Edward inherited a massive fortune from his father, Stephen, who was a silent partner in the Standard Oil Corporation, which was owned by John D. Rockefeller. It is estimated that Edward and Mary donated $2 billion in today's dollars to numerous charities and organizations including Connecticut College and Yale University.&nbsp;After Edward passed away in 1950, Mary inherited the estate. She died in 1952 and stated in her will that she wanted the estate to be bequeathed&nbsp;to the State of Connecticut, which decided to convert it into a state park.&nbsp;

Visitors can take tours inside the building.

The mansion is available to rent for weddings and other events.

Eolia was built in 1907 for Edward and Mary Harkness. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the mansion and the surrounding grounds constitute Harkness State Park.

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Harkness Memorial State Park was once a large estate owned by wealthy philanthropists Edward and Mary Harkness. Its centerpiece is their large mansion called Eolia, which features 42 rooms and formal gardens. Named after the island home of the Greek god of winds, it was constructed in 1907 in the Classical Revival style and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Edward and Mary lived here during the summer and operated it as a working farm. Visitors can tour the mansion, stroll in the gardens, go fishing, have picknicks, and walk on the various paths in the park. A portion of the park is a natural preserve area. For those interested, the mansion is available to rent for weddings and other events.

Harkness Memorial State Park

Formed in 2004, Connecticut's Historic Gardens hopes to bring recognition to various historic gardens and historic homes throughout the state.

Connecticut's Historic Gardens Driving Tour

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.

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. 

Roseland Cottage

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 &amp; 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.

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 and Phelps both lived in the area and this house around the same time, but due to their views on the American Revolution, they experienced life very differently. The museum houses a range of eighteenth-century antiques, while the grounds are home to one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens. 

Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden

Harriet Beecher was born June 14, 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut. One of eleven siblings, she showed early literary interest and took part in lively debates with her siblings. She received formal education at Sarah Pierce's Academy. Later, Harriet would study and eventually teach at the Hartford Female Seminary, founded by her sister, Catherine. At age 21, Harriet Beecher moved with her family to Cincinnati, Ohio as her father had been appointed President of Lane Theological Seminary. Here, she met and married Professor Calvin Stowe. In her adult life, Beecher Stowe would spend time living in Maine and Florida, before settling in Hartford, Connecticut. Although she is most well known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe wrote thirty novels in her lifetime, along with several short stories, poems, and songs. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is a "nontraditional" museum, where visitors are encouraged to interact with their tour guides. The Center also offers a virtual 40-minute program for school groups.

This National Historic Landmark was the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, for the last 23 years of her life. 

The house is part of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center which preserves the house and center's collections. The research library includes letters and documents from the family. The house includes original items from the family. In addition to the Stowe House, the historic site includes an 1873 carriage house (the visitor's center) and the Katharine Seymour Day House (1884).

Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Center, Hartford

Built in 1782, the Butler-McCook House is the last eighteenth-century home remaining on Hartford's Main Street. The historic home's exterior looks very similar to its original design. The Butlers and McCooks documented the growth of Main Street from the days of the American Revolution until the mid-twentieth century, making the house the perfect spot for a museum; the home now houses Hartford's Main Street History Center and is available for tours by advance reservation. The Butler-McCook House is also home to a restored Victorian ornamental garden, which was originally designed in 1865. The property is also available to rent. The Hartford Public Library offers an additional opportunity to explore the history of Main Street, as its History Center which is located on the library's third floor offers a self-guided exhibit, "Witnesses of Main Street," and a guided tour that focuses on the Butler-McClure family during the 19th century.

Built in 1782, the Butler-McCook House is the last eighteenth-century home remaining on Hartford's Main Street.  The historic home's exterior looks very similar to its original design. The Butlers and McCooks documented the growth of Main Street from the days of the American Revolution until the mid-twentieth century. The historic home operates as a museum and is available for tours by advance reservation.

