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Including: 1) Intricate pattern of interlocking striped straps/ squares; 4’ 4” x 5’ 4”. 2) Polychrome pattern of blue squares, green leaves, pink and white stars; 2’ 10” x 4’ 6”. 3) Polychrome pattern with octagons, pink, crème, and grey. < Back Three American Hooked Rugs with Geometric Patterns Second Floor - SE Bedroom Other Decorative Arts Including: 1) Intricate pattern of interlocking striped straps/ squares; 4’ 4” x 5’ 4”. 2) Polychrome pattern of blue squares, green leaves, pink and white stars; 2’ 10” x 4’ 6”. 3) Polychrome pattern with octagons, pink, crème, and grey. 1) Condition is good. 2) Condition is good. 3) Condition is poor, faded and worn. All rugs handmade; wool and cotton; all dating to the late 19th/early 20th century. By family record, three rugs described above were purchased in 1931. Previous Next

New York or New England, 1835-1865. Cherry, tulip poplar; 26 ¾” h. x 16 ½” l. x 20 ½” w. < Back One drawer stand First Floor - Entrance Hall Furniture and Hard Furnishings New York or New England, 1835-1865. Cherry, tulip poplar; 26 ¾” h. x 16 ½” l. x 20 ½” w. A slightly overhanging top, over one drawer with a replaced Chippendale-style brass; standing on turned tapered legs with rings above and below, and tapered feet. Fair condition. Previous Next

Massachusetts, 1755-1785. Maple, including striped maple; 27 ½” h. x 24” w. < Back Corner Chair First Floor - Keeping Room Furniture and Hard Furnishings Massachusetts, 1755-1785. Maple, including striped maple; 27 ½” h. x 24” w. Armrail over two pierced splats of striped maple; a carved cabriole front leg with pad foot; three columnar-turned legs ending in button feet, turned cross-stretchers. Condition is good Previous Next

Cherry; 1780-1800. Connecticut or Southern Massachusetts; 37 ¾” h. x 21” w. x 17 ¾” d. < Back Carved Ribbon-Back Armchair Second Floor - NW Sitting Room Furniture and Hard Furnishings Cherry; 1780-1800. Connecticut or Southern Massachusetts; 37 ¾” h. x 21” w. x 17 ¾” d. A curved and pierced crest rail over three conforming pierced slats or ribbons, curved arms, upholstered square seat, H-stretcher with recessed front stretcher, four straight tapered legs, molded at front. Condition: A well rendered example of this form however all four legs have been ended-out, a condition issue apparently known when the chair was purchased in 1964; otherwise in good refinished condition. Bertha McPherson stitched seat needlework. Previous Next

The most notable member of the Mather family, Stephen Tyng Mather, founded the National Park Service and served as its first director.

Southern New England, ca. 1700 and later. Cherry; 21" h. x 18" w. x 11 ½" d. < Back American Joint Stool First Floor - Keeping Room Furniture and Hard Furnishings Southern New England, ca. 1700 and later. Cherry; 21" h. x 18" w. x 11 ½" d. The rectangular joined (or ‘joint’) stool has four turned legs and box stretchers. Stool has had restorations or replacements on some rails and stretchers. This stool is a rare American survivor of an early form. Previous Next

We welcome the help of volunteers who can help with the following: Tours, Fall & Spring Clean Ups, Gardening, Research, Scholar Lectures, THE MATHER HOMESTEAD FOUNDATION The Mather Homestead is overseen by the Mather Homestead Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization which was created in 2016 to operate the Mather Homestead as a museum dedicated to historical education. The Mather Homestead, Darien's only Registered National Historic Landmark, is a historic home and property on the four corners of Brookside and Stephen Mather Roads. The home was built in 1778 by Deacon Joseph Mather, raided by Tories during the Revolutionary War, and later the home of Stephen Tyng Mather, an avid conservationist and the first Director of the National Park Service. The Homestead is now open for tours and a wide variety of events intended to bring history to life! More about the Mather Homestead More about the Mather Family Learn More - Donn's Blog,

Probably Dutch, 18th century. Brass and copper; 1 ¼" h. x 7" w. x 2" d. < Back Tobacco Box First Floor - Parlor Other Decorative Arts Probably Dutch, 18th century. Brass and copper; 1 ¼" h. x 7" w. x 2" d. A rectangular box with rounded ends. The copper sides, brass bottom, and hinged lid are elaborately engraved. Previous Next

