< Back Rosé and Roses Thurs., June 16, 6:30 pm Join us for rosé and nibbles in the beautiful Mather Homestead garden! Previous Next

This field is the site of what was once a 100 acre self-sustaining farm managed by the Mather family which provided everything the family needed centuries ago. < Back The Field Listen to Audio Tour for this location: 00:00 / 00:54 This field is the site of what was once a 100 acre self-sustaining farm managed by the Mather family which provided everything the family needed centuries ago. Image Gallery A photo of the field and playhouse today A photo of the field and playhouse in 1974 A photo of Stephen Mather holding a hay rake for putting the hay on a horse-drawn wagon, circa 1910 A photo of Stephen Mather McPherson on a horse pulling a plow, circa 1945 Site Description The field was once part of the 100 acre self-sustaining farm operated by the Mather family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Almost everything the family needed came from the farm including the wood to heat the house, vegetables such as carrots, turnips, wheat, and corn, and farm animals providing milk, eggs and meat. They even grew flax which they turned into fabric to make their own clothes. Later, the property included fruit orchards bearing apples, apricots, peaches and prunes, plus grapes that were used to make their own wine which was called ‘Mather Wine’. Today, the Mather Homestead property comprises seven acres which is surrounded by another 15 acres of the original Homestead property which is managed by the Darien Land Trust. The land is home to many native plants and animals including deer, turkeys, beavers, coyotes, hawks and more. Please proceed to the Site #6: The Playhouse in the Field. Previous Next

< Back Barnraiser 3.0 Sat., Sept 24, 6 to 10 pm Enjoy a picnic under the stars, with live music on the lawn! Previous Next

< Back Newcomers Cocktails in the Garden Thurs., June 30, 6:30 pm Newcomers to the area are invited for cocktails in the garden! Previous Next

The Homestead was built in 1778 during the Revolutionary War as a safe house and raided by Tories in 1781.

Jazz in the garden featuring Lissy Newman on vocals and Tony Lombardozzi on guitar. Plus wine & cheese! < Back Jazz featuring Lissy Newman - May 22, 2022 Jazz in the garden featuring Lissy Newman on vocals and Tony Lombardozzi on guitar. Plus wine & cheese! Previous Next

We welcomed Darien High School Seniors, Margaret Edwards, Piper Henderson, Alexis Lyons and Matthew Magnotta, as our first class of high school interns this Spring. They planned a fun "lunch bunch program" for twelve lucky kids! ​ The themes for the days: Monday, June 6th - Colonial Day Tuesday, June 7th - Gardening Day Wednesday, June 8th - Art-at-Mather Day Thursday, June 9th - Workshop Day We'll be back next year with new interns and more fun! < Back Intern Lunch Bunch 2022 - June, 2022 We welcomed Darien High School Seniors, Margaret Edwards, Piper Henderson, Alexis Lyons and Matthew Magnotta, as our first class of high school interns this Spring. They planned a fun "lunch bunch program" for twelve lucky kids! The themes for the days: Monday, June 6th - Colonial Day Tuesday, June 7th - Gardening Day Wednesday, June 8th - Art-at-Mather Day Thursday, June 9th - Workshop Day We'll be back next year with new interns and more fun! Previous Next

