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Covid didn't keep St. Nicholas from visiting the Homestead! Children enjoyed a socially distanced visit with Santa and received a stocking filled with old fashioned games. < Back A Visit from St. Nicholas - December 19, 2020 Covid didn't keep St. Nicholas from visiting the Homestead! Children enjoyed a socially distanced visit with Santa and received a stocking filled with old fashioned games. Previous Next

Third annual Fall Harvest Festival! < Back Harvest Festival - November 2, 2019 Third annual Fall Harvest Festival! Previous Next

On the Trail is a modern acoustic quartet that explores everything from bluegrass to contemporary pop, from stunning instrumentals to beautiful songs. The band bonded from their love of bluegrass and the band Punch Brothers, and has already gained recognition and praise for their execution of challenging music, as well as fore their new original music. On the Trail features Darien Middlesex Music Teacher, Austin Scelzo on fiddle and vocals, To Polizzi on mandolin and vocals, Chet Duke on banjo and Charlie Widmer on guitar and vocals. < Back On the Trail - June 13, 2021 On the Trail is a modern acoustic quartet that explores everything from bluegrass to contemporary pop, from stunning instrumentals to beautiful songs. The band bonded from their love of bluegrass and the band Punch Brothers, and has already gained recognition and praise for their execution of challenging music, as well as fore their new original music. On the Trail features Darien Middlesex Music Teacher, Austin Scelzo on fiddle and vocals, To Polizzi on mandolin and vocals, Chet Duke on banjo and Charlie Widmer on guitar and vocals. Previous Next

< Back History of American Music from Colonial Times to the present - presented by The Stamford Symphony. 3 part series Sundays at 4 pm in April, May, June We welcome the Stamford Symphony to the Mather Homestead for a three part lecture series: "The History of American Music from Colonial Times to the Present." Previous Next

The Mather Homestead was built in 1778 during the Revolutionary War. It became a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1963 and was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. < Back 1778 Homestead Listen to Audio Tour for this location: 00:00 / 02:14 The Mather Homestead was built in 1778 during the Revolutionary War. It became a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1963 and was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Image Gallery Photo of the Homestead today The earliest photograph of the Homestead, circa 1800s Site Description Welcome to the Mather Homestead! This home was built almost 250 years ago in 1778 during the Revolutionary War. The original house included the main box - not the two additional wings which were added on ~100 years ago. The house is a typical ‘salt box’ structure with rooms around a central fireplace which was the only source of heat. It is considered one of the finest examples of 18th century architecture, a wood frame structure with two stories plus a basement and an attic. The house did not have running water or indoor bathrooms. It was built by Joseph and Sarah Mather on 100 acres of land that he inherited from his mother and it was a working farm. They built the house in this location, four miles from the shoreline hoping it was a safe distance from the Tories, who were loyal to the King of England, who were raiding homes along the shoreline during the Revolutionary War. Joseph Mather was the son of Moses Mather, the first minister of the First Congregational Church of Darien and a fiery Patriot who was very actively opposed to the Tories and fought in several Revolutionary War campaigns. Stephen Mather added on the two wings in 1927 - One wing included a kitchen with guest room, bathrooms and two ‘servants’ bedrooms above. The other wing included the covered porch and later a bedroom above. The home became a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1963 and was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2017, after seven generations of Mather family ownership, it was donated to a newly created foundation to be operated as a museum for public education and deemed a Darien Protected Landmark. The interior of the house is filled with original furnishings, family heirlooms and interesting artifacts from the original times of the house. Tours of the interior are offered by appointment. Check out the website for more details! https://www.matherhomestead.org/. Please proceed to Site #2: The Well - which is on the other side of the house. Previous Next

< Back A Visit from St. Nicholas Sat., Dec 11, 2021, 11 am Good boys and girls enjoyed a visit with Santa and other activities such as "pin the nose on rudolph." They all left with a stocking of goodies! Previous Next

< Back Mens Night in the Mather Tavern Thurs., May 12, 7 pm, barn A night in the Mather Tavern will start with dining on traditional tavern food + old fashioned ales while listening to a short lecture presented by the Connecticut Historical Society, "Tavern Life in Early Connecticut." Then our tavern will feature tavern games! Think ring toss, cards, dice and more. Previous Next

New England, late 18th century. White pine; 16 ¼" h. x 44 ¼" w. x 15 ½" d. < Back Blanket Chest Second Floor - SE Bedroom Furniture and Hard Furnishings New England, late 18th century. White pine; 16 ¼" h. x 44 ¼" w. x 15 ½" d. The six-board blanket chest has dovetailed corners, a base molding, and iron strap hinges attaching to top with cleats at each end. Interior with a lidless till on right side. The iron handles are 20th c. replacements, as is the lock. Chest has been stripped of its original paint and refinished with a clear coating inside and out. Previous Next

< Back Colonial Breadmaking - a Homesteading 101 Workshop Thurs., March 10, 7 pm, Barn, $45 Leah Jones, pastry chef at Grace Farms and owner of Black Market Bread, will lead us in a colonial breadmaking workshop which will involve baking AND tasting! First, Leah will give us a little history on bread and some information which might help us understand the "gluten free" craze a little better. Then we'll taste various breads, baked by Leah, and drink wines chosen to pair with each bread. Finally, we'll make our own bread! Includes ingredients, instruction, plus two loaves of bread - one we will cook on site and one you will take home to bake. YUM. BYO large bowl and spatula! $45 per person $240/table for six. Will open up ticket sales soon Previous Next

St. Nicholas returned for a third visit to the Homestead. Ho ho ho! Click "read more" for photos by George Foster. < Back A Visit from St. Nicholas - December 10, 2022 St. Nicholas returned for a third visit to the Homestead. Ho ho ho! Click "read more" for photos by George Foster. Previous Next

< Back Plein Air Weeks 2022 May 29 to June 12 We invite all artists and aspiring artists to head over to the Mather Homestead in order to enjoy the grounds and paint, draw, photograph, etc during June, 2022! Previous Next

< Back Quilting with Denyse Schmidt, the "mother of modern quilting" Sat., Oct. 1, 11 am to 3 pm, Barn, $125 Denise Schmidt will lead a workshop on patchwork quilting by hand. No experience required! At the end of the workshop, you will leave with a finished .... or almost finished ... quilt! $125 includes instruction and materials. Stay tuned for sign up. Email with questions. About Denise: Denyse Schmidt is one of the leading quilters of the 21st century. Known as a “modern” quilter, she actually draws much of her creative vision from quilts of the past. In Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration, Schmidt pays homage to the quilters and quilts that came before her. Take a peek if you are interested in learning about Denyse ahead of the workshop! Previous Next