We invite you and friends to join us for a tour and tea at the Mather Homestead! Groups are invited to visit the Homestead from 10 to 11:30 am on a weekday. Tea (or coffee), scones, and muffins followed by a tour of the homestead. By appointment. TOUR AND TEA We invite you and friends to join us for a tour and tea at the Mather Homestead! Groups are invited to visit the Homestead from 10 to 11:30 am on a weekday. Tea (or coffee if you prefer), scones and muffins followed by a tour of the homestead. By appointment. $20 per person. Please email us to arrange a date.

Bertha Mather McPherson (1906-1993) was the only child of Stephen and Jane Mather. One of the first female architects in Connecticut and a charter member of the Darien Historical Society, she owned the Homestead from her father's death in 1930 until her death in 1993. BERTHA MATHER MCPHERSON (1906-1993) Bertha, the only child of Stephen Tyng Mather and Jane Thacker Floy, was born in Chicago, IL on August 10, 1906 but spent summers at her family homestead in Darien, Connecticut. She graduated in 1928 from Vassar College and went on to the Cambridge School of Landscape and Domestic Architecture, a program operated by Smith College, earning a master's degree in 1933. Bertha became one of the first female architects in Connecticut and designed the house across the street (Brookside Road) for a relative. It was recognized in House Beautiful with an honorable mention. The house is currently owned by a Mather descendant. Bertha became a champion for preservation. She was a charter member of the Darien Historical Society. In that role, she helped to move the Bates-Scofield house to its current location and identified historic homes in Darien, publicizing them through the local Darien News Review. Recognizing the important role of her father as first Director of the National Park Service, and the ~200 year history of the Mather Homestead, she successfully advocated for the Mather Homestead to become a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Also inspired by her father's conservation efforts, Bertha was long associated with the Student Conservation Association, a nonprofit educational organization that places student volunteers with national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. Bertha inherited the Mather Homestead from her father when he passed in 1930. She married Edward Reynolds McPherson in 1932 and raised their children, Anne McPherson Tracy, Stephen Mather McPherson and Jane McPherson Nickerson in the Mather Homestead where she lived until her death in 1993. Edward McPherson lived in the home until his death in 2002. Bertha lovingly cared for the home and gardens from 1930 to 1993, keeping its historical character and adding many 18th century antiques and artifacts which still rest in the home. Today, it stands as she left it - a ~250 year home filled with stories of a six generation family that made its mark on American history. Anne, Jane and Stephen McPherson, children of Bertha Mather McPherson House Beautiful, 1936 Young Bertha Mather at the Mather Homestead

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The beautiful Mather Homestead property provides the perfect backdrop for creative inspiration. Whether you are a photographer, painter, sculptor etc., we invite you to create on property. A list of all art events at the Mather Homestead, past and future, can be found here. ART AT MATHER The beautiful Mather Homestead property provides the perfect backdrop for creative inspiration. Whether you are a photographer, painter, sculptor etc., we invite you to create on property. No events at the moment UPCOMING EVENTS Plein Air Weeks 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 the first two weeks of June. View artwork from Plein Air Weeks 2020-2025 Plein Air Class Check events schedule for upcoming classes. Learn the art of landscape painting! A special lesson on how to sketch plein air with Lisa Thoren. Creating outdoors, we will discover techniques to learn perspective, composition and values. Includes wine to help your creative inspiration :-). Plein Air Class with Lisa Darien Alumni Art Show The Mather Homestead hosted the Darien Alumni Art Show in June of 2021 and 2022. More about the Darien Alumni Art Show Plein Air Artists at Mather Plein Air Artists at Mather Plein Air Artists at Mather Plein Air Artists at Mather 1/7 Past Art Events

