The long and pleasant days of June offer a perfect time to visit the Phelps-Hatheway House and Gardens! This year, we will offer traditional museum tours as well as many new programs and events that will complement the beauty and rich history of our house and gardens.
On June 9 from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., join Michiel Brouns of Brouns & Co, which specializes in linseed oil paint, for a demonstration of the techniques applied to the Phelps fence, followed by a workshop on how to reproduce this authentic treatment on your woodwork. In this day-long program, Michiel will offer tips of the trade and resources for at-home use. This program is suitable for professional craftsmen as well as homeowners.
Bed, tiger maple mid-18th century, purchased by Emma Fuller, Suffield.
A tour of the Phelps-Hatheway House historic interiors will be included, and includes a boxed lunch. Preregistration is required and can be made at ctlandmarks.org.
Please join us for our monthly open tour day of the Phelps-Hatheway House on Sunday, June 11 from 1-4 p.m. Tours will be offered each hour and will immerse guests in the families and events that shaped our house’s history. The Phelps-Hatheway staff is honored to also welcome Joe McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project for a book signing on June 11 beginning at 1 p.m. Joe’s new book, Sleeping with the Ancestors, chronicles his travels across the United States in search of slave cabins where he would rest overnight. Over the course of twelve years, McGill has visited 25 states and the District of Columbia to demonstrate how people of African descent have contributed to American’s culture, identity and economy. Joe will be on hand in the Visitor’s Center to sign books as well as offer information on the slave bed located in the Phelps attic. The book signing is free of charge and tours of the museum (including the attic) may be reserved at ctlandmarks.org or by phone at (860) 668-0055.
Thursday, June 15 marks a very special occasion at our site. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., guests will join Caroline d’Otreppe and Connecticut Landmarks staff for an inaugural viewing of the newly acquired Emma Fuller pieces donated to the museum in 2022. For this member’s only event, participants will be treated to Caroline’s first-hand retelling of Mrs. Fuller’s fascinating life, and her intimate connection to Phelps-Hatheway. A reception will follow in the Visitor’s Center where guests may also take in the new textile exhibition by Lynne Centore. Membership to Connecticut Landmarks connects those who find inspiration in our state’s heritage and who wish to ensure that historic properties, like Phelps-Hatheway, remain an integral part of its community. Information on how you may join can be found at ctlandmarks.org/membership, or by calling 860-977-6829.
In partnership with Escapism Productions, the Phelps-Hatheway staff are delighted to offer An Affair of the Gentry, A Midsummer Regency Romance Faerietale. For one day only on Saturday, June 24, beginning with tea service at 3 p.m. and continuing through a refined dinner performance from 6 -9 p.m., guests will enter a world of wonder and excitement as they embark on a “journey through an alternate Regency era, where love betrayal, and sorcery intertwine”. Please join us for this magical reverie that draws inspiration from Shakespeare, Arthurian legends, and folklore, all amidst the lush background of our perennial beds. Tickets may be purchased directly through escapismproductions.com.
The Hatheway Garden takes center stage once again on Sunday, June 25 for CT Historic Gardens annual Garden Day from 12 to 4 p.m. On Historic Gardens Day, sixteen historic gardens around the state welcome you to explore a variety of beautiful garden styles from different periods.
The grounds of Phelps-Hatheway’s 18th-century home feature a formal parterre garden designed by landscape architect Mary Wells Edwards, a large herb bed, and scattered flowering shrubs and trees. Members of the Suffield Garden Club, who carefully maintain the garden today, will be on hand to answer questions relating to the its history and inventory. Admission to the garden is free; tours of the museum will also be available each hour with a regular admission charge of $12/adults, $10/ seniors and students, $5/children and free for CT Landmarks members.
As summer unfolds, we hope that you will join us for these inspiring programs and events at our very special House on South Main Street!