LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MATHER HOMESTEAD Stories from the Attic Docent and Archivist Donn Smith has been busy poking around the attic of the Mather Homestead and he's found treasures abound! Check out his blogs which tell the stories of artifacts from six generations of Mathers including a bible from 1743, a girl's dress from the 1860's, Stephen Mather's camera, a love letter written by Stephen Mather to his wife and more! BLOG Educ ational Resources We have many sources for more information about the Mather Homestead and the life and legacy of Stephen Mather. MORE

Back by popular demand, the Con Fuoco String Quartet returned to the Homestead. These accomplished young musicians, Ari Matsushita, Kay McIlhenny, Josh Bustamente and Ami Matsushita will perform an hour long program including Mendelssohn's Quartet Op. 81, Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 2, and Vivaldi's Spring. < Back Con Fuoco String Quartet - May 23, 2021 Back by popular demand, the Con Fuoco String Quartet returned to the Homestead. These accomplished young musicians, Ari Matsushita, Kay McIlhenny, Josh Bustamente and Ami Matsushita will perform an hour long program including Mendelssohn's Quartet Op. 81, Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 2, and Vivaldi's Spring. Previous Next

Built in 1927, the cottage built here was replaced by a guest house in 1936, which still stands today. < Back The Cottage Listen to Audio Tour for this location: 00:00 / 00:31 Built in 1927, the cottage built here was replaced by a guest house in 1936, which still stands today. Image Gallery A photo of the cottage today A photo of the cottage in 1974 Site Description The cottage was first built in 1927 as a gardener’s cottage. In 1936, Bertha Mather replaced it with a guest house, built on the former building’s foundation. According to Jane Nickerson, Bertha’s daughter, the guest house was occupied by various family members whose stays varied in duration from short-term to long-term. Please proceed to Site #5: The Field - just down the driveway towards the red barn. Previous Next

The Mather Homestead was home of Stephen Tyng Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service. His impact on the National Park System is forever captured on bronze plaques across the nation: "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." LEARN ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARKS Acadia Yellowstone Grand Teton Grand Canyon Sequoia Big Bend Biscayne Arches Canyonlands Capitol Reef Bryce Canyon Zion Congaree Great Smoky Mountains Hot Springs Gateway Arch Mammoth Cave New River Gorge Shenandoah Cuyahoga Valley Indiana Dunes Isle Royale Voyageurs Theodore Roosevelt Badlands Wind Cave Glacier Rocky Mountain Black Canyon of the Gunnison Great Sand Dunes Mesa Verde White Sands Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Petrified Forest North Cascades Olympic Mount Rainier Crater Lake Great Basin Redwoods Lassen Volcanic Yosemite Pinnacles Kings Canyon Death Valley Channel Islands Joshua Tree Saguaro Haleakala Hawaii Volcanoes American Samoa Gates of the Arctic Kobuk Valley Denali Wrangell-St. Elias Glacier Bay Kenai Fjords Lake Clark Katmai Everglades Dry Tortugas U.S. Virgin Islands Learn about Stephen Mather

The Mather Homestead will produce a video - The Mather Family: An American Legacy which tells the compelling story of the Mather family juxtaposed against the dynamic timeline of American and Connecticut history, illustrating how individuals and ideas can shape a nation. THE MATHER LEGACY: AN AMERICAN STORY The Mather Homestead Foundation will produce a 15-minute film chronicling the 400-year legacy of the Mather family to coincide with America’s 250th celebration. The Mather Legacy: An American Story tells the compelling story of the Mather family juxtaposed against the dynamic timeline of American and Connecticut history, bringing to life how individuals and ideas can shape a nation. Gives viewers a personal passport into our nation's & our state's amazing past. Will serve as an essential educational tool for Connecticut American history classes in the 8th and 11 grades - with an accompanying on-line teacher’s guide and curriculum. And also will be made available to all the Connecticut libraries and history museums. CBS News’ Scott Pelley will be the narrator. Will be premiered in late June 2026 at the Darien Public Library. Let’s Make History Together! Please give. HELP US MAKE HISTORY!

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

Annual gifts provide for the ongoing preservation and maintenance of The Mather Homestead and property, educational programming, tours and administrative expenses. Your gifts are much appreciated! See more information on the Challenge Grant and joining the Mather Homestead Society here. Preserve. We celebrate our storied and unique history ... home to seven generations of a bold American family, raided by Tories during the Revolutionary War, and later owned by Stephen Tyng Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service. Educate. We enrich our community by "B ringing History to Life" for all ages through lectures, tours, book clubs, reenactments, family fun events, field trips, workshops, and more. Inspire. Together, we are securing the future of Darien’s only Registered National Historic Landmark and ensuring that future generations share our passion for history, preservation, education, and stewardship. The Mather Homestead Foundation relies on contributions from our Mather friends who recognize the importance of the Mather Homestead in our local and national history and are dedicated to the preservation of the 1778 home and surrounding seven acres of property as a place for historical education. We hope you will remain a dedicated supporter for years to come and appreciate all gifts. Donations support the following: Preservation, maintenance & restoration of the 1778 house, grounds and other buildings. Master planning projects to enhance our historic property and create a more visitor-friendly experience. Educational programming which "brings history to life" including lectures, tours, kids events and more. Continual research of artifacts in our collection to develop new exhibitions and programs. Oversight of the Mather Homestead Foundation. * Donors contributing $150 or more will automatically become members of the Mather Homestead. BENEFITS Please consider joining the Mather Homestead 1778 Society of donors giving $5,000 and above to the annual fund! The 1778 Society is a community of our most dedicated supporters who value the significance of preserving this R egistered National Historic Landmark and supporting our educational programs. In appreciation for their commitment and philanthropy, 1778 Society donors will be invited to special events and programs throughout the year. Please use form to make your gift via credit card. Alternatively, checks, made out to "The Mather Homestead Foundation" (please remember "Foundation"!) may be mailed to: The Mather Homestead Foundation PO Box 1054 Darien, Connecticut 06820 THANK YOU! The Mather Homestead Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Tax ID number 47-5555968. Your gift to the Mather Homestead is considered tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Planned Giving We encourage donors to consider the Mather Homestead in their estate plans in order to help secure the future of the Mather Homestead. We welcome planned gifts large and small and appreciate your consideration of this treasured historic landmark. For questions, please reach out to Heather Raker at 203-202-7602 or heatherraker@matherhomestead.org .

The Mather Homestead includes many pieces which are original to the home (late 18th century), pieces acquired over the centuries, and many pieces collected by Bertha Mather McPherson during the 20th century which are from the Revolutionary War period.   THE MATHER HOMESTEAD COLLECTION The Mather Homestead includes many pieces which are original to the home (late 18th century), pieces acquired over the centuries, and many pieces collected by Bertha Mather McPherson during the 20th century which are from the Revolutionary War period. View the collection

Our fifth annual Fall Harvest Festival will welcome families for hay rides, petting zoo, crafts, apple bobbing, pumpkin decorating and more! SEVENTH FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL October 25, 2025 It was a beautiful day for our seventh annual Fall Harvest Festival, which featured pony and hay rides, crafts, apple bobbing, live music featuring Parkway Ramblers and more, Plus a visit from the Noroton Fire truck! Thank you to BMW of Darien, the King School, the Goddard School, Kumon, Rolleri Sheppard Accountants and Darlene Meier of Houlihan Lawrence for your support of this event! Photos by Conner Day SIXTH FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL October 26, 2024 It was a beautiful day for our sixth annual Fall Harvest Festival which featured pony and hay rides, crafts, apple bobbing, live music featuring Parkway Ramblers and more, Plus a visit from the Noroton Fire truck and GEORGE WASHINGTON! Thank you to BMW of Darien, the King School, Rolleri Sheppard Accountants and Darlene Meier of Houlihan Lawrence for your support of this event! FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL October 21, 2023 The rain did not keep families from coming out for our annual fall harvest festival featuring petting zoo, face painting, pumpkin patch, crafts, fire truck rides (replacing hay rides due to rain) and ... this year .... Revolutionary War reenactors! Pictures by Alicia Andriopoulos, Pixsoul Photography. Thank you to our Sponsors below!! FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL October 22, 2022 It was a beautiful day for our fourth Fall Harvest Festival featuring petting zoo, crafts, live music, face painting and, for the first time, hay rides! Pictures by Katharine Calderwood. FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL November 2, 2019 Our third annual Fall Harvest Festival! Thank you to our volunteer committee! FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL November 3, 2018 Our second annual Fall Harvest Festival. FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL November 4 , 2017 Our first annual Fall Harvest Festival celebrated the brand new Mather Homestead Foundation, created to celebrate the history of the Mather Homestead and to bring history to life! Other Family Fun Events

SUPPORT THE MATHER HOMESTEAD AND WIN GREAT PRIZES! We invite you to support the Mat her Homestead's property beautification and preservation projects by buying raffle tickets for great prizes! When you check in to the Garden Tea, you will choose which packages to enter your raffle t ickets. If you will not be present at the tea, you can indicate the prizes below. Buy more tickets and more chances to win! Prize packages below. The Mather Homestead Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization funded by generous donors and fundraising events. Please be generous! PAY VIA CC BELOW OR VENMO: @mather-homestead-foundation last 4 digits x9649 THANK YOU!

Our lectures explore a variety of topics and a variety of formats. Some of our lectures are traditional lecture format, while others involve a bit of hands on learning (e.g., honey tasting). A list of all past Mather Homestead lectures can be found here. Past Lectures Laurence Jurdem - January 21, 2024 The Rough Rider and the Professor Photos Brown Bag Lecture featuring Past Presented - November 9, 2023 Connecticut During the American Revolutionary War Photos Witches in Connecticut - October 25, 2023 Witches in Connecticut! Photos Mattie Kahn & Reena Ninan - October 3, 2023 Young and Restless Photos Brown Bag Lecture - Cloak and Dagger: The Revolution's Secret War! Local Revolutionary War buff, Eric Chandler, educated our audience about the Spies of the Revolutionary War! Photos Connecticut's Historical Gardens - May 17, 2023 Connecticut's Historical Gardens Photos Artscapes - April 19, 2023 American Impressionism Photos Dean King - April 18, 2023 at the Darien Library Guardian's of the Valley: John muir Photos Brown Bag Lunch: Women in the American Revolution - March 10, 2023 Brown Bag Lecture: Women in the American Revolution - putting the "her" in heroics! Photos An Evening at the Mather Tavern - Feb 16, 2023 Tavern Food + Tavern Drink + Tavern History + Tavern Games = Tavern Fun! Photos Keith Simpson - Feb. 8, 2023 Lecture featuring Keith Simpson: Our Changing Landscape over 400 years Photos ArtScapes Robin Hoffman - Jan. 18, 2023 American Vistas - from the Hudson River School to the National Parks Photos Jonathan Waterman - November 16, 2022 A Journey through the National Parks Photos Plum Plums - November 10, 2022 American Farmstead Cheese & Wine Education with Plum Plums Cheese Photos Dayton Duncan - September 11, 2022 The National Parks: America's Best Idea Photos Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III - June 23, 2022 Great Camp Sagamore and the Rustic Movement, plus stories of the Vanderbilt Family Photos Catie Marron - May 26, 2022 Becoming a Gardener: What Reading and Digging Taught Me about Living Photos Queen Bee Marina Marchese - April 28, 2022 Honey tasting with the Queen Bee Photos Dennis Drabelle - April 14, 2022 The Power of Scenery, online discussion - April 14, 2021 Photos Jonathan Olmsted - March 30, 2022 Celebrating 200 Years of Frederick Law Olmsted Photos Thomas Wickman - January 26, 2022 Winter's Past and Winter's Future Photos Akhil Reed Amar - November 10, 2021 The Words that Made Us Photos Steven Beissinger - October 7, 2021 Stephen Mather and the National Parks Photos Victoria Johnson - June 2, 2021 American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic Photos Load More

< Back American Poetry with Samantha Gault Weds., Feb. 16, 7 pm We will discuss love poems! Previous Next