Webb Deane Stevens Museum

LECTURE | America's Tapestry: Fiber Arts & The Revolution
2026-04-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
LECTURE | America’s Tapestry: Fiber Arts & The Revolution with Stefan Romero of America’s Tapestry, a collaborative community embroidery project
Thursday, April 9, 7 PM
Buy Tickets
Join WDS and America’s Tapestry to learn about the prominent role needle art is playing in our nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. America’s Tapestry founder and director Stefan Romero will discuss the creation of this collaborative community embroidery project, highlighting lesser-known stories from the American Revolution. Get a deep dive on everything from panel design to the stories of those who are working on bringing these incredible embroideries to life. From finding inspiration in the Scottish Borders to grassroots organizing in the United States, hear the story of how this ambitious project came to life.
Tickets: $15 |$12.50 Virtual | $10 Members
This lecture will be offered in person and via Zoom.
*Zoom link will be provided in advance of the lecture.

Stefan Romero | Director and Founder of America’s Tapestry Stefan Romero is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s prestigious College of Fine Arts, where he specialized in the dress and textiles of Colonial America. As a Fulbright Scholar, Stefan deepened his understanding of the discipline through his Masters Degree at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. In collaboration with William & Mary (VA), Seton Hill University (PA), and a number of carefully selected historical and craft organizations, Stefan is creating a unique exhibition: “America’s Tapestry”. To learn more about America’s Tapestry, please visit www.americastapestry.com.

CLASS | Saturday Morning Arts: Open-Level Dance Class with The Hartford Dance Collective
2026-04-11 10:00 - 11:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Purchase Tickets
Date: April 11
Dance with us! Join us one Saturday a month at 10 am to awaken your creativity and get moving. Each month, a choreographer from the Hartford Dance Collective will lead an open-level dance class designed to build curiosity, strength, range of motion and confidence in your own movement. Classes include warm-ups, exercises in mobility, and dynamic choreography phrasework. If you’ve been dancing all your life, are a former dancer, or have never danced before, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE! Move your body freely in a supportive community, surrounded by art and our beautiful Colonial Revival Garden.
Upcoming Date: May 9
Tickets: $20
The Hartford Dance Collective | The Hartford Dance Collective aims to empower women to have a voice and an equal opportunity in dance by providing choreographic and leadership opportunities. By sharing professional contemporary dance with new audiences and providing performances in diverse locations, they work to bridge the gap between the arts and the community. Their studio space at Parkville Sounds in Hartford, CT, provides creatives with a home to hone in on their movement vocabulary, and they hold the belief that everyone can dance and everyone should. www.thedancecollective.org

WDS BOOK CLUB | Life Along The Hudson: The Historic Country Estates of the Livingston Family
2026-04-14 18:00 - 20:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Calling all bookworms, history buffs, preservationists and culture mavens! Join us for our NEW year-long book club, accompanied by a lecture series with acclaimed authors.
This month we’re reading:
Life Along The Hudson: The Historic Country Estates of the Livingston Family
By Pieter Estersohn
Tuesday, April 14, 6 pm | In Person and Virtual
Moderated by TR Revella-Hamilton, WDS Director of Preservation & Collections
Meet fellow history enthusiasts in person as we discuss thought-provoking books by acclaimed authors. Our carefully curated monthly selections delve into the rich tapestry of American and European history, featuring compelling works about revolutionary figures, historic preservation, decorative arts, and stories that shaped our cultural landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned historian, preservation enthusiast, or simply curious about the stories behind our built heritage, there’s a place for you in our community of learners.
JOIN BOOK CLUB

How it Works: Book Club meets bimonthly at the Museum and via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each designated month, unless otherwise noted. Book Club members will receive the newest book title via email two months prior to the book club date. You may join Book Club at any point during the year. Come when you can – there is no penalty for missing a session.
Book Club 2026 “Library Card” Annual Fee*: $25 General | $20 Museum Members | $15 Students
Your Book Club Library Card entitles you to in-person and virtual Book Club sessions, as well as discounted admission to the accompanying Book Talks lecture series held on Thursdays at the Museum.

Webb Barn Sale
2026-04-18 09:00 - 15:00, 2026-04-19 09:00 - 15:00 | Webb Barn, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, 06109, United States
WEBB BARN SALE
Saturday, April 18 & Sunday, April 19 | 9:00 AM-3:00 PM | Rain or Shine!
One person’s heirloom is another’s greatest find. The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Connecticut (NSCDA-CT) returns with their beloved biennial sale — a community favorite fundraiser in support of the Webb Deane Stevens Museum.
Browse an extraordinary array of donated goods: fine silver, tableware, art, jewelry, linens, rugs, small furniture, kitchenware, collectibles, toys, garden items, holiday décor, and so much more. Every purchase directly supports the preservation and programming of one of Connecticut’s most cherished historic landmarks.
Come early for first pick—and come ready to discover something wonderful.
Admission: $5 per adult | Children under 18 free
Payment: Cash, check, and credit cards accepted at the door
Parking: Free parking is available behind the Webb Barn on the museum campus, on Main Street, at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center (200 Main Street), and at the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department lot (171 Main Street).

Members Exhibition Preview
2026-04-30 18:00 - 19:30 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Member Exhibition Preview
Thursday, April 30, 6:00 PM
RSVP to Renee Dumouchel rdumouchel@wdsmuseum.org
Wine & light refreshments will be served
This May, we open our doors to two new exhibitions that, together, mark a first in the museum’s history: the entire exhibition space is dedicated to women. Join us for a private preview of American Girlhood: Needlework, Memory, and the Making of a Nation and Remember the Ladies: Women of the Revolution. These two exhibitions speak a common language about women whose activities and influence during the early years of American nationhood may come as a surprise to visitors who thought they knew the story of our country’s founding.