Butler-McCook House & Garden

The Joseph Webb House:	Joseph Webb built this house in 1752 following his marriage. Following his death in 1761, the house was inherited by his son, Joseph Jr. Notably, the house was used as George Washington's headquarters in May 1781 and was where the Continental General met with Rochambeau prior to the Battle of Yorktown. The house has been used as a museum since 1916 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The Silas Deane House: Silas Deane graduated from Yale University in 1758 and was admitted to the bar in 1761. He moved to Wethersfield to establish his law practice and became the legal advisor to Joseph Webb's widow, Mehitabel Webb. Silas and Mehitabel married in 1763.Deane played a rather large role in the American Revolution; the museum's website states, "He was secretary of Connecticut’s Committee of Correspondence, served as one of Connecticut’s delegates to the Continental Congress in 1774, and helped plan and finance the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May of 1775. By June of 1776, he was in Paris secretly securing French military supplies for the patriot cause. Our nation’s first diplomat, he shared lodgings with Benjamin Franklin and signed the treaties of alliance and commerce that Franklin negotiated with France, the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation." The Isaac Stevens House: Construction of the Isaac Stevens House was completed in 1789. The house now showcases what a middle-class household would have been like around 1830. The second floor is dedicated to a children's exhibit. The Buttolph-Williams House: Originally built between 1711 and 1714, the Buttolph-Williams House originally served as both the residence of Benjamin and Annie Belden and their tavern. The Antiquarian &amp; Landmarks Society (now Connecticut Landmarks) opened the house to the public in 1951, after fairly extensive renovations. Now, the house serves as a museum showcasing late seventeenth-century decor. Notably, the popular YA novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond was set in The Buttolph-Williams House; the museum offers The Witch of Blackbird Pond-themed tours for school groups.

Operated by the National Society of The Colonial Dames, the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum is a complex consisting of several historical homes and buildings available to tour. The Joseph Webb House, The Silas Deane House, and The Isaac Stevens House are the main attractions, but the complex is also home to the Buttolph-Williams House, The Webb Barn, and a Colonial Revival-style garden which is listed as one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens. 

Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum 

Theodate Pope, architect Pope attended Miss Porter's School from 1886 to 1888. In her diary, she describes going on a Grand Tour with her parents and developing an interest in Architecture. Once back in the United States, she moved to Farmington, Connecticut, where she rented and later purchased a house, which she restored. Pope eventually became a licensed architect in New York and Connecticut and in 1918 joined the American&nbsp;Institute of Architects.&nbsp;Hill-Stead was her first finished project. It was constructed from 1899 to 1901, and the distinctive portico was added in 1902.&nbsp; The&nbsp;&nbsp;Colonial Revival house soon made appearances in well-known architectural magazines such as&nbsp;Architectural Review&nbsp;(November 1902),The Architectural Record&nbsp;(August 1906), and&nbsp;American Homes &amp; Gardens (February 1910). The&nbsp;American Homes and Gardens article, however, downplayed Pope's role in Hill-Stead's design, acknowledging only her&nbsp;“zealous assistance…to whom much of the interior treatment is due” (quoted in "Architecture of Hill-Stead).&nbsp; Gardens Hill-Stead's gardens include a Sunken Garden and a Walking Garden (currently overgrown). The Sunken Garden, designed for Theodate Pope's mother Ada,&nbsp;is octagonal and contains 36 flower beds with an overall color scheme of pinks, blues, purples, and whites. It also includes a summer house. Today, the Sunken Garden is open to the public&nbsp;and hosts an annual Sunken Garden Poetry Festival. The Walking Garden, also know as the "Wild" Garden, was intended as a transitional space in between the home and the surrounding fields and woods. It is not yet open to visitors.

This Colonial Revival house was designed by Theodate Pope Riddle (1867-1946), one of the earliest registered female architects in the United States. Hill-Stead is now a museum offering visitors insight into life on an early 20th-century country estate. It retains many original furnishings and works of art, including pieces by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, James M. Whistler, and Mary Cassatt.