The Mather Homestead Foundation is overseen by the Board of Directors: Chair: Richard L. Chilton, Jr., Stephen Berger, Diane Boston, Meredith Edwards, Jennifer L. Foster, Carol Glassmeyer, Ania Janis, Ronald LaMorte, Maeve McGovern, Ginger Morgan, Penny Rashin, John Sini, Tammy Sload, Lauren Swenson, Tiffany Van Elslander. Other boards include: Advisory Board, Junior Board, Teen Board. MATHER HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES TEEN BOARD The Mather Homestead Teen Board offers high school students with an interest in history an opportunity to both contribute to and learn from the Mather Homestead, including its rich collection of original documents and antiques. MORE MH Teen Board 2022-23 SPRING INTERN PROGRAM High School seniors participating in Darien High School and New Canaan High School's intern programs are invited to apply for our internship. MORE MH Interns 2023

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Stephen Mather, an avid conservationist and the first Director of the National Park Service, is the "father of the modern national park system." STEPHEN TYNG MATHER AND THE NATIONAL PARKS Numerous National Parks have a plaque dedicated to Stephen Mather. The inscription reads: "He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done." The National Park System traces its roots all the way back to 1864, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act, thereby protecting the Northern California landscape as California's first state park and one of the first such parks in the country. Eight years later in 1872, Yellowstone became the first National Park (Yosemite became a National Park in 1890). By 1915, there were nine parks in the system, but with little oversight and accessibility for the public. That's where Stephen Mather came in, determined to expand the system and make it accessible for the people. He lobbied for the creation of a National Park Service and became its first director in 1917. Under his direction, the US more than doubled the land in the park system and made the parks accessible to the people. Many consider Mather to be the "father of our modern national park system." Today, the National Park Service manages 431 individual units covering more than 85 million acres in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories. These include 63 National Parks such as Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Acadia etc., plus other natural, historical, and recreational properties with various title designations. The NPS employs 20,000 people and has more than 279,000 volunteers. The agency is charged with preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management and with making them available for public use and enjoyment. The Yosemite Valley Grant Act 1864 In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act, creating California's first state park and one of the first such parks in the country, “upon the express conditions that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation.” Yosemite National Park was designated a National Park by an Act of Congress on October 1, 1890, making it the third national park in the United States, after Yellowstone (1872) and Sequoia (1890). The Early National Park System est. 1872 The Yellowstone National Park Act, signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, established Yellowstone as the world's first true national park. It preserved two million acres of land in Montana and Wyoming to be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." It placed the park under the control of the Secretary of the Interior and gave the Secretary responsibility for preserving all timber, mineral deposits, geologic wonders, and other resources within the park. Antiquities Act 1906 The Antiquities Act, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 8, 1906, grew out of a movement to protect the prehistoric cliff dwellings, pueblo ruins and early missions in the Southwest. It authorized Presidents to proclaim and reserve "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" on lands owned or controlled by the United States as "national monuments." Devil's Tower (Wyoming) was the first National Monument to be created in 1906. By the end of 1906, Roosevelt had proclaimed three additional National Monuments: El Morro (New Mexico), Montezuma Castle (Arizona), and Petrified Forest (Arizona). The National Park Service est. 1916 The Organic Act, signed by Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916, created the National Park Service. This new agency's mission: "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Stephen Tyng Mather 1867-1930 The charismatic and energetic Stephen Mather lobbied for the creation of the National Park service and