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HOMESTEADING WORKSHOPS

Homesteading is a term for a "lifestyle of self-sufficiency" which describes the life of the Mather family back in 1778 when Deacon Joseph and Sarah Mather built the Homestead. Their surrounding 100 acre farm provided everything an 11 person family needed to be self-sufficient.   They raised animals, grew vegetables and other crops, cooked, sewed and embroidered their clothing, canned fruits and vegetables, made candles ... and more.  Our workshops give participants knowledge and hands-on experience with activities that would have been undertaken by Homesteaders.  Join us!

Mather Homestead drawing

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

  • 2025 Garden Tea
    2025 Garden Tea
    May 22, 2025, 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
    Join us for our fifth annual garden tea supporting preservation of the Mather Homestead and property. We will be joined by Fred Landman of Sleepy Cat Farm in Greenwich who will take us on a tour of the property he created as “a garden of which the house could be proud.” GARDEN TEA IS ON FOR MAY 22!!
  • Vinyasa yoga with Mary Ann
    Vinyasa yoga with Mary Ann
    Multiple Dates
    May 26, 2025, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
    Refresh your mind and energy with this revitalizing practice to uplift and restore your entire system. Enjoy a well-paced flow that will offer you just the right amount of challenge while encouraging strength, resistance, and flexibility while reducing tension in the hips, back and shoulders.
  • Summer Soiree in the Garden with the Junior Board
    Summer Soiree in the Garden with the Junior Board
    May 31, 2025, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
    Join the junior board for a summer kick off celebration in the garden featuring cocktails & heavy hors d'oeuvres from Ardens Rowayton + dancing under the stars! To benefit preservation projects at the Mather Homestead.
  • Plein Air at the Mather Homestead   June 8 to June 15 - please RSVP for lunch on June 10th!
    Plein Air at the Mather Homestead   June 8 to June 15 - please RSVP for lunch on June 10th!
    Jun 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    Artists and aspiring artists are invited to enjoy the Mather Homestead property from June 8 through June 15. Come to paint, draw, photograph and be inspired!! Lunch event on Tuesday, June 10th. Raindate June 12th. Please RSVP!
  • Lecture featuring Artscapades - Gardenscapes: From Vista to Vase
    Lecture featuring Artscapades - Gardenscapes: From Vista to Vase
    Jun 11, 2025, 7:00 PM
    With a focus on Impressionism, ArtScapades will look at how gardens and flowers played an important role in the works of artists throughout history, including Hieronymus Bosch, Gustav Klimt, Wassily Kandinsky, and Henri Rousseau, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and Vincent Van Gogh.
  • Field Trip to Sleepy Cat Farm, Greenwich
    Field Trip to Sleepy Cat Farm, Greenwich
    Jun 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:10 PM
    Join us for a trip to Sleepy Cat Farm, home of Fred Landman. In 1994, Landman purchased a Georgian Revival home on 13 acres. Landman worked with Greenwich architect Charles Hilton and noted landscape architect Charles J. Stick to create a “a garden of which the house could be proud of.”
  • Brown Bag Lunch in the Garden with Andy!
    Brown Bag Lunch in the Garden with Andy!
    Jun 19, 2025, 12:00 PM
    Bring your lunch and an appetite for learning as we explore the beautiful Mather Gardens past and present. Executive Director Heather Raker and Volunteer Gardner Andy Huntington will share the property’s rich history from Native Americans to colonial farmers to modern summer escape and now museum. J
  • What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?  A reading of Frederick Douglass with Samantha
    What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?  A reading of Frederick Douglass with Samantha
    Jun 26, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Join us in celebration of Juneteenth and the Fourth of July for a discussion of Frederick Douglass' speech: "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" This speech was delivered on July 5, 1852 as an address to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society.
  • Stephen Mather's Birthday -- the Mather Mountain Party!
    Stephen Mather's Birthday -- the Mather Mountain Party!
    Jun 29, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
    Join us for ICE CREAM and National Parks family fun! Upon arriving at the Homestead, you'll get your Mather passport book. Then, head to the various National Park stations where you'll learn about the national parks while playing games and having fun! For people of all ages. FREE for members!
  • Literary Lyrics with Samantha + Music by Parkway Ramblers:  Dylan!
    Literary Lyrics with Samantha + Music by Parkway Ramblers:  Dylan!
    Jul 31, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    We’re spicing up our literary evening with music! We’ll discuss the lyrics of Bob Dylan, considered one of the greatest lyricists of all time, and hear his music played by Parkway Ramblers!! We'll also discuss his beat poet influences - Kerouac, Ginsberg - plus Guthrie!
  • Exhibit - Bertha Mather McPherson: A Legacy of Preservation
    Exhibit - Bertha Mather McPherson: A Legacy of Preservation
    Date and time is TBD
    This exhibit will look at Bertha Mather's legacy as preservationist of home, family and community. To open Spring 2025
  • Exhibit: Stephen Mather and the National Parks
    Exhibit: Stephen Mather and the National Parks
    by appointment
    Learn about the life and legacy of Stephen Tyng Mather (1867-1930), the first Director of the National Park Service and the owner of the Homestead from 1906 to 1930. Exhibit geared towards adults PLUS "kids corner" for kids of all ages. Open hours Thurs. 6 to 7:30, Sat. 11 to 1, Sun. 1 to 3
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