< 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

England; mahogany and veneer; 25 ½” h. x 11 ½” w., first quarter 19th century. < Back Small Chippendale Looking Glass with Applied Prince of Wales Crest Second Floor - Guest Room Other Decorative Arts England; mahogany and veneer; 25 ½” h. x 11 ½” w., first quarter 19th century. Rectangular with a scalloped and scrolled edge; molded inner edge, with Prince of Wales appliqué at center of crest. Condition is good. Previous Next

Back by popular demand .. our second June 2021 painting class! < Back How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - June 28, 2021 Back by popular demand .. our second June 2021 painting class! Previous Next

Southern New England, 1810-1825. Tulip poplar, oak, maple. 35" h. x 39" w. x 14 ½" d. < Back Windsor Settee First Floor - Keeping Room Furniture and Hard Furnishings Southern New England, 1810-1825. Tulip poplar, oak, maple. 35" h. x 39" w. x 14 ½" d. The two-person settee has an eleven-spindle back between bamboo-turned posts and a three-step oak crest rail. Carved arms with bamboo-turned arm supports and single spindles set into the shield-shaped tulip poplar seat; standing on six bamboo-turned legs and box stretchers. Settee would originally have been painted, though now stripped with a clear coat. The handholds, tapered rather than rounded, are unusual and suggest that the arms may be replacements. Previous Next

Year two of Plein air art classes with Lisa Thoren: 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 :-). < Back How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - June 10, 2021 Year two of Plein air art classes with Lisa Thoren: 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 :-). Previous Next

Docent Donn Smith has been busy in the attic and has many stories to tell about the Homestead and its inhabitants

Our fourth annual Fall Harvest Festival was a smashing success. Nearly 600 people enjoyed hay rides, a petting zoo, face painting, apple bobbing, crafts, games and music by On the Trail. We were lucky to have a beautiful day for fall fun! Photos by Katharine Calderwood. < Back Harvest Festival - October 22, 2022 Our fourth annual Fall Harvest Festival was a smashing success. Nearly 600 people enjoyed hay rides, a petting zoo, face painting, apple bobbing, crafts, games and music by On the Trail. We were lucky to have a beautiful day for fall fun! Photos by Katharine Calderwood. Previous Next

< Back Book Club: The Scarlet Letter Weds., March 2, 7 pm A secret affair, a public shaming, and a feminist awakening … written in 1850 and set in colonial America, the scarlet letter is STILL a story in which we can recognize ourselves. Even if you have not recently read the book, Samantha Gault will provide excerpts from the book and lead us through an interesting discussion of this controversial story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through and affair and will not reveal her lover's identity. Come join the conversation which will be led by our resident American literature guru Samantha Gault! Please buy local! Books available at Barrett Bookstore. Previous Next

England, first half 19th century. Fruitwood, iron hinges and escutcheons, wooden stems. Pear: 6 ½" h. x 4 ½" d.; Apple: 5" h. x 4 ¼" d. < Back Apple and Pear Form Tea Caddies First Floor - Parlor Other Decorative Arts England, first half 19th century. Fruitwood, iron hinges and escutcheons, wooden stems. Pear: 6 ½" h. x 4 ½" d.; Apple: 5" h. x 4 ¼" d. Tea caddies are turned to apple and pear shapes with well-executed carved stems, each has a hinged top and lock. Condition is good; pear shows some staining around base. Previous Next

< Back Honey Tasting with the Queen Bee Thurs., April 28, 7 pm Honey + Wine + Cheese + Fun Join us at the Homestead for wine tasting with Queen Bee C. Marina Marchese, a self proclaimed honey sommelier. Tasting will include an informative lesson on honey, plus tasting of food with wine and food pairings. About the queen honeybee Marina .. As the undisputed expert and queen bee of honey, C. Marina Marchese is a beekeeper, author and a member of the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey, where she received her formal training as a honey sensory expert. Marina is the author of The Honey Connoisseur: Selecting, Tasting and Pairing Honey with a Guide to More than 30 Varietals (with Kim Flottum), Honey for Dummies (with Howland Blackiston) and her beekeeping memoir Honeybee Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper. In 2011, Marina establish The American Honey Tasting Society as the leading resource for honey sensory education in the United States. An avid world traveler, Marina has had the unique opportunity to taste hundreds of new and old world honeys maintaining an impressive private library of honey samples. A passionate and dynamic, sought-after speaker, Marina shares her knowledge in animated and inspiring presentations —leaving audiences with a fascinating view of the importance of honey bees to our food chain and the gastronomic delight of varietal honeys. A graduate of The School of Visual Arts, Marina combines a successful career in honey with her background in arts. Marina coined the term 'Honey Sommelier' in her first book Honeybee Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper published in 2009. TICKETS ON SALE SOON! Previous Next

... as told by Gordon Hastings

Designed by famed architect Walter Burleigh Griffin, this garden has evolved under the care of multiple generations of Mathers. < Back The Garden Listen to Audio Tour for this location: 00:00 / 00:54 Designed by famed architect Walter Burleigh Griffin, this garden has evolved under the care of multiple generations of Mathers. Image Gallery A photo of the Mather gardens today A photo of the garden in 1953 1938 flower planting plan for the sunken garden Site Description The sunken garden was added by Stephen Mather in 1909. He hired Walter Burleigh Griffin, an award winning architect who worked closely with Frank Lloyd Wright, to for its design. In 1911, Griffin entered a competition to design Australia's new capital city, Canberra. With impressive The sunken garden was added by Stephen Mather in 1909. He hired Walter Burleigh Griffin, an award winning architect who worked closely with Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago, for its design. In 1911, Griffin entered a competition to design Australia's new capital city, Canberra. With impressive renderings by his new wife, Marion Mahoney Griffin, also an architect. The design won and he went on to design Canberra and have a successful career in Australia. Upon Stephen Mather’s death in 1930, his daughter Bertha inherited the house. She hired Lillian Egleston from Elizabeth, New Jersey to modify the sunken garden to be a bit less formal in 1938. In 1962, she added a terrace around the well and additional plantings with designs by Charles Middeleer. In recent years, thanks to the efforts of Mather Homestead volunteers, in particular Andy Huntington, the gardens have been restored and beautified. In addition to leading extensive clean up of the gardens, Andy has incorporated roses, peonies and other herbaceous perennials to give the garden more visual appeal throughout the spring and summer season. Please proceed to Site #4: The Cottage - the structure across the driveway. Previous Next