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The Hampton Antiquarian and
Historical Society
185 Main Street |
Hours
Memorial Day
1st Sunday in December
by appointment: call Sue Hochstetter
860-455-0783
Upcoming Events
Thursday, October 30
"Witches of Connecticut"
7:00PM at the Grange
presented by
Walter Woodward
Thursday, November 13
HAHS Annual Meeting
6:00PM Pot Luck Supper
7:00PM Meeting
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The Society sponsors a series of
historically oriented programs annually, free to the public.
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The Hampton Antiquarian and
Historical Society was founded in 1968 and in 1974, acquired this remarkable property and
immediately began careful restoration of the house and ground.
Today, a walk through this 2-story treasure will delight every
member of the family.
The
original portion of the house was built in 1834 by Thomas Neff
for Charles Button, who rented the house to tenants. In 1853, he
sold it to Joel and Lydia Searles. The outbuilding, where Joel
once worked as a cobbler, can still be seen behind the house.
When
Mary Burnham acquired the house in 1897, she added the ell and
took in boarders from time to time... prominent
 among
them were the chauffeurs of the wealthy families who spent
weekends in the country, as well as school teachers, road
workers and men hired to eliminate and infestation of gypsy
moths!
By
the time the house passed to her daughter, Mildred (Burnham)
Hibbard, Hampton was a bustling community whose residents used
many of the "new" inventions of the day to improve their lives.
You will see some of them - along with the furniture, textiles,
ceramics, toys, tools and other Hampton memorabilia of the
earlier centuries - when you visit this "living museum."
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Board of Directors
Susan
Hochstetter
President
Dave Goodrich
Vice President
Robert Burgoyne
Secretary
June Miller
Treasurer
Angelika Hansen
Jordan Jacobs
Robert G. Petix Jr.
Melanie Johnston
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The
Burnham-Hibbard House is open to the public twice a year: once
after the Memorial Day Parade and again on the first Sunday in
December for an old-fashioned Holiday Open House featuring music
and yummy treats to eat and drink.
For
all other visits (a personal or group tour, a small reception or
gathering of friends), you can make an appointment by calling
Sue Hochstetter at 455-0783 any evening before 9:00 p.m.
Text from
'Hampton...
a very special place';
written by Barbara Andersen; used with permission. |
| In 2000, with
the assistance of a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council, the
Society published Discovering Hampton: a Connecticut Town,
written for the Society by member, Janice Trecker. The book was awarded
the Betty M. Linsley Award by the Association for the Study of
Connecticut History. Copies are available through the Society.
Currently the Society is undertaking an
in depth historic properties survey of the town of Hampton for
submission to the Connecticut Historical Commission and the National
Park Service, and is preparing an application for Scenic Road
designation for Route 97 to be submitted to the State Department of
Transportation. The Society has also been involved in the documentation
and photography of gravestones in Hampton's five historic cemeteries.
The Society publishes a newsletter
titled Now and Then, which is mailed to all members prior to the
Society's scheduled programs.
Annual dues are:
Individual: $5.00 Family: $10.00 Lifetime: $75.00
Mailing address:
Hampton Antiquarian and
Historical Society
P.O. Box 12
Hampton, CT 06247-0012
For additional information or to schedule
an appointment to tour the museum, please write to the Society or
contact Robert Burgoyne or Susan Hochstetter at (860) 455-0783.
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