served as its new director. A self-made millionaire with a passion for nature and its conservation, Mather retired early from the Borax business where he coined the slogan "20 Mule Team Borax" and dedicated his life to preserving and protecting America's scenic landscapes. He is responsible for saving some of the best known national wonders such as Grand Canyon, Zion, Acadia, Shenandoah and more. He believed that the parks should be accessible to all Americans and worked to ensure access by building roads, lodging, and then publicizing the parks. "He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved, unimpaired for future generations." Inscription on bronze plaques in National Parks MORE ABOUT STEPHEN MATHER Other important National Parks contributors: Roosevelt & Muir John Muir (1838-1914) Scottish-born American naturalist, writer, and advocate of U.S. forest conservation, Muir was known as "John of the Mountains," Muir's advocacy helped create several national parks, including Sequoia (1890), Mount Rainier (1899) and Grand Canyon (1908). He wrote “only Uncle Sam” could save our country's land for future generations to enjoy. He and other conservationists founded the Sierra Club in 1892. Stephen Mather said that meeting John Muir on a hike in Sequoia National Park in 1912 was one of the highlights of his life. Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) Theodore Roosevelt, often called "the conservation president," doubled the number of sites within the National Park system. As President from 1901 to 1909, he signed legislation establishing five new national parks: Crater Lake, Oregon; Wind Cave, South Dakota; Sullys Hill, North Dakota (later re-designated a game preserve); Mesa Verde, Colorado; and Platt, Oklahoma (now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area). However another Roosevelt enactment had a broader effect: the Antiquities Act of June 8, 1906. The Antiquities Act enabled President Roosevelt and succeeding Presidents to proclaim historic landmarks, historic or prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest in federal ownership as national monuments. Roosevelt is pictured right with naturalist and writer John Muir, The National Park System Today Today, the National Park Service oversees 433 park units, more than 150 related areas, and programs that assist in conserving the nation's natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations. The 433 park units include the 63 National Parks plus: 11 National Battlefields, 4 National Battlefield Parks, 1 National Battlefield Sites, 9 National Military Parks, 64 National Historic Parks (e.g., Weir Farm National Historic Park in CT), 75 National Historic Sites, 1 International Historic Site, 3 National Lakeshores, 31 National Memorials, 87 National Monuments, 4 National Parkways, 19 National Preserves, 2 National Reserves, 18 National Recreational Areas, 4 National Rivers, 10 National Wild and Scenic Rivers, 6 National Scenic Trails, 10 National Seashores, and 11 other designations. More at NPS .gov . Exhibit at the Mather Homestead: Stephen Mather & the National Parks In 2022, the Mather Homestead Foundation opened its first exhibit to explore the life and legacy of Stephen Tyng Mather. The images below were presented in the Elizabeth W. Chilton Center ("the barn") as 8 foot high panels along with many items from the Mather Homestead collection related to Stephen Tyng Mather including Stephen Mather's photo collections, his camera and more. The National Parks: America's Best Idea Dayton Duncan On September 11, 2022, the Mather Homestead welcomed Dayton Duncan for a lecture The National Parks: America's Best Idea. More about Dayton Duncan View lecture Passcode: v*v8mQJp Read transcript

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The Mather Homestead includes documents related to the Mather family dating back to the 1700s. THE MATHER HOMESTEAD ARCHIVES The Mather Homestead archives includes papers dating back to the 1700s. Thank you to Donn Smith for sorting, organizing, documenting and blogging the many documents that tell the story of the Mather Family. Please note this page is still work in progress ... Summary of Collection Archives 1-10 1- Borax Related Materials 2- Materials Related to Specific National Parks 3- Anniversary events of the National Parks of the National Park Service and Other Organizations 4- Materials Signed by Stephen T. Mather with Will and Photos From 1912 Kern Trip 5- Miscellaneous Newspapers Including NPS Courier 6- Steve Mather of the National Parks Book by Robert Shankland 