Learn more about the Mather Homestead through video, podcast, historical papers and more. VIDEO 2020 The Story of the Mather Homestead This video was "premiered" at our 2020 Barnraiser event. It tells the story of the Mather Homestead from 1778 to present. Thank you Pablo Villa, Allie Bernene, Gordon Hastings, the McPherson sisters, Penny Rashin and all who brought this story to life! PLEASE GIVE THE VIDEO A FEW SECONDS TO LOAD! CHECK OUT "NOW WE'RE TALKING DARIEN" PODCAST WITH TAYLOR & LIZ LISTEN: The Story of the Mather Homestead Taylor Carter and Liz Geiger, local Darien residents, are taking Darien by storm by interviewing local figures and business owners. They interviewed Heather Raker, Executive Director of the Mather Homestead Foundation, and Jennifer Foster, founding board member, on September 3, 2021. Jennifer and Heather shared stories about the Mather Family and Homestead, and highlighted the generosity of the individuals and community that brought this incredible asset to life. LISTEN DOCUMENTS FROM THE ARCHIVES The Mather house is filled with two and a half centuries of antiques, artifacts and papers. We are working on organizing and digesting all of the fascinating documents. A few below ... Letter from the "Old Homestead", 1877 Letter from Rev. C. G. Selleck, grandson of Joseph and Sarah Mather, 1878 Anne McPherson paper on the Homestead 1956 National Register of Historic Places - Nomination Form prepared by Bertha Mather McPherson Library of Congress - Historic American Buildings Survey - prepared July, 1967 Margaret Henderson letters Check out Donn's Blog for more information on what's been found "in the attic"! THE STORY OF THE MATHER HOMESTEAD As told by Gordon Hastings Docent Gordon Hastings has blogging since 2011 about books and subjects that he enjoys. Lucky for us that the Mather Homestead is a subject he enjoys! It begins like this .... Now that you are all sitting comfortably, I want to ask you to leave the 21st Century and go back with me 240 years and picture yourself here with Deacon Joseph Mather, son of Reverend Moses Mather, his wife Sarah and eight of their 11 children still living at home. One child is an infant, another just two years old. It is 15 degrees outside with a 25 mile per northeast wind blowing snow through tiny cracks in these walls and around the windows. Candles flicker, as there is no electricity. A fire glows in the hearth and in the pot above the hot coals is a rich stew which Sara prepared this morning and will be ready for an early dinner after Joseph and the oldest boys return from the barn following milking their four cows and making them safe for the night. continue The Story of the Mather Homestead as told by Gordon Hastings Check out more of Gordon's blogs at gordonsgoodreads.com . FROM THE PULPIT On April 22, 2018, Pastor Gary Morello gave a sermon on the the history of The First Congregational Church of Darien and its connection with the Mather Homestead, the home of Deacon Joseph Mather, the son of Reverend Moses Mather. He honored the Mather's determination to stand up against the British and for what they believed was right. Read an excerpt from his sermon BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Mather Homestead This information was compiled for the Bicentennial of the Mather Homestead in 1978. The Mather Homestead was erected in 1778 by Deacon Joeseph Mather on land inherited from his mother, Hannah Bell, a descendant of Francis Bell, one of the early settlers of Stamford. This house, properly modeled after the usual style of New England architecture of the second half of the 18th Century, was built in the extreme corner of the township now known as Darien, the land lying partly in that township, partly in Norwalk and partly in New Canaan. It was hoped that a house erected thus far from Old King's Highway and the Sound would not be bothered by raiders during the Revolutionary War. Deacon Joseph and his wife Sarah Scott, with their oldest child, Hannah, took possession of their new dwelling in early July 1778. At this time, the Deacon's father, the Rev. D. Moses Mather, sixty years pastor of the Congregational Church of Darien, was present, and when a fire first was wanted, he took his solar glass from his pocket, ignited the tobacco in his box and from that kindled the fire, remarking, "The first fire in the new house came from Heaven." This house, being on the outskirts of the settlement, was considered a safe repository by the neighbors for their silver and valuables. These were hidden down the well and also suspended by straps under the top of the highboy, still standing in the homestead. But the house was discovered and one evening a band of Tories came, plundered the house, and compelled Mrs. Mather, at the point of a bayonet, to prepare them supper at the huge fireplace. They then ordered the Deacon to accompany them to Long Island Sound to prevent his giving alarm in the community until they were a safe distance away. The Deacon fought as a soldier in the Revolution on a number of occasions, following the custom of the period in returning to his farm between campaigns. He first entered service in 1775, was engaged in the siege and capture of St. John's in Canada and went on to Montreal. In 1776 he was a member of the militia guarding the coast along Stamford. He enlisted as a sergeant in the Coast Guard again in 1779 and in 1780 he was appointed an Ensign in the Connecticut Militia. As the family increased and, in the process of time, the children married and had many little children of their own. The annual Thanksgiving celebration around the table of the Grandparents was a gathering of great happiness for all ages. "Dinner being served, always sumptuous and ample, first to the grown people and then to the numerous children, the table was removed and the afternoon was given up to chat and hilarity. No wine and no smoking, but all satisfied and serious, the elder members sat by the fire in the west room and talked of the crops and the profits realized, the genealogy of the families, of marriages, births, and deaths, and of experiences of the Revolution, so recently passed." In the West room also, where the same clock that now stands there indicated that it was bedtime, the family gathered for evening worship around the hearth. All stood up and turned toward their chairs and the grand-sire lead in prayer to give thanks for the blessing of another day just passed and to commit the household to the safekeeping of God for another night. Here in this house the Deacon and his wife resided for the remainder of their long lives, he dying in 1840 and she in 1843. Here all of their eleven children, with the exception of the oldest, were born and here some of their descendants still live. Their little daughter Clara, who died in infancy in 1786, was the first to be buried across the field in what is now the Mather Cemetery. Upon his death, the Deacon left the house, valued at $500 in the inventory of his estate, to his widow for the remainder of her life and then to his two maiden daughters, Rana and Pheobe. They continued to live here all their lives, beloved by their brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews who were always welcome at the Homestead and were frequent visitors. A widowed sister, Betsy Lockwood, with her daughter Ann Elizabeth also lived with them for many years. At Aunt Rana's death in 1880, aged 96, it was written of her "Her life has run on parallel with the existence of this nation which at her birth was in its infancy. She has been a member of the Congregational Church for 72 years. As a Christian, she was quiet, consistent, and devoted, always hopeful and cheerful and ever pleased to see all friends and neighbors who called." Ann Elizabeth Lockwood, daughter of Aunt Betsy, was bequeathed the house in 1886 at the death of Aunt Pheobe. Shortly thereafter, in 1887, she sold the house and twelve acres for $1,000 to her first cousin Joseph Wakeman Mather. He made various improvements on the place, erecting a new barn 120 feet west of the house, in 1891, which was constructed by his brother William F. Mather. Joseph W. Mather occupied the Homestead in the summers and during the winters lived at the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn so that he did not experience the discomforts of a house without central heating which must have been difficult for the "old aunties" in their declining years. The new barn burned in 1905 and the exertions and excitement caused by this event were supposed to have hastened the death of the 85-year-old owner who died shortly after. In his will, he left the house to his sole surviving child, Stephen Tyng Mather of Chicago, and to his niece, Bertha Mather, daughter of his brother Henry. She had been his constant companion and he had been devoted to her. The house and twenty-two acres were valued at this time at $1,300. Stephen bought his cousin's interest in the place and began to make changes almost immediately, building a new barn further from the house, a cottage for a gardener, lying a sunken garden, and changing the front porch of the house to one that extended across the front. Stephen Mather, with his wife and baby daughter, first occupied the house in 1930. In spite of his absorbing interest in the National Parks and his busy life on their behalf for the last 15 years of his life, his affection for the Homestead was always keen. He made two other series of alterations on the house, one in 1915 and the last one, leaving the house in the present condition in 1927. In spite of much change, many features remain as they originally were or have been returned to their original condition. Bertha Mather McPherson inherited the Homestead upon the death of her father in 1930. She and her husband, Edward R. McPherson, Jr., made it their year-round home for 70 years. Their three children, Anne McPherson Tracy, Stephen Mather McPherson, and Jane McPherson Nickerson grew up here, generously gifted the homestead to the Foundation to open for the publics enjoyment. Their children and grandchildren are the seventh and eighth generation to visit the Homestead, built by their great-great-great-great-great grandfather in 1778. BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION DARIEN In 2021, Darien celebrated its 200th anniversary ... one year late due to COVID. The events included a reenactment of the raid on the Congregational church of Darien as well as a reenactment at the Mather Homestead. RAID ON THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Raid of Mather Homestead CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT In 2023, The Mather Homestead Foundation hired Heritage Landscapes to conduct a Cultural Landscape Report of the property. T he report will provide a better understanding of the property, its history and usage, and inform a Master Plan for the future. LANDSCAPE HISTORY CHAPTER

Lake Clark, AK < Back Lake Clark Lake Clark, AK 1980 Established: Size: 4,030,015 acres Visitors: 14,479 in 2018 Summary Wildlife Sounds of the Park Things to Do When to Visit Ties to Stephen Mather Fun Fact Previous Next

When you become a member of the Mather Homestead you support our mission and help to secure our future. Benefits include: Discounted/free tickets to events, Reduced rate for usage of the Homestead for private events, Free private tours. MEMBERSHIP When you become a member of the Mather Homestead you support our mission and help to secure our future. Preserve. Educate. Inspire. We preserve the 1778 Mather Homestead, a National Historic Landmark set in a timeless New England landscape and home to a bold American family. We educate and inspire through exploration of American history and the National Parks, and celebrate those individuals who embody the enduring values of integrity and stewardship for the common good. $150 Family Membership $100 Individual Membership Membership Benefits include: Invitations to free member-only events Discounts on Mather Homestead events, Free tours for you, family and friends, Membership to NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Association), offering free entry to over 1,400 museums*, We hope you will consider an increased level of support in order to support the work of the Mather Homestead which includes: Preservation, maintenance & restoration of the 1778 house, seven acre property and collection of antiques, papers, books, portraits, textiles and more. Educational programming which "brings history to life" including lectures, tours, kids events and more. Payments via check: Please send payments to "The Mather Homestead Foundation" to PO Box 1054, Darien, CT 06820. Please notate "membership" in memo.

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

SUPPORT THE MATHER HOMESTEAD AND WIN GREAT PRIZES! We invite you to support the Mat her Homestead's restoration projects by buying raffle tickets for great prizes! You do not need to be present at the event to win. Buy more tickets and m ore chances to win! P rize packages below. PAY VIA CC BELOW OR VENMO: @mather-homestead-foundation last 4 digits x9649 THANK YOU!