Historic House Museums in Connecticut

We try to keep this list of historic house museums for Connecticut current, but it is best to check directly with the museums for their hours and other information. If you know of a historic house museum in Connecticut that should be listed here, please use our submission form to let us know about it.

Branford

Harrison House

The 1724 house has a huge hall fireplace, and original furnishings. A barn houses vintage farm implements.

Open Fri & Sat, 2:00-5:00 p.m. or by appointment. • 124 Main St. • (203) 488-4828

Canterbury

The Prudence Crandall Museum

The 1805 Federal style house was an academy for young black women from 1833-1834.

Open Wed-Sun 10-4:30 part of the year • on the Canterbury Green at SRs 14 & 169 • (860) 546-9916

Clinton

John A. Stanton Memorial

The 1789 house features Colonial furnishings and local historical items.

Sat. and Sun. 11-2, and by appt. Jul-Aug • 63 E. Main St. • (860) 669-2132

Coventry

Nathan Hale Homestead

State hero Capt. Nathan Hale was born on this farm in 1755. The family rebuilt the house in 1776, the same year Hale was captured by the British and hanged as a spy.

Open daily 1-5, mid-May to mid-Oct • 4 miles south of SR 44 on South St. • (860) 742-6917

Danbury

Danbury Museum and Historical Society

The museum consists of the 1785 Rider House which contains period furnishings; textile and historical exhibits, the 1790 Dodd Hat Shop; a library; and changing exhibits in Huntington Hall.

Open Wed-Sun 2-5 • 43 Main St. • (203) 743-5200

Derby

Osborne Homestead Museum

The estate of Frances Osborne Kellogg features the early 1800 Colonial Revival residence, formal, rock and rose gardens and the Kellogg Environmental Center.

Open Sat-Sun 10-3:30, Tue & Thu 10-2, May 1 to mid-Dec; grounds open daily 8-4 • in Osbornedale State Park • (203) 734-2513

East Haddam

Gillette Castle State Park

The park was the former estate of William Gillette, the American actor and playwright who was renowned for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. The castle was built in 1914-19 and is patterned after medieval castles in Germany. 19 of the 24 rooms are open to the public.

Open daily 10-5, Memorial Day to Columbus Day; Sat-Sun 10-4 Columbus Day to Nov 19; Fri-Sun 10-4 day after Thanksgiving to Dec 17 • 2.5 miles south off SR 82, then 1.75 miles west • (860) 526-2336

East Lyme

Thomas Lee House

The Thomas Lee House, c.1660, is one of the oldest wood frame houses in Connecticut in its primitive state. The original dwelling consisted of a timber frame erected on six 2-story wall posts, with the Judgement Hall below and the Chamber above. A steeply pitched roof covered a spacious attic over the chamber. A small stone walled cellar pit under part of the hall was reached through a trap door. A massive fireplace with timber lintel spanned most of the west wall. Around 1700 the West Parlor and West Chamber were added as a free standing structure framed on its own four corner posts. About 1765 , the lean-to with the Kitchen and its adjoining rooms were added. The West Parlor was plastered, the summer beam and chimney girt were sheathed, and the paneling formerly on the plastered walls was reused in the lean-to. New paneling, with four flute pilasters was added on the fireplace wall. Today the house is maintained and furnished as it would have been in the 18th century.

Open Tue-Sun 1-4, Jun to Labor Day • 228 West Main Street • (860) 739-6070

Farmington

Hill-Stead Museum

The 1900 Colonial Revival home was built by Theodate Pope, one of the first female architects in the country. The home contains her fathers art collection that includes works by Degas, Monet, and Whistler.

Open Tue-Sun 10-5, May-Oct; 11-4 rest of the year • 35 Mountain Rd. • (860) 677-4787

Stanley-Whitman House

Built in the early 18th century, the house is a well preserved example of the framed overhang style with pendants. Furnished in period, the house also features flower and herb gardens.

Open Wed-Sun 12-4, May-Oct; Sun 12-4, Mar-Apr & Nov-Dec • 37 High St. • (860) 677-9222

Greenwich

Putnam Cottage

Gen. Israel Putnam used the cottage to escape the British in 1779.

open Sun 1-4 and by appointment • 243 E. Putnam Ave. • (203) 869-9697

Guilford

Henry Whitfield State Museum

Said to be the oldest building in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England, the 1639 home was restored in the 1930s.

Open Wed-Sun 10-4:30, Feb 1 to Dec 14 • off Whitfield St. • (203) 453-2457

Hyland House

An example of early saltbox construction, the 1660 house is furnished with period pieces and accessories.

Open Tue-Sun 10-4:30 early Jun - Labor Day; Sat-Sun 10-4:30 Labor Day to Columbus Day • 84 Boston St. • (203) 453-9477

Thomas Griswold House Museum

A classic Colonial saltbox built in 1774. The home is furnished to represent the early 1800s.

Open Tue-Sun 11-4 mid-Jun to Labor Day; Sat-Sun 11-4, Oct 4 to Columbus Day • 171 Boston St. • (203) 453-3176

Hartford

Butler-McCook Homestead

The 1782 home contains a collection of original furnishings from the 18th and 19th centuries. A restored Victorian garden is behind the home.

Open Tue, Thu, & Sun 12-4, mid-May to mid-Oct • 396 Main St. • (860) 522-1806

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

The restored home contains items belonging to the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Open Mon-Sat 9:30-4, Sun 12-4, Jun 1 - Columbus Day and in Dec; Tue-Sat 9:30-4, Sun 12-4 rest of the year • 73 Forest St. • (860)525-9317

Mark Twain House

Built in 1873-74, the unusual 19 room Victorian Gothic home was occupied by the author for 17 years. The mansion features designs by Tiffany, as well as elaborate stencil work and carved woodwork.

See their web site for hours, phone and directions

Lebanon

Jonathan Trumbull House

The 1735 house has a number of unusual design features and is furnished in period. Also featured is the William Beaumont House, containing displays of surgical instruments.

Trumbull House open Tue-Sat 1-5 mid-May to mid Oct; Beaumont House open Sat 1-5 • on Lebanon Green • (860) 642-7558

Litchfield

Tapping Reeve House & Law School

The 1774 house contains furniture and other items dating from 1750 to 1825.

Open Tue-Sat 11-5, Sun 1-5, May-Oct • South St. • (860) 567-4501

Topsmead State Forest

Once the estate of Edith Morton Chase, the 511 acre forest contains her English Tudor style cottage which is furnished with 17th and 18th century antiques.

Open Sat-Sun 12-5, 2nd & 4th weekend of the month, Jun-Oct • 2 miles east on SR 118, east on E. Litchfield Rd., then south on Buell Rd. • (860) 567-5694

Middletown

Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate

Built in 1900 for Colonel Wadsworth

Open for rentals • 421 Wadsworth St. • (860) 347-1064

Moodus

Amasa Day House

Built in 1816, the home features its original stenciled floors and is furnished with three generations of Day family heirlooms.

Open Fri-Sun 1-4, Jul-Aug; Sat-Sun 1-4, Sep to Columbus Day and in Jun • jct of SRs 149 & 151 • (860) 873-8144

New Canaan

New Canaan Historical Society

The society has 5 buildings open including the 1764 Hanford-Silliman House Museum, and the Town House which contains a costume museum.

Town House open Tue-Sat 9:30-12:30 & 2-4:30. Other buildings open Wed-Thu & Sun 2-4 • 2.5 miles north of Merritt Pkwy. exit 37 at SR 124 • (203) 966-1776

New Haven

Pardee Morris House

the New Haven Museum and Historical Society which owns the houseÝhas closed the building until further notice.Ý The home needs significant restoration work and NHMHS is trying to determine the best future for the building.Ý People are welcome to drive by and see the house from the street.

Close until further notice • 325 Lighthouse Rd. • (203) 562-4183

New London

Joshua Hempsted House and Nathaniel Hempsted House

Built in 1678 and 1759, both houses survived the burning of New London by the British.

Open Thu-Sun 12-5, May 15 - Oct 15 • 11 Hempstead St. • (860) 443-7949

Monte Cristo Cottage

The boyhood home of dramatist Eugene O'neill, the cottage was the setting for the play "Long Day's Journey into Night."

Open Tue-Sun 10-5, Memorial Day to Labor Day • 325 Pequot Ave. • (860) 443-0051

Shaw-Perkins Mansion

Dating from 1756, the home of shipowner Capt. Nataniel Shaw Jr. displays exhibits of antique furniture, silver, china and family portraits.

Wed - Fri 1-4pm, Sat 10am - 4pm • 305 Bank St. • (860) 443-1209

Norwalk

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

Built by Civil War financier LeGrand Lockwood, the partially restored 50 room mansion contains stenciled walls, inlaid woodwork and a skylight rotunda.

Open mid March through December : Wednesday - Sunday, noon to 4:00 pm with tours at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 • 295 West Ave. • (860) 838-9799

Norwich

Christopher Leffingwell House Museum

This 1665 building had been restored and is furnished with 17th and 18th century pieces.

Open Tue-Sat 10-12 & 2-4, Sun 2-4, mid-May to mid-Oct; by appt rest of the year • 348 Washington St. • (860) 889-9440

Old Lyme

Florence Griswold Museum

The Florence Griswold Museum is a unique destination combining art, history, and nature on eleven acres along the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, CT. Known as the Home of American Impressionism, the site is recognized for its role in American art history as the place where the artists of the Lyme Art Colony lived and worked. Visitors to the site immediately appreciate its appeal to the artists who once stayed at Miss Florence?s boardinghouse. In addition to the 1817 Griswold House, this National Historic Landmark features a riverfront art gallery with changing exhibitions, education center, historic gardens, and a restored artist studio.

Open Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5 • 96 Lyme St. • (860) 434-5542

Lyme Academy of Fine Arts

Located in the 1817 Sill House, two galleries feature the work of local artists.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4 • 84 Lyme St. • (860) 434-5232

Old Saybrook

The General William Hart House

A typical residence of the well to do New Englanders in the 1770s.

Open Fri-Sun 1-4, Memorial Day-Labor Day • 350 Main St. • (860) 388-2622

Orange

Stone-Otis House

An 1830's restored homestead with general store and blacksmith shop.

Open Sundays • 615 Orange Center Road. • (203) 795-3106

Scotland

The Huntington Homestead

he birthplace of Samuel Huntington, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a distinguished statesman during the Revolutionary War and early Republic. The remarkably well-preserved site includes an eighteenth century house on its original foundation surrounded by acres of farmland, bordered by Merrick Brook. It includes old-growth trees, stone walls, an abandoned road, and other interesting features.

Open first and third Sat of each month, May-Oct • 36 Huntington Road (Route 14) • (860) 456-8381

Southington

Barnes Museum

Displays of historic diaries, photographs, periodicals, clothing and other items are featured in this house. Framed in solid oak, the house features finely crafted woodwork, stairways, and fireplaces.

Open Mon-Fri 9-3 • 85 N. Main St. • (860) 628-5426

Stamford

Hoyt Barnum House

Description

Open By Appointment • 713 Bedford St • (203) 329-1183

Stratford

Boothe Memorial Park and Museum

The Boothe family resided on this 32 acre estate from 1663 to 1949. Ten of the 20 historic buildings have been restored.

Open Tue-Fri 11-1, Sat-Sun 1-4, Jun-Oct • on Main St. • (203) 381-2046

Judson House and Museum

The house is a good example of the clapboard sheathed post and beam construction that was typical of 18th century New England. It is furnished in period.

Open Wed, Sat & Sun 11-4, mid-Apr to Oct 31 • 967 Academy Hill • (203) 378-0630

Simsbury

The Phelps Tavern Museum & Homestead

Period rooms and interactive galleries interpret the use of the historic Capt. Elisha Phelps House as a tavern and inn from 1786 to 1849.

See their web site for more details. • 800 Hopmeadow Street • (860) 658-2500

Suffield

Hatheway House

The original portion of this house was built in 1761, while the north wing was added in 1794. One room contains four French hand blocked wallpapers of the 1790s.

Open Wed-Sun 1-4 Jul-Aug; Wed, Sat & Sun 1-4, mid-May to Jun 30 and Sep 1 to mid-Oct • 55 S. Main St. • (860) 668-0055

Torrington

The Hotchkiss-Fyler House

The 18 room Victorian mansion contains family furnishings, glassware, porcelain, Oriental carpets, elaborate woodwork and restored wall stenciling.

Open Mon-Fri 9-4, Sat 10-3, Apr-Dec • 192 Main St. • (860) 482-8260

Washington

Gunn Memorial Library & Museum

Typical of the central hall design, the Simeon-Mitchell House was built in 1781. The house features exhibits on local history, furniture, clothing, tools, rare books and more.

Open Thu-Sun 12-4 • Wykeham Rd. & SR 47 • (860) 868-7756

West Hartford

Noah Webster House

The 1758 birthplace of lexicographer Noah Webster is a restored farmhouse. The house and adjoining museum contain period furnishings.

Open Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10-4, Sat-Sun 1-4, Jul-Aug; Thu-Tue 1-4 rest of year • 227 S. Main St. • (860) 521-5362

Wethersfield

Buttolph-Williams House

Built around the turn of the 18th century, the hewn overhang and small casement windows give it a medieval appearance. Furnished in period.

Open Wed-Mon 10-4 May-Oct • Broad & Marsh Sts. • (860) 529-0460 or 247-8996

Hurlbut-Dunham House

Built in 1804 and renovated in the Italianate style in 1860, the house is furnished in period.

Open Thu-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4 May 20-Dec 31 • 212 Main St. • (203) 529-7656

Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum

The museum is comprised of three restored 18th century homes on their original sites and furnished in period.

Guided tours on the hour Wed-Mon 10-4 May-Oct; Sat-Sun 10-4 rest of the year • 211 Main St. • (860) 529-0612

Windsor

Windsor Historical Society Museum

The John and Sarah Strong House and the 1765 Dr. Hezekiah Chaffe House have changing exhibits.

Open Tue-Sat 10-4, closed major holidays • 96 Palisado Ave. • (860) 688-3813

Huntington House Museum

The 5,500 square-foot house is an example of neo-classical revival architecture and was modeled after a Newport, RI mansion. It includes breathtaking leaded glass, 12-foot ceilings, and spectacular staircases, woodwork, china cabinets, built-ins and marble.

Will be opening Sept. 2001 • 289 Broad Street • (860) 688-2004

Woodbury

Glebe House & The Gertrude Jekyll Garden

The house has regional period furnishings and is surrounded by gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll.

Open Wed-Sun 1-4, Apr-Oct, weekends in Nov • Hollow Rd. • (203) 263-2855

Woodstock

Roseland Cottage

This Gothic Revival house was built in 1846 for Henry Chandler Bowen. It contains much of its original furniture and features one of New England's oldest known boxwood parterre gardens. A barn includes one of the oldest bowling alleys in the country.

Open Wed-Sun 12-5, Memorial Day to Labor Day; Fri-Sun 12-5 Labor Day to mid-Oct • facing Woodstock Common • (860) 928-4074