Roseland Cottage

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Roseland Cottage was originally built in 1846 as the summer home of Henry Chandler Bowen and is now open to the public as a museum. Bowen had been a successful merchant in New York and during his time in New England, he supported the abolition of slavery and the formation of the Republican Party. Bowen was a Congregationalist and teetotaler, but his opposition to alcohol did not prevent him from hosting social events such as his famous Fourth of July parties that occurred at this mansion and included guests such as President Ulysses S. Grant. The house was built in the Gothic Revival style and the grounds were designed based on the work of influential horticulturalist Andrew Jackson Denning.

Images

A view of a bedroom. The walls are painted a bright yellow. Furniture includes two white wrought-iron beds, an oak dresser with attached mirror, and a floral-patterned sofa.

A shot of the dining room. The large, oval-shaped table is surrounded by six wooden chairs and covered with a white linen tablecloth. The table is set with red and white plates, and a fruit bowl serves as the centerpiece.

An exterior view of Roseland Cottage and its garden. Circular hedges surround a garden of purple flowers. In the background, the red Roseland Cottage is visible.

An exterior view of Roseland Cottage and its garden. Circular hedges surround a garden of multicolored flowers. In the background, the red Roseland Cottage is visible.

Building, Stairs, Interior design, Amber

Table, Furniture, Property, Picture frame

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Roseland Cottage, now open to the public as a museum, was originally built in 1846 as the summer home of Henry Chandler Bowen. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The interior of the house has remained largely unchanged since the Victorian era, featuring elaborate wall decorations, patterned carpets, furniture typical of the time, and beautiful stained glass features. Exterior buildings include an icehouse, aviary, carriage barn, and the nation’s oldest surviving indoor bowling alley. The grounds are also home to one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens, featuring original boxwood-edged parterre gardens planted in the 1850s.

Sources

Roseland Cottage, Historic New England. Accessed March 4th 2021. https://www.historicnewengland.org/property/roseland-cottage/.

Roseland Cottage, Connecticut's Historic Gardens. Accessed March 4th 2021. https://www.cthistoricgardens.org/roseland-cottage.

Connecticut SP Bowen, Henry C., House, National Archives Catalog. Accessed March 4th 2021. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/132356075.

Roseland Cottage (1846), Historic Buildings of Connecticut. Accessed March 4th 2021. https://historicbuildingsct.com/roseland-cottage-1846/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/capobject/?refd=PC006.ROS.02.BOW00011

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g33992-d1520960-i215916866-Roseland_Cottage-Woodstock_Mystic_Country_Connecticut.html

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jK2Dj7r8bKc/WyQI7taJbRI/AAAAAAABqno/Th31p56vy6EYwsO-bS3j1MqrelMM3_H5ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4733.JPG

Additional Information