Thank you to the many artists who spent time on the Mather Homestead Property during June, 2020-23. Artwork below is currently on display in the Elizabeth W. Chilton Education Center, a.k.a., the Barn. Plein Air Artists Thank you to the many artists who spent time on the Mather Homestead Property during June, 2020-2025. Artwork below is currently on display in the Elizabeth W. Chilton Education Center, a.k.a., the Barn. Ashley Aymonier I enjoy oil painting for its ability to capture a multitude of colors, highlights and textures in single brush strokes. I like to start color mixing with just the primary colors until I see the right tones to bring the subject to life. Over the past 30 years in Darien and New York City I have appreciated the opportunity to study and practice painting at the Art Students League, Woodstock School of Art, 92nd Street Y, Silvermine Art School and more recently, after leaving the world of finance, in sunlight with the Fairfield County Plein Air Painters. Read More Betsy Higgins Elizabeth Higgins was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1960. As a Helena Rubenstein Award recipient, Higgins earned her MFA from Parsons School of Design, where she studied with Leland Bell, Paul Resika, Albert Kresch and Robert deNiro, Sr. Prior to coming to New York in 1983, Higgins received her BFA from Queen’s University, Canada, where she studied painting and printmaking with JC Heywood, Ralph Allen and David Andrew. Higgins’ solo shows include the Prince Street Gallery, New York, The Argazzi Gallery, Lakeville, CT and the Nancy Poole Studio, Toronto, Canada. She has also exhibited in group shows at the Ingber Gallery, New York, the Mangel Gallery, Philadelphia, the Addison/Ripley Fine Art gallery, Washington, DC, the ART/PLACE gallery, Fairfield CT, and the Carriage Barn Arts Center, New Canaan, CT. Read More Catherine Leitao I have always loved art. The beautiful and the sublime captured my interest at a young age and still motivate me. Over the past fifteen years, I have been immersed in art both as a studio art student and as a museum educator. I struggle to balance these two interests but am grateful to have that challenge. As an independent museum educator, I have developed and led a wide-range of programs working with fine art in museum galleries and classrooms. I have especially enjoyed the opportunity to interact with underserved museum audiences. I am looking for opportunities to continue working in museum galleries and classrooms in the Mountain West. In the studio, I have focused primarily on the human figure. I have enjoyed learning to draw and paint in classical realist tradition in programs in Florence and New York. I am expecting to work more on landscapes now that I live in the foothills of Utah’s Wasatch Front. Working in university museums, I have also had the opportunity to incorporate art history into my museum education and studio art work. My interest in art history and my travels to many of the finest museums, churches and cities in the history of Western art have also led me to study how Christian art reflects the theology and traditions of the Catholic Church. I have enjoyed developing and presenting a series of lectures on Encountering Mary in Art. Read More Christina Tugeau Artist Statement: I love to paint - the delightful surprise each time as ‘something’ comes from nothing - pushing and pulling paint on paper, panel, or canvas - an image that has never existed before! I paint scenes, large and small, that capture my attention with their subject, shapes, light play, color, or story. I have an intention for the piece when I start but I am an intuitive painter and ‘listen’ to the moment and the paint itself once I begin. Often it has other intentions for me… thus the surprise! Read More Connie van Rhyn As a child Connie loved to draw and went on to receive a BFA in Commercial Interior Design from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. She then received her MS from Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture and is a licensed designer and a LEED AP (leadership in energy and environmental design). After decades of designing, developing workplace strategies and leading significant projects, and raising 3 sons, Connie is exploring her love of painting and drawing again. She has had the opportunity to study with many great faculty from Silvermine, beginning with Charles Sovek at age 16, and later with Churchill Davenport, and most recently with Dean Fisher and Justin Wiest. In her paintings, Connie looks to bring moments of joy to others and to continue to grow and explore the world around her. Read More Dave Miller Dave Miller has enjoyed photography as a means to connect with, and chronicle, our community and our heritage. Read More Diana Mikkidou Galik Darien resident. Architect/Interior Designer. Enjoys gardening and taking classes at Silvermine Arts Center. Read More Domenick Maldari Domenick Maldari was born in Giovinazzo, Province of Bari, Italy in 1948. He emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina and then lived in New York City from 1961 until until 2017 when he moved to Norwalk, Connecticut. Maldari is mostly self taught. He works predominantly in the medium of painting, however, he has also created works in ceramics, and enjoys carving bone, wood and low relief on slate. While he focuses principally on watercolor, he also enjoys painting in oil, as well as drawing in pencil and pen/ink. Maldari is foremost a craftsman interested in the uniquely human ability to use one's physical and intellectual capacity for artistic expression using inspiration from nature and our surroundings. He learned how to draw and paint at an early age under the direction and guidance of his father. He graduated from the High School of Art and Design in New York City, and later matriculated to Bronx Community College. Read More Donna Atkins "I have been painting for more than 30 years, working mainly in watercolor and photography, but have become increasingly fond of pastels, pencils and acrylics for their flexibility and diversity. My time is spent in and around Wilton, CT in the summer, painting with the Fairfield County Plein Air painters, but live in Venice, FL in the winter where I paint and spent time with my husband at the beaches and playing golf. Read More Elizabeth Agresta Elizabeth is a third generation artist, carrying on a family legacy in the creative arts, which includes: kimono design, Japanese ceramics, culinary arts, photography, writing, and poetry. Elizabeth studied painting, print-making, and exploratory mixed media at Silvermine Art. She currently works out of her studio in Cos Cob and is the leading member of the Fairfield County Plein Air Painters, an active member of the New York Society of Women Artists, the Federation of Canadian Artists, and has served on the board of the Loft Artists Association. Read More Eunice Roy Born and educated in Scotland, Eunice Roy found her way to Rowayton some thirty-eight years ago after many years of residence in Europe. A lifelong interest in the arts has taken her to galleries and museums throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East. A long break from the easel to focus on writing and handicrafts, not to mention family and business commitments, followed early training with the Scottish painter, William B Taylor. Over fifteen years ago with the encouragement of noted pastelist, Margaret Dyer, and the support of many friends in the arts community, Eunice returned to painting and drawing. In search of new opportunities for learning, she spent many years and many happy hours in the studio of the Pastel Society of America in New York under the guidance of former PSA President, Barbara Fishman, and more recently, PSA Education Director, Maceo Mitchell. Read More Ginger Morgan Ginger Morgan has lived in Darien for over a quarter of a century and enjoyed the many beautiful gardens and parks in town. She finds photography enables her to take a deep look into the flowers and fauna around Darien. Additionally Ginger enjoys expressing her art in floral design and gardening. Read More Ginny Awn "I have a lifelong experience in art and design, including sculpture, drawing and interior design. I began painting about three years ago when I realized how much I missed color. And plein air painting is my favorite when the weather cooperates. Although it can be challenging, I love being out in nature as much as possible, and painting outdoors can be very meditative as well." Read More Hanneke Goedkoop Artist's Statement: "The inner and outer world of spirituality and metamorphosis behind my work. Thoughts about evolution and environment are represented in visual narratives. They are shaped through observation, from memories, connections with and love for nature and expressed in drawing, in painting, print-making and sculpture. I work to create an environment for the viewer to move into - to create a desire to be part of and connect with the unseen and seen in our natural world. The human psyche is rooted in the natural world." Read More Jan Raymond Jan Raymond is a Connecticut artist who’s primary interest is in how color can be used to delineate objects. She has exhibited in various juried shows including; Art of the Northeast, Washington & Jefferson University’s American Artists Show, New Haven Paint and Clay and The Faber Birren Color show where she won the color award. She has exhibited in group shows at the Stamford Museum, The State University of New York, Purchase, and The Connecticut Gallery. She has had solo shows at the Pindar Gallery (NYC), Portfolio Gallery (Stamford, CT) and Merkin Hall (NYC). She is an exhibiting member of The Rowayton Art Center. Her work is in numerous corporate and private collections. Jan studied and Syracuse University, Parsons Institute and was a student of the late Abstract Expressionist Theodore Stamos. Read More Jill Nichols Jill Nichols’ painting explores both the earthbound and outer expanses of our divine cosmos. Her sense of color and composition has developed over the course of 30+ years as a commercial artist. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In 2000, she set her focus on painting, at first training at the Art Students League in NYC, and in 2015 earned her MFA in painting at Western Connecticut State University. Her commissioned painting of Washington D.C. appeared as a backdrop for James Comey’s interview on “Face the Nation” while another made its appearance on Showtime’s “The Comey Rule” mini-series. Her artwork “Phi,” celebrating the divine feminine was a part of the “Nasty Woman” art social movement in New Haven and then went on to be installed in the Vatican Observatory Museum. She has received awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and Connecticut Office of the Arts. An active participant in the art communities throughout Connecticut, she has served as vice-president for the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society and Valley Arts Council and exhibited at the Lyme Art Association, Carriage Barn, Greenwich Art Society, and Lyman Allen Museum. Jill is an instructor at the Silvermine Art School, in New Canaan, Connecticut, and conducts painting workshops locally and abroad. Jill now offers videos on YouTube and holds real-time online painting critiques. Artist Statement My painting is poetry, a lyrical composition of color and light. When painting, I am in the moment, thoroughly present and enraptured. I experience a sense of peace, as well as an urgency to capture and share the moment. It is a privilege to paint. Taking in the invisible birdsong, whispering winds, fragrant mist, and luminous clouds, often gone before the brush touches the paint. Inadvertently documenting the vanishing in a slipknot along the infinite. Read More Kathleen Weinstock Kathleen came to painting after a career in finance and retail management in New York City. She rediscovered her creative passion as she raised her three children in Darien. While working in decorating, she squeezes in time for painting. Kathleen’s award-winning oil painting depict subjects ranging from landscapes, still life, portraits and abstractions. Read More Lisa Thoren Lisa Thorén is an award-winning mixed-media artist. She began her career studying printmaking in Florence, Italy, and earned her BFA from Parsons School of Design. Lisa was an art director at Travel + Leisure Magazine, a creative director in advertising, and board president of the Darien Arts Center in Darien, Connecticut. Lisa was accepted into the Silvermine Guild after being juried into the 65th Annual Art of the Northeast Show at Silvermine Arts Center in 2015. She has participated in the Parsons School of Design alumni shows and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Fabir Birren Color Award. Lisa has exhibited as a solo artist in galleries in Connecticut. Her art hangs in the permanent collections of the Greenwich Library, the Darien Nature Center, and the Stanford University Medical Center in California. Lisa Thorén's work has been featured in Darien/New Canaan Magazine, Brooks Brothers stores, and historical societies in Greenwich and Darien. She resides in Darien, CT with her husband Peter. Read More Mary Wade Mary Wade offers family and landscape photography based in Darien, CT, and Nantucket, MA. While her versatile photography skills range from headshots to beachscapes. One of her favorite subjects to capture is the family unit and she loves working with children. Read More Nancy Cannon A long-time interest in sketch and drawing has lead me to pick up painting in recent years. I am fascinated with all aspects of color, light, and 2-dimensional art. My goal is to represent and re-create a beautiful and memorable scene. I experiment with paint, including oil, acrylic and watercolor. Having worked with talented artists/instructors in Fairfield County area, I am grateful and hope to further develop my own skill and style. Painting with Fairfield County Plein Air Painters has given me added inspiration and opportunity to paint from life and nature. Read More Nobu Miki Nobu is a native of Tokyo, Japan. She never thought she would be an artist — she graduated with a degree in psychology from Waseda University in Tokyo and then went on to work for a major Japanese cosmetics company to do market research. While she is not classically trained, she always jokes that her psychology background helps her understand