7- Specific Individuals with Ties to the National Park Service 8- Dedications and Related Materials for: Potomac Gorge, Bear Mountain Park, Redwood Grove, Mather Junior High School, Mather High School, and Tree Planting at Homestead 9- 1977 Annual Meeting Board of National Park Foundation and NPF 1978 Spring Meeting 10- Stephen in Local (Darien) Reporting Archives 11-16 11- Stephen T. Mather Photographs 12- Joseph Wakeman Mather- (father of STM) Box 1 of 3) 13- Box 13a and 13b Joseph Wakeman Mather-Files 2⁄3 14- Miscellaneous 15- Recognitions of STM Including Posthumous Acknowledgements 16- Mather Family Memorabilia Archives 17-23 17- Mather Family Photographs (Other Than STM) 18- Unidentified Photographs 19- American Quilt 20- Horace Marden Albright 21- Books From Mather Homestead Attic Trunks 22- Correspondences of Stephen Mather McPherson and Anne McPherson Tracy 23- Bertha Mather McPherson and Edward McPherson Correspondence Archives 24-28 24- Mather Mountain Party 1915 25- Clothing and Apparel of Early Mathers and Relatives 26- Stephen T. Mather Honorary Degrees and Oversized Photographs and Awards 27- Recognitions and Awards to Bertha Mather McPherson 28- Children’s Books from Attic Trunk Archives 30-33 30- Clothing and Fabric from Homestead Attic 31- A Century of Old Documents 1802-1905 32- Photograph Albums and Loose Photos (Primarily Albums of Bertha Walker Mather) 33- Old Sheets and Woven Fabrics Archives 34-37 34- Floy Books 1 of 2 35- Floy Books 2 of 2 36- Floy Papers and Photographs 37 Floy Papers and Diaries Archives 38-40 38-40 Accordion File Contents- Mather Homestead Safe: In the safe in the basement of the Homestead was an accordion file with 30 pockets, almost all of which had contents. The subjects vary widely but were deemed important enough by Bertha McPherson to have sorted and placed them in the safe. Archives 41-51 41- Magazines/Books/Reports re: STM, National Parks, Homestead 42- Magazines/Reports re National Parks, Mather Homestead 43- Mather Mural Santa Fe NM 44- Stephen Tyng Prints 45- Old Darien Maps 46- Ted Mack Family Hour Record 47- Architectural Monographs 48- Joseph Mather Writings 49- Art Portfolios 50- Misc. Magazines Mentioning STM 51- Slide Photograph Carousels Archives 52-55 52(a)- Dolls from Attic 52(b)- Dolls Clothing 53- Archived Books 54- Archived Books- First Editions 55- Archived Books

The Mather Homestead Foundation is overseen by the Board of Directors: Chair: Richard L. Chilton, Jr., Stephen Berger, Diane Boston, Meredith Edwards, Jennifer L. Foster, Carol Glassmeyer, Ania Janis, Ronald LaMorte, Maeve McGovern, Ginger Morgan, Penny Rashin, John Sini, Tammy Sload, Lauren Swenson, Tiffany Van Elslander. Other boards include: Advisory Board, Junior Board, Teen Board. MATHER HOMESTEAD FOUNDATION STAFF Samantha Gault Executive Director samanthagault@matherhomestead.org Cristi Mohr Assistant Director cristimohr@matherhomestead.org Kelly Dupont Events & Operations kdupont@matherhomestead.org Gulay Philip Accounting bookkeeper@matherhomestead.org General questions: info@matherhomestead.org , 203-202-7602

In 2023, The Mather Homestead Foundation hired Heritage Landscapes to conduct a Cultural Landscape Report of the property. The report provides a better understanding of the property, its history and usage, and informs a Master Plan for the future which will provide for a better visitor experience and enable the property to better tell the stories of the six generations of Mathers. More to come soon as we unveil the exciting plan! MATHER HOMESTEAD PROPERTY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT Artwork by Elizabeth Agresta. MATHER HOMESTEAD 2024 MASTER PLANNING PROJECT In 2023, The Mather Homestead Foundation hired Heritage Landscapes to conduct a Cultural Landscape Report of the property. The report provides a better understanding of the property, its history and usage, and informs a Master Plan for the future which will provide for a better visitor experience and enable the property to better tell the stories of the six generations of Mathers. More to come soon as we unveil the exciting plan! At the end of 2021, the McPherson family (Mather descendants) gifted an additional five acres of land, ensuring the preservation of the beautiful meadow bordering the North side of the Homestead property. This land is now owned and cared for by the Mather Homestead Foundation (1.1 acres) and the Darien Land Trust (3.8 acres). This generous contribution further enhances the beautiful "four corners" of Darien, which already included the 10-acre "Mather Meadows" on the