Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden

The Phelps-Hatheway House is a unique museum offering visitors a chance to engage with the lives and misfortunes of two former owners, Shem Burbank and Oliver Phelps. Burbank built the original portion of the house in 1761, where he and his wife, Anna Fitch Burbank, raised their nine children. Burbank, a merchant of British goods, suffered financially during the American Revolution, and in 1788 was forced to sell the house.

Oliver Phelps, who had served as Deputy Commissioner under George Washington, purchased the home. Following the war, Phelps became a successful land speculator. Phelps added on to the original house in 1794. However, Phelps was forced to foreclose on the home in 1802 due to a real estate depression. The Hatheway family owned the home from the early 1800s until 1914.

The property was donated to the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society in 1956.

Today, the museum houses a range of eighteenth-century antiques, while the grounds are home to one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens. 

Phelps-Hatheway House and Gardens, Connecticut's Historic Gardens. Accessed March 3rd 2021. https://www.cthistoricgardens.org/phelps-hatheway-house-garden.

Phelps-Hatheway House and Gardens, Connecticut Landmarks. Accessed March 3rd 2021. https://ctlandmarks.org/properties/phelps-hatheway-house-garden-2/.