what people want to see in a painting. She first moved to the United States in 1994 when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with her family because of her husband's job. However, she soon fell in love with American Folk Art and started studying decorative painting, a style that makes heavy use of patterns and is painted mostly on wooden surfaces. She didn't speak English very well and had two young sons (1 and 5 years old) at the time, but her 75-year-old teacher Rachel Stephans took her under her wing, and they remained very close until Rachel's death 14 years later. After returning to Japan in 1996, she continued to teach decorative painting. She returned to the U.S. in 2000, this time to moving to South Bend, Indiana. Again, she studied decorative painting with local artists. She painted on tin, wood and furniture, among other things, and her works at the Country Sampler Store in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, made her one of the best-selling painters at the store. She gradually began to paint on canvases on the recommendation of a board member of the museum at the University of Notre Dame. She moved with her family to Darien, Connecticut, in 2003, where she established her art business and her unique Modern Folk Art style. Since then, Nobu has painted scenes of the New England countryside and the towns of Darien and New Canaan in Connecticut, and many of her paintings are in private and public collections. She has designed the cover of the Darien Parks & Recreation Department brochure 2008 -2016, and many local nonprofits have used her works to raise money at silent and live auctions. She has established herself as one of the most recognizable and beloved artists in Darien. Nobu has been commissioned by many to paint house portraits, and in addition, she has launched a line of dog portraits, inspired by her labradoodles, Princess Fiona and Freddie Picasso. She has taught at Darien senior center since 2015. She started a Montmartre, Paris inspired outdoor art event in 2015 and it has been one of the most popular annual art events in Darien. Nobu lunched a support group for minority women in Darien, Minority Voice in 2020 and started a diversity brainstorm zoom session “ Meet the artist-diversity talk” in 2021. Read More Pamela Abear A self-taught painter, Pamela Riley-Abear attended Tyler School of Fine Arts in Philadelphia as a metalsmith major and transferred to the University of New Hampshire to complete her studies in metalsmithing. In her teens, she studied under Harold Seroy, a portrait painter and early in her career Pam was a colourist for Marlene Siff, a wallpaper and linens designer in Westport, CT and then painted designs for a Wedgewood pattern designer, Veda Brock Turner in Connecticut. As a commissioned artist for the past 25 years Pam has created unique, large window paintings and murals for homes and offices, as well as house and pet portraits to include winning race horses for clients along the East Coast, Bermuda and England. She always is thinking about and finding new ways to approach the canvas with paint and perspectives creating new and different pieces which lead to more new ideas. Her painting mediums are acrylic and oil and she has won numerous awards for her paintings. Pam designed and painted the cow “Surf and Turf” for the Stamford Cow parade in 2000; an elephant called “Elephantasy” which graced the UBS Warburg’s lawn in 2003 and “In the Dog House” in Stamford’s Reigning Cats and Dogs in 2010. Since 2005 Pam have been working under the tutelage of two sculptors in New York; Ron Mineo and Mike Keropian. Clay has been my sculpture medium so far and she created pieces concerning the human figure in their life sculpture class and life size head portraits. She also likes to fit clay pieces together, creating a larger sculpture and using creative thinking to get it to all work. A particularly involved piece that required a bit of engineering to put together was a 5 foot lighthouse. Pam created eight pieces in clay that needed to fit together once fired and incorporated a piece from a wooden column that the eight pieces all worked around. From there she created a 3.5 foot high piece with two swirling otters in kelp and that has inspired her to step yet another direction with three abstract pieces concerning the sea. Its organic matter and creatures have influenced her greatly both in paintings and now in here sculpture. The undulations caused by the sea upon the kelp have her creating ribboning pieces in clay to mimic the motion. She pushed the clay to its limits in asking it to hold these shapes. She is challenging both herself and the clay. Pam has currently completed her first stone