6:15 PM | Welcome & Opening Remarks, Executive Director Brenton Grom

American Girlhood Introduction, Guest Curator Emily Whitted

6:30 PM | Exhibition Tour

American Girlhood: Needlework, Memory, and the Making of a Nation
Remember the Ladies: Women of the Revolution

PERFORMANCE | American Contemporary Dances with The Hartford Dance Collective
2026-05-08 19:30 - 21:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Purchase Tickets
Join us in the intimate Webb barn for the Museum’s first commissioned dance performance! Experience dance in-the-round, featuring new and established works by The Hartford Dance Collective. Rooted in themes of female empowerment, the dances explore strength, resilience, and self-expression through bold physicality and nuanced storytelling. Inspired by America’s 250th anniversary, the Collective enriches the story of our nation’s founding by amplifying women’s voices and experiences. Surrounded by history and audience alike, the dancers invite viewers into a shared space where past and present converge—where the courage to claim one’s voice echoes the spirit of those who shaped a new nation within these very walls.
About This Commission In commissioning this work, the Museum celebrates both a milestone and a continuation: bringing contemporary artists into dialogue with a site where questions of identity, purpose, and collective future have always lived.
PERFORMANCE | Friday, May 8, 7:30 PM

6:00 PM | VIP Ticketholders Pre-Performance Talkback with Hartford Dance Collective
6:45 PM | Doors open
6:45-7:30 PM | Cash bar available, furnished by Vino Crudo
7:30 PM | Performance in-the-round

TICKETS | $18 / $25 / $30 / $45
Students (16-22) | $18
Members | $25
General Admission | $30
Inner Circle VIP | $45

Premiere seating: first two rows
Pre-performance talk-back with dancers and choreographers of Hartford Dance Collective
Early-admission
Reserved Parking
Access to one open rehearsal on May 1 at the HDC studios

Hartford Dance Collective | The Hartford Dance Collective bridges the gap between dance and community by curating unique and accessible performances led by female identifying choreographers and offering open adult movement classes that foster artistic expression, connection, and inclusivity.
Since July 2017, the Hartford Dance Collective has curated performances in unique settings, featuring female choreographers from across the nation. We have shared dance at the Connecticut Convention Center, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, ShapeShifter Lab, Real Art Ways, TheaterWorks Hartford, Dunkin Park, Parkville Market, & multiple breweries around the Connecticut, to name a few; and we aim to continue to share the art form with a wide range of demographics. Along with many small programs that we present throughout the year,
The Hartford Dance Collective curates the annual Hartford Dance Festival in Elizabeth Park with 25 performing groups, which is the largest free dance festival in Connecticut. Our studio space in Hartford, Connecticut, provides creatives with a home to hone in on their movement vocabulary and the opportunity for us to bring professional dancers to Hartford including dancers from Pilobolus, David Dorfman Dance, the Limon Company, the Radio City Rockettes, Doug Varone and Dancers, the Merce Cunningham Trust, and the Brooklynettes, to name a few. We hold the belief that everyone can dance and everyone should. Our professional and inspiring studio hosts open adult movement classes for the community featuring the Collective’s Resident Artists and Guest Instructors. A perfect place for a dancer to train, a former dancer to reignite their love for movement, or a member of the community looking to practice dance movement as a form of exercise, art, or meditation. Movement allows us to escape, which drives our commitment to curating experiences that allow for discovery and connection.

Dance Class with The Hartford Dance Collective [New Date TBA]
2026-05-09 10:00 - 11:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Purchase Tickets

May 9 Dance Class has been postponed. A new date will be announced shortly.
Dance with us! Join us one Saturday a month at 10 am to awaken your creativity and get moving. Each month, a choreographer from the Hartford Dance Collective will lead an open-level dance class designed to build curiosity, strength, range of motion and confidence in your own movement. Classes include warm-ups, exercises in mobility, and dynamic choreography phrasework. If you’ve been dancing all your life, are a former dancer, or have never danced before, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE! Move your body freely in a supportive community, surrounded by art and our beautiful Colonial Revival Garden.
Date: May 9
Tickets: $20
The Hartford Dance Collective | The Hartford Dance Collective aims to empower women to have a voice and an equal opportunity in dance by providing choreographic and leadership opportunities. By sharing professional contemporary dance with new audiences and providing performances in diverse locations, they work to bridge the gap between the arts and the community. Their studio space at Parkville Sounds in Hartford, CT, provides creatives with a home to hone in on their movement vocabulary, and they hold the belief that everyone can dance and everyone should. www.thedancecollective.org

PERFORMANCE | American Contemporary Dances with The Hartford Dance Collective
2026-05-09 14:00 - 15:30 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Purchase Tickets

Join us in the intimate Webb barn for the Museum’s first commissioned dance performance! Experience dance in-the-round, featuring new and established works by The Hartford Dance Collective. Rooted in themes of female empowerment, the dances explore strength, resilience, and self-expression through bold physicality and nuanced storytelling. Inspired by America’s 250th anniversary, the Collective enriches the story of our nation’s founding by amplifying women’s voices and experiences. Surrounded by history and audience alike, the dancers invite viewers into a shared space where past and present converge—where the courage to claim one’s voice echoes the spirit of those who shaped a new nation within these very walls.
About This Commission In commissioning this work, the Museum celebrates both a milestone and a continuation: bringing contemporary artists into dialogue with a site where questions of identity, purpose, and collective future have always lived.
PERFORMANCE | Saