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Good old fashioned games and competition in honor of Stephen Mather's birthday (July 4, 1867). And cake! < Back Mather Games - June 26, 2021 Good old fashioned games and competition in honor of Stephen Mather's birthday (July 4, 1867). And cake! Previous Next

MH flower arranging guru led guests through the creation of unique and beautiful spring centerpieces. < Back Flowers and Fun - April 1, 2021 MH flower arranging guru led guests through the creation of unique and beautiful spring centerpieces. Previous Next

Sizes range 11 ¾” h. – 7 ½” h.; early 20th century. < Back Three Painted Cast Iron Door Stops First Floor - Parlor Other Decorative Arts Sizes range 11 ¾” h. – 7 ½” h.; early 20th century. Images are flowers, basket, a pair of black kittens; one repainted, none marked. Previous Next

England, 1740-1770. Walnut, mirrored glass; pine gilding, original beveled glass. 41 5/8" h. x 15 ¾" w. < Back Looking or “Pier” Glass First Floor - Parlor Other Decorative Arts England, 1740-1770. Walnut, mirrored glass; pine gilding, original beveled glass. 41 5/8" h. x 15 ¾" w. The rectangular looking glass has an upper plate of mirrored glass that overlaps the top of the lower plate. Upper part of frame has a stepped ogee edge. A walnut-veneered scalloped crest with pierced central roundel containing a gilded foliate motif. Molded cross-banding surrounds glass, held in place by an inner carved and gilded edge. Backboards have been replaced, crest is repaired, but the original iron hanging sleeve remains in place; generally good condition given age, and of exceptional size. Previous Next

Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson < Back Gordon Wood - April 24, 2019 Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Previous Next

Winter paint & sip led by our expert Lisa Thoren! < Back Paint & Sip! Winter paint & sip led by our expert Lisa Thoren! 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

The root cellar was an essential component of a colonial farm in Connecticut. < Back The Root Cellar Listen to Audio Tour for this location: 00:00 / 01:08 The root cellar was an essential component of a colonial farm in Connecticut. Image Gallery Site Description During Colonial times on a farm in Connecticut, a root cellar would have played a crucial role in preserving food and ensuring a stable food supply for the family. A root cellar was typically a cool, underground storage space used to store root vegetables, fruits, and other perishable items. In this context, the root cellar would have been vital for storing crops like potatoes, carrots, turnips, and apples, harvested from the farm. The cool and dark environment of the root cellar helped slow down the natural ripening and decay processes of these perishable foods, extending their shelf life through the winter months when fresh produce was scarce. This allowed families to have a source of nutritious food even during the colder seasons when farming activities were limited. The root cellar, therefore, served as a practical and essential component of food storage and preservation on Revolutionary War-era farms in Connecticut. Please proceed to the Site #9: Stephen Mather, located next to the closest large tree. Previous Next

The most notable member of the Mather family, Stephen Tyng Mather, founded the National Park Service and served as its first director. < Back Stephen Tyng Mather (1867-1930) The most notable member of the Mather family, Stephen Tyng Mather, founded the National Park Service and served as its first director. Previous Next

Our second Harvest Festival was bigger and better! < Back Harvest Festival - November 3, 2018 Our second Harvest Festival was bigger and better! Previous Next

St. Nicholas visited the Homestead for the second time. Children enjoyed a visit with Santa and lots of fun stations with games & crafts (and candy!) < Back A Visit from St. Nicholas - December 11, 2021 St. Nicholas visited the Homestead for the second time. Children enjoyed a visit with Santa and lots of fun stations with games & crafts (and candy!) Previous Next

Probably Connecticut, 1790-1815. Tulip poplar, chestnut, brass movement, painted iron dial. 86 ½” h. x 21” w. x 10 ½” d. < Back Tall Case Clock First Floor - Parlor Furniture and Hard Furnishings Probably Connecticut, 1790-1815. Tulip poplar, chestnut, brass movement, painted iron dial. 86 ½” h. x 21” w. x 10 ½” d. With an 8-day movement; the falseplate behind the imported English white dial is marked “Osbourne / MANUFACTURY / BIRMINGHAM.” White dial is painted with birds in the arch and with floral spandrels; a date wheel aperture, seconds dial, and a silent/strike switch in the arch. Clock case is coated with a clear stain but likely originally painted. Scrolled pediment has three finials, the center of which differs from the side finials (a Connecticut regional practice), and clock bonnet has four colonnettes. Waist door is arched; a molded base with no feet. Previous Next