carvings and have found an excitement in the art of stone not yet found in clay. Stone has hidden veins and colours that come out as her shape the stone and often it makes you rethink the direction you originally were heading. It is a long and exhilarating process of bringing out the best in the stone. Read More Patricia Shean Many moons ago Patricia worked as the student photographer for her undergraduate college. Following several career changes, Patricia moved to Darien with her husband, David, and two wonderful daughters. She returned to the visual arts to study digital photography, then pursued drawing, watercolor and oil painting at The Silvermine School of Art, the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and The Florence Academy of Art. She is grateful for the opportunities to have studied with many talented instructor artists, especially Justin Weist, Dean Fisher, Josephine Robinson, Jesus Villarreal and Igor Naskalov. Read More Peter Kinseley Peter Kinseley won best in show at Rowayton Arts Center in 2015. Read More Rob Lokody ARTIST STATEMENT: “I prefer discovery over manipulation. To me, this way-of-seeing is especially expressive in Photography. While my other artistic pursuits often require measured constructs and conceits, the spontaneity of Photography lightens and liberates.” BIOGRAPHY: ReBeL remembers rambling around Mather Homestead as a boy, when Four Seasons Farm grew crops in the surrounding fields and horses grazed in the tall grass. ReBeL received his first photographic assignment in 1982, when an architectural firm hired him to capture iconic buildings such as New York’s Chrysler Building, World Trade Center, Morgan Library and Boston’s Prudential Center. As an international Creative Director, ReBeL produced work for such global icons as British Airways, Canon Cameras, Nokia, De Beers, Toyota and Dove Chocolates, among many others. ReBeL also directed several noteworthy commercials in Europe. As a Photographer, ReBeL has exhibited in both regional and national exhibitions. A one-man-show (postponed due to the pandemic) will be rescheduled in Budapest at the former Moroccan Embassy. Beyond Photography, ReBeL is an Author, Traveler (two dozen countries on six continents) and ardent nature lover. ReBeL rebels by respectfully serving the community and peacefully cultivating God’s garden. Read More Trudie Larrabee Trudie graduated from Williams College with a degree in Art History, preparing her for a lifetime appreciation of the artistic experience. As the muse, wife and business partner of the acclaimed photographer Ben Larrabee for over 30 years, she’s honed her creative abilities and developed a point of view that she expresses thru the iPhone. Read More Werner Liepolt My career as a painter is short. So is my statement. I respond to what’s happening and how it affects me. Both of my submissions reflect my mood and my relationship to Long Island Sound. My interests are grow from travel and staying put… the soil, trees, the sea and our relation to them… so whether I, painting a still life or a plein air landscape, whether I’m working oil water color, pastels, or oil, my goal is to capture fleeting beauty and communicate it. In addition to a life devoted to teaching, I have written several Off-Broadway play and scripts for movies, developed computer software, rescued numerous dogs, and enjoyed to exploits of the members of my family. Read More

Wildflower Garden < Back Christopher Cope Wildflower Garden Previous Next

Stephen Tyng Mather (1867-1930) Early Life (1867-1887) Stephen Tyng Mather, the great-grandson of Deacon Joseph Mather who built the Mather Homestead in 1778, was born on July 4, 1867 in Berkeley, California. He was named after the prominent New York Episcopal Minister, Stephen Tyng, who married his parents, Joseph W. Mather and Bertha Walker Mather, three years earlier in New York. Another son, Josie, was born in 1869. He passed at the age of 19 from spinal meningitis. Mather was educated at Boys' High School (now Lowell High School) in San Francisco, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1887. While Mather grew up in California, he spent summers at the Mather Homestead in Darien, CT and considered it his "true home." He loved the outdoors and spent much time both in California and Connecticut exploring. Mather was attracted to nature in part because he found it helpful in moderating the debilitating bouts of chronic depression from which he privately suffered, while presenting to the world as ever- charming, friendly and garrulous. The New York Sun (1887-1893) Mather worked as a journalist for the New York Sun for five years following his graduation from Berkeley in 1887. By family lore, he met