Southern corners, acquired but the Land Trust in 2003, and the Mather Homestead six-acre property on the Northwest corner, donated by the McPherson family to the Mather Homestead Foundation in 2017. In total, these four corners now include 21 acres of property to be preserved in perpetuity. The Mather-McPherson family has seeded a fund which will enable us to execute our Master Plan. Please consider a gift to help us plant and beautify the property! Our goal is to create a park like setting to be enjoyed by the community. Donate to Property Enhancement Project Donate via Check In 2021, we removed several mature trees, including the huge holly trees ( 1 1/2 times the height of the house!) which obscured the North side of the Mather Homestead and "Big Ben," a dangerously large evergreen on the which threatened the East side of the house. We then replanted these gardens. In addition, we added plants behind the barn to obscure the electric box, propane tank and AC units. We selected non-invasive plants, many of which are already represented in the Mather Homestead gardens as planted by Bertha Mather. Thank you to the donors who helped us to bring this project to life! MATHER HOMESTEAD 2021 BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT Thank you to our donors! Amy and John Cholnoky Meredith and Banks Edwards Bet sy and Bill Jones Brandi and Anthony Maniscalco Jane and Bill Nickerson Heather and Todd Raker Michelle and Rich Riley Tiffany and Brian Van Elslander Cathy and Bill Wappler then now Thank you Bartlett Tree Experts for caring for our trees!

The Homestead was built in 1778 by Deacon Joseph Mather during the Revolutionary War as a safe house and raided by the Tories in 1781. REVOLUTIONARY WAR TIMES The Mather Homestead was built in 1778, during the Revolutionary War, by Deacon Joseph Mather, a deacon in Middlesex Parish. It was built as a "safe house" in a location thought to be far from incoming British soldiers, who raided towns along the Connecticut shoreline in order to wipe out ammunition reserves of the Continental Army and steal the valuables of the local residents. Not only were residents threatened by the British soldiers, but also by the many Tory spies who sided with the British. While they hoped the home would be safe from Tories, they nonetheless hid valuables in the house and the outdoor water well. Unfortunately, with the help of Tory spies, the British found their way to the home with bayonets in search of valuables. The raiders found nearly 100 pounds of silver and clothing which were hidden in the well. They even forced Sarah Mather to cook for them! However, they did not find the silver flatware that was hidden in the "high-boy" chest dresser that still resides in the dining room of the home. Deacon Joseph Mather was son of the Reverend Dr. Moses Mather, an important figure in Darien's history. Moses Mather, a graduate of the Yale, was hired as the first minister of Middlesex Parish Church, now the First Congregational Church of Darien, in 1744. He held that position for 62 years until 1806 when he passed at the age of 87. At that time, the minister was the preeminent leader in the town. During the Revolutionary War, Moses Mather, a fierce patriot, boldly preached against the British, resulting in the July 22, 1781 raid of the church during service, just three months after the raid on the Homestead. More on the raid below. Reverend Moses Mather also made the case that part of Stamford would become Middlesex Parish, a case championed by Thaddeus Bell, and in 1820 it became an official town on the map. The murals above (top of page) were painted in the Darien Town Hall (originally a school) during the 1930s with funding from the Works Progress Administration. The murals depict the infamous Sunday, July 22, 1781 raid of Middlesex Parish, when the church was surrounded by a party of Tories from Lloyd's Neck, LI, under Captain Frost, just as the congregation were singing the first tune. Dr. Mather and 50 men of the congregation were taken to the banks of the Sound, thrust into boats, and conveyed across to Lloyd's Neck, on Long Island, and then carried to New York and placed in the Provost Jail where some died. Rev. Mather and most of the prisoners were eventually released. In one mural, a woman named Sally Dibble defends a young boy (left above). The two murals convey how relations between the Colonials and the British—and their sympathizers—could become brutish as war waged on. Rev. Mather and 50 members of his congregation were captured during the siege and imprisoned in New York. "."