Hill-Stead Museum

Louis B. Wright, the great historian of arts and culture, considered the Stanley-Whitman House one of the best examples of the late medieval tradition in New England house-building. In his book The Arts in America (62-63), Wright called it "as typical of its time and place as any that could be found." He assumed as others had, that the house was constructed about 1660. When architectural historian J. Frederick Kelly restored the house in 1934 and 1935, he too thought it a product of the seventeenth century. Only later did extensive research by a Yale University-led archaeological team reveal it was not constructed until 1720. The museum was then redesigned to showcase two time periods: 1725 to 1735, when Mary and Thomas Smith occupied the house, and 1736–1772, when the first generation of Whitmans lived there. A Farmington High School archaeological field school in May 2012, also uncovered further objects on the property. The first dwelling house was initially constructed by John Stanley, Jr., though he probably never resided there. Ebenezer Steele purchased the property and expanded the structure. Steele was both a farmer and a weaver, and the house today has a display room devoted to the local eighteenth-century weaver's craft complete with a loom. The house passed to Steele's daughter, Mary Smith, who sold the house in 1735 to Rev. Samuel Whitman. The house's most prominent owner, Solomon Whitman, was a shoemaker, farmer, and justice of the peace. His legal papers are housed at the Connecticut State Library. Whitman eschewed corporal punishments for the most part, but he did advocate binding individuals in servitude if they stole goods worth more than forty shillings. In 1839 a ship, La Amistad, transporting 53 illegally captured Mende people from Sierra Leone, was traveling around Cuba to deliver the enslaved to plantations. The captives mutinied and sailed the ship northward. Forty-four surviving captives sailed the ship to Long Island, New York, where they were taken into custody aboard the USS Washington. They were first jailed in New Haven. After 18 months of trials and appeals, the United States Supreme Court declared them free people. While they awaited their return home, they resided in Farmington, and some of them worked in the kitchen at the Stanley-Whitman House. Farmington residents helped raise funds for the Mendes' return to Africa. The Stanley-Whitman House preserves Farmington's local history, but its volunteers add to historical research with the Captive Peoples project, Digital Farmington, and other contributions. Twice-yearly symposia, Fall and Spring, focus on local history. Highlights of the Museum Collection The Stanley-Whitman House has many items of material culture from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Although the objects mainly reflect the possessions of the English colonists who settled Farmington and their descendants, there are items that reflect the Tunxis and African cultures. A basket made by Pually Mossuck (Tunxis-Wangunk-Quinnipiac-Mohegan) whose family was prominent in the Brothertown Movement is on display. Five items connected to the Amistad include a “Kitchen Directory” listing the household tasks that the captive Mende were to perform, a watercolor of “Josheph Cinquez,” a letter from the Mende captives to the lawyer and congressman, John Quincy Adams, a canteen carved from a coconut shell supposed to be from the Amistad and a buttermold said to have been carved by Cinque.

The Stanley-Whitman House, located in the historic village of Farmington, was likely built around 1720, although it was originally thought to have been built circa 1660 because of its overhang construction. It is a National Historic Landmark and operates today as a house museum furnished with period antiques to reflect the everyday activities of colonial life in Connecticut. Surrounding the house are period raised-bed gardens, an apple orchard, and heritage stone walls. The house has been owned by farmers, a weaver, a shoemaker, and a justice of the peace. Descendants of the Whitman family inhabited the house until 1922. The museum also manages Memento Mori, Farmington’s historic cemetery on Main Street, and the Village Green. 

The public service areas of the museum, constructed in 2004, include a modern classroom, a period tavern room, post-and-beam Welcome Center, research library, exhibit gallery, and collection storage area. Digital projects include "Digital Farmington," a blog and map that highlight the history of the Farmington Valley, and "The History of Captive People," a project that documents the history of enslavement and bondage in Farmington. 

Stanley-Whitman House

Built around 1740, The Glebe House was home to Reverend John Rutgers Marshall and his family between 1771 to 1786. Marshall was one of the first Anglican ministers in the area. After the Revolutionary War, a group of Anglicans met at the Glebe House and voted Rev. Dr. Samuel Seabury as their representative, going to London to argue before Parliament in order to become the first Bishop in the new country. The house changed hands several times, and by the 1920s was in a state of disrepair. The house was scheduled to be torn down but was saved by the Samuel Seabury Society for the Preservation of the Glebe House. The house was restored and opened as one of the first historic house museums in 1923. In 1926, Gertrude Jekyll, known as one of the greatest gardeners of the twentieth century, was commissioned to design an "old-fashioned" garden on the Glebe House grounds. Although her design was not implemented, Jekyll designed a classic English-style mixed border garden with foundation plantings and a planted stone terrace. The plans were found again in the 1970s, and began to be implemented in the 1980s.

Built around 1740, The Glebe House was home to Reverend John Rutgers Marshall and his family between 1771 to 1786. Marshall was one of the first Anglican ministers in the area. After the Revolutionary War, a group of Anglicans met at the Glebe House and voted Rev. Dr. Samuel Seabury as their representative, going to London to argue before Parliament in order to become the first Bishop in the new country. Today the house serves as a museum and is home to the Gertrude Jekyll Garden.

Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden

Julian Alden Weir was born on August 30, 1852, in West Point, New York. One of 16 children, his father was a professor of drawing at West Point Military Academy (a few of his other siblings, including John Ferguson Weir—who became professor of painting at Yale University—were also accomplished artists). Julian showed a keen interest in art at the beginning at an early age. When he was 17, he began his formal art studies at the National Academy of Design. He then studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, from 1873-1877. It was there that he first encountered impressionism and, initially, did not like it. At this stage of his career, he preferred a more conservative style. After a stop in London, Julian returned to New York in 1877 where he became a charter member of the Society of American Artists. He also displayed his work at the National Academy of Design, began to receive commissions, and taught art classes at schools and in private classes. During these years, Julian generally focused on still life paintings and the human figure. In 1880, he bought the property in Ridgefield and married his wife, Anna, in 1883.  He invited artists friends to paint with him at the farm, including Albert Pinkham Ryder and John Henry Twachtman. Julian began to paint landscapes and by 1891, changed his mind about impressionism, adopting it as his main style. In 1893, the American Art Association put on a show comparing his and Twachtman's paintings to those of Claude Monet and Paul Besnard. This was clearly a noteworthy event; it gave Julian greater notoriety and elevated his standing in the art world.  Julian continued to paint landscapes and figurative works, and he also took up etching. In late 1897, along with nine other artists, formed a group called "The Ten American Painters" to promote impressionism. The Ten, as it was known, exhibited for 20 years. In 1912, he became the first president of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (he resigned a year later due to a disagreement). He became the president of the National Academy of Design in 1915. He died on December 8, 1919 of heart disease. Weir's legacy lived on through his daughter, painter Dorothy Weir Young, and her husband, sculptor Mahonri Young. The site is also home to one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens, featuring a colonial revival style Sunken Garden, terraced lawns, and the Wier Garden which was originally constructed in 1915. The National Park Service has worked with local garden clubs to ensure these gardens appear as they did during Weir's time.

Spread across 68 acres, the Weir Farm National Historic Site honors the life and legacy of leading impressionist painter Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919) and other artists who created art here between 1882 and 1919. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the farm is the only historical site managed by the National Park Service dedicated to American Impressionist painting. The site features hiking trails and 16 buildings—the Weir House and other homes, studios, and other structures. NPS rangers give free guided tours of the site from May to October (visitors can take self-guided tours as well). Original works of art are displayed throughout the site and the visitor center gallery features changing exhibits throughout the year.

Weir Farm National Historic Site

The Osborne Homestead Museum celebrates the life of Frances Osborne Kellogg, an accomplished businesswoman and conservationist who was dedicated to preserving land for future generations. The house itself was originally built in 1840. The Osbornes moved into the home around 1870, and after her father's death in 1907, Frances Osborne inherited the home. She married Waldo Stewart Kellogg, an architect from New York in 1919. In 1920, the couple enlarged and remodeled the house in the Colonial Revival style. Today, the Museum houses the Kelloggs' collection of antiques and art. Upon her death, Frances Osborne Kellogg deeded her 350 acres to the state for use as a state park. The property, adjacent to Osbornedale State Park, now houses both the Osborne Homestead Museum and the Kellogg Environmental Center, which offers workshops, exhibits, nature activities, and lectures for the general public. It is also home to one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens, showcasing formal flower gardens, ornamental shrubs, and flowering trees.