Jane Thacker Floy of Elizabeth, New Jersey whose father did not think journalism was a suitable career for his daughter. Mather left journalism in 1893 and joined the Borax Company where his father worked. Jane Thacker Floy (1868-1944) Jane Thacker Floy was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on February 7, 1868. She and Stephen Mather were married in October 12, 1893 in New York City. She gave birth to one daughter, Bertha in 1906. Following her husband's death in 1930, she lived with her daughter's family at the Mather Homestead until her death. She passed on August 19, 1944 and is buried in the Mather Cemetery on Stephen Mather Road. 20 Mule Team Borax (1893-1914) After leaving the New York Sun in 1893, Mather joined the Pacific Coast Borax Company, where his father worked, in the New York office. In 1894, he moved with his new wife to Chicago, where he established a distribution center for the company. Mather proved to be a marketing genius and is credited with creating the slogan "20 Mule Team Borax" which propelled Borax to become a household name throughout the country. In 1898, Mather helped his friend, Thomas Thorkildsen, start another borax company. After suffering a severe episode of bipolar disorder in 1903 and having his salary withheld during extended sick leave, Mather resigned from Pacific Coast and joined Thorkildsen full-time in 1904. They named their firm the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company. Their company became prosperous, and they were millionaires by 1914. He then retired to pursue his interest - the National Parks. 1904 Trip to Europe Mather’s interest in national parks was influenced by a 1904 trip to Europe he took with his wife, Jane. Climbing the Swiss Alps and seeing how accessible they were to visitors inspired Mather to bring this model to park management in the United States. On his return, he became a dedicated conservationist, a friend and admirer of the influential John Muir, joined the Sierra Club, and climbed Mount Rainier. Through his activities in the Sierra Club, Mather made numerous allies who supported the creation of the National Park Service. In 1916, the Sierra Club made him an honorary vice-president. Note: vintage photo of the alps from "The Alps 1900. A Portrait in Color" published by Taschen. Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior - 1915 Mather traveled to Yosemite in 1914 and noticed the abysmal conditions of the park which were then managed by the US Army: bumpy, dangerous roads, inadequate lodging, cattle and sheep grazing and destroying pristine meadows, plus logging, hunting, mining and more. Mather wrote a letter to Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane, also from the University of Berkeley, espousing the deplorable conditions in the park. He received a letter back stating, "Dear Steve, If you don't like the way the parks are being run, come on down to Washington and run them yourself." And so he did. Mather went to Washington and became Assistant Secretary of the Interior in January 1915 and tirelessly made the case for the National Park Service. The Mather Mountain Party - 1915 In his first 12 months as special assistant for national park concerns to the Secretary of the Interior, Mather worked the corridors of Washington, D.C., traveled 30,000 miles and hosted one of the most spectacular lobbying sessions in American history. Nineteen politicians, businessmen, and scientists, along with the vice-president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the editor of National Geographic, the president of the American Museum of Natural History and a congressman, who later became the Speaker of the House, accepted Mather’s invitation for a two-week camping trip in July of 1915 through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Known as the Mather Mountain Party, the purpose of the trip was to lobby this captive audience to support the creation of the National Park Service. Mather paid for the entire trip, hiring touring cars, horses, mules, and providing everyone with the latest in camping comfort–an air mattress. He hired a cook to prepare gourmet meals served on white linen tablecloths with fine china in remote areas of the park. In addition to having a memorable experience, the members of the Mountain Party saw the poor conditions of the campsites, the barely passable roads, the vulnerability of the ancient Sequoia groves to logging interests, and how grazing cattle were decimating meadows. At the end of the trip, Mather said to the group: "I think the time has come … that I should confess why I wanted you to come along with me on this adventure–not only for your interesting company, but to hope you’d see