposals in triplicate to Joseph Calabrese, Project Manager, at the Crosskey Architects, LLC office, 750 Main Street, Suite 150, Hartford, CT 06103, until 2:00 pm on May 5, 2025.

Bids will be received for furnishing all labor, materials, tools and equipment necessary for the project scope of work consisting of structural repairs to the Hempsted House and associated site work. The Contract will include selective demolition, structural work, interior construction, and all other work necessary for or incidental to the completion of the project. For details on the project and instructions, please see the full RFP document here.

Significant Restoration Work in New London

Connecticut Landmarks is undertaking a significant restoration project on the upper levels of the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House. For the safety of our visitors and our historic property, tours are currently restricted to the first floor of the home. Tours of the property during general open hours have been canceled until further notice, though visitors may inquire about a private tour by advance reservation. In light of this, we have reduced admission costs until further notice. Thank you for your understanding as we continue to care for the oldest remaining home in New London.

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