FRESH OFF THE PRESS!

Docent Donn Smith has been busy poking around the attic of the Mather Homestead and he's found treasures abound! Check out his blogs which document his findings including artifacts from 250 years of American life - 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. Oh the stories they tell!

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Sometimes a map leads you to a chest, and at other times…

Feb 1, 20231 min read

Sometimes a map leads you to a chest, and at other times…

A large metal-framed chest in the Mather Homestead attic contains an assortment of architectural plans, mortgages and deeds, builders’...

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Fifty years ago this year…Dedication of the Mather Gorge on the Potomac

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20231 min read

Fifty years ago this year…Dedication of the Mather Gorge on the Potomac

At the top of the Homestead attic stairs is a moderately-sized cardboard carton. It contains an assortment of printed materials,...

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A look back to that middle name … An appreciation of Stephen Higginson Tyng

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20232 min read

A look back to that middle name … An appreciation of Stephen Higginson Tyng

Visitors to the Homestead know that Stephen Mather’s middle name was Tyng. But who was Tyng and what was the connection? On 27 June...

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What goes up, must come down, spinnin’ wheel…

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20231 min read

What goes up, must come down, spinnin’ wheel…

The question for anyone who has watched the CBS television series NCIS over the years must be, how do you get the boat out of the...

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In the days before Fortnite…Delving into a hidden trove of children’s books

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20231 min read

In the days before Fortnite…Delving into a hidden trove of children’s books

Next to a small wooden cradle in the Homestead attic is a large wooden chest with a hinged lid. The chest is empty except for a few...

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Great-grandson of a preacher man. An appreciation of Reverend Charles Grandison Selleck

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20232 min read

Great-grandson of a preacher man. An appreciation of Reverend Charles Grandison Selleck

Moses Mather’s great-grandson, and Deacon Joseph Mather’s grandson, was Charles G. Selleck. Deacon Joseph’s eldest child (the only one...

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She wore blue… A remembrance of Ella Maria Mather

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20231 min read

She wore blue… A remembrance of Ella Maria Mather

In the Homestead attic, in the middle drawer of a wooden chest, wrapped in newspaper and tied with string, is a plain blue, checked dress...

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Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20231 min read

Have You Seen this Man?

On the East wall of the Homestead attic is a framed lithograph of a somber, robed man with books and what would seem to be a clerical...

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If Wishes Were ... Remembering Joseph W. Mather

Donn Smith

Feb 1, 20231 min read

If Wishes Were ... Remembering Joseph W. Mather

In the Homestead attic there is a large, curved-top, hide-covered trunk. Inside, a small blue book with the simple title: “Autographs.” ...

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2023 Essay Contest - 5th grade honorable mention

Benjamin Kelsey

Jan 31, 20232 min read

2023 Essay Contest - 5th grade honorable mention

Why are the National Parks Important for Kids? By Benjamin Kelsey National Parks are full of gifts for children. They are spaces where...

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2023 Essay Contest - 6th grade winning essay (tie)

Juliet Chattaway

Jan 31, 20232 min read

2023 Essay Contest - 6th grade winning essay (tie)

The Mather Homestead Essay Contest: Why are the National Parks important for kids? Submission by: Juliet Chattaway, 6th grade, New Canaan...

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Pavana Attonito

Jan 31, 20232 min read

2023 Essay Contest - 6th grade winning essay (tie)

National Parks: Our Nation's Treasure by Pavana Attonito, grade 6 Filtered sunlight seeps in through a thick canopy of spruce trees and...

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2023 Essay Contest - 7th grade winning essay!

Zoe Younessian

Jan 31, 20232 min read

2023 Essay Contest - 7th grade winning essay!

When I was younger, I was afraid of bears. It wasn’t just a vague unease around the topic. No, I had a debilitating phobia. The woods...

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Gordon Hastings

Jan 31, 202312 min read

The Story of the Mather Homestead ... as told by Gordon Hastings

Persons reading this blog know of my great interest in American History. I am a volunteer docent at the Stephen Mather House in Darien,...

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Roots and Seeds: An appreciation of Michael Floy, Sr.

Donn Smith

Jan 31, 20232 min read

Roots and Seeds: An appreciation of Michael Floy, Sr.

On the north wall of the Keeping Room hangs a portrait of Michael Floy, Sr., the great-grandfather of Jane Thacker Floy Mather, Stephen...

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What have they talked about for 65 years?

Donn Smith

Jan 31, 20231 min read

What have they talked about for 65 years?

Against the eastern wall in the Mather Homestead attic sits a large black steamer trunk. A metal tag riveted into the top reads...

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MUSEUM + EDUCATION CENTER

FRESH OFF THE PRESS!

The Mather Homestead
Bringing History to Life

The Mather Homestead Foundation
19 Stephen Mather Road, Darien, CT 06820
info@matherhomestead.org
203-202-7602

FRESH OFF THE PRESS!

The Mather Homestead Bringing History to Life

The Mather Homestead
Bringing History to Life