The Osborne Homestead Museum celebrates the life of Frances Osborne Kellogg, an accomplished businesswoman and conservationist who was dedicated to preserving land for future generations. The house itself was originally built in 1840. The Osbornes moved into the home around 1870, and after her father's death, Frances Osborne inherited the home. 
Upon her death, Frances Osborne Kellogg deeded her 350 acres to the state for use as a state park. The property, adjacent to Osbornedale State Park, now houses both the Osborne Homestead Museum and the Kellogg Environmental Center, which offers workshops, exhibits, nature activities, and lectures for the general public.

Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center

Florence Griswold, known commonly as Miss Florence, inherited her family's New England home in the late 1890s. The house had already been used as a boardinghouse prior to this, but the arrival of artist Henry Ward Ranger changed the tides for Miss Florence and her house.Having recently returned from Europe, Ranger sought to recreate the artist colonies he had encountered in France. Due to the Georgian-style house's central location to both Boston and New York, as well as the picturesque scenery surrounding the house, Ranger found Miss Florence's place the perfect location for this. Soon, the Lyme Artist Colony was the most famous Impressionist artist colony in the country. It remained successful and thriving for over thirty years.Today, The Florence Griswold Museum is an incredible site housing not only Impressionist artwork but also showcasing the history of the property and the Lyme Artist Colony.

The Florence Griswold Museum is an art museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut centered around the family home of Florence Griswold. The home was used as a boardinghouse and in 1899 welcomed artist Henry Ward Ranger. Griswold's home soon blossomed into the most famous Impressionist artists' colony in the country. The Lyme Art Colony flourished for over thirty years.

Florence Griswold Museum

The Thankful Arnold House was built in the late 18th century and still stands today, making it a very historical part of the town of Haddam, Connecticut. It is named after a woman of the Arnold family, Thankful Arnold, who moved into the house with her husband Joseph in 1797. When they first purchased it, the house was not entirely complete as it can be seen today; as time went on and as the Arnold family developed more financial security, they were able to renovate and add to the house. These additions were completed in 1810, by which time the couple had six children; it is in this stage that the house can be seen and toured today.           In 1823, Joseph Arnold passed away, thus leaving the widowed Thankful with the house. Due to the sudden nature of Joseph’s death, there was a threat of the estate being liquidated; however, this was prevented due to protections for widows. This allowed Thankful to keep one-third of the house but put the rest of the house up for sale. Her brother-in-law Samuel purchased the rest of the house, thus allowing for a trick way of keeping the estate entirely in the family. From then on, the house was passed down to Thankful’s daughter Nancy and beyond that to other descendants of the Arnold family.           This inheriting of the house went on for about a century until 1963 when Thankful and Joseph’s great-great-grandson, Isaac Arnold, purchased the house and funded its renovation for the Haddam Historical Society. It is now preserved as a historical site and is an ever-present part of the town’s legacy. Many local schools bring children to tour the house, often annually, to provide a sense of historical roots at home.    			The Thankful Arnold House is also home to one of Connecticut's Historic Gardens. Although not the original garden, the Connecticut Herb Study Group conducted extensive research to select plants commonly grown in household gardens in the lower Connecticut River Valley in about 1830, thus making the garden reminiscent of what Thankful herself would have planted. The garden features granite-edged beds and gravel paths, over fifty varieties of herbs, vegetables, and a small collection of annual flowers.

The Thankful Arnold House is a historical home that was built in stages from 1774 to 1810.  It was originally owned by Joseph Arnold and his wife, Thankful, and was passed on through their family for more than a century.  The house remained generally unchanged and was not modernized much at all, thus effectively preserving the history within it.  In 1963, the estate was purchased by Joseph and Thankful's great-great-grandson, Isaac Arnold, who then funded a project to refurbish it for the Haddam Historical Society.  Through this society, the house is now historically preserved and can even be toured.

Connecticut's Historic Gardens Driving Tour

Harkness Memorial State Park

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