the significance of these mountains in the whole picture of what we are trying to do. Hopefully you will take this message and spread it throughout the land in your own avenue and style." In the end, Mather’s charisma coupled with the amazing scenery of the Sierra Nevada mountains created a memorable trip that won everyone over. “If he was out to make a convert,” one participant said of Mather, “the subject never knew what hit him.” Back in Washington, D. C., the men from the Mather Mountain Party lobbied successfully to create the National Park Service. Director of the National Park Service On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, thereby creating the National Park Service. Mather was appointed its first director in May of 1917. During his tenure, and working closely with his assistant Horace Albright, Mather created a professional and highly respected organization to administer the parks, including a cadre of Park Rangers to oversee the parks and educate visitors. He expanded the parks, nearly doubling the land in the system to include some of the nation’s best-known natural wonders and landscapes such as Grand Canyon, Zion, Hawaii Volcanoes, Denali, Acadia, Hot Springs, and Shenandoah. Mather hired, with his own funds, Robert Sterling Yard, a former co-worker at The New York Sun and friend, to publicize the parks and promote American tourism. He initiated the development of lodges and campsites, as well as railroad access and new roadways to make the park lands accessible. He even contributed generously to the parks from his personal fortune. Mather was firm in preventing private development in the parks that would mar their natural beauty. He built public appreciation for preserving and publicized the nation’s natural beauty and history. MORE about Stephen Mather and the history of the National Parks. The Mather Homestead (1906-1930) In 1906, Mather became the sole owner of the house and 22 acres following the passing of his father, Joseph Wakeman Mather, in 1905. He immediately made changes to the house, giving the house a more Colonial Revival appearance, building a barn, a cottage for a gardener, and in 1909, establishing a sunken garden designed by Walter Burleigh Griffin who went on to design Canberra, Australia's new capital city. In 1927, Mather nearly doubled the size of the house using architect Thomas Harlan Elliott. He added a porch to the side of the house and a two-story addition to the rear included a modern kitchen with bedrooms upstairs, and the portico over the main entrance was renovated. The interior of the house retained its original character and finishes during these renovations except for the old kitchen ("keeping room"), which was converted into a living room. Death and Legacy Stephen Mather suffered a heart attack in 1927, ten years after he became director of the NPS. A month later, he was mountain climbing and back at his desk maintaining his frantic work schedule. One year later, he suffered a massive stroke that left him incapacitated, forcing him to retire. He died on January 22, 1930 and is buried in the family cemetery on Stephen Mather Road in Darien. He left behind a huge legacy. Stephen Mather recognized the need for and met the challenge of creating a National Park system. He expanded the park lands and created the first parks in the East (Shenandoah and Acadia). He established professionals to manage the parks - the National Park Rangers who are among the most respected professionals in our country. He prevented industries from destroying park resources for their own gain. Most importantly, he welcomed Americans to the parks and encouraged them to experience the natural wonders of their country. His life is well summarized — on a series of bronze markers which were posthumously cast in his honor and distributed through many 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. There will never come an end to the good he has done . . ." Stephen Tyng Mather Photo Gallery stephenhorse IMG_4211 scan0001_Page_01 stephenhorse 1/52 The Ted Mack Radio Hour! A record player with a single vinyl record was found in the Mather Homestead cabinet -- the record includes 2 1/2 minutes honoring Stephen Mather from the 1951 Ted Mack Hour. Take a listen! Donn's blog tells more. 1951-06-04 Stephen Mather Tribute, ETC Side A copy Artist Name 00:00 / 02:40 Just for fun: VINTAGE BORAX ADS The National Parks: America's Best Idea The National Parks: America's Best Idea is a 2009 six-episode series produced by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan and written by Dayton Duncan. Episode 3: The Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919) pays tribute Stephen Mather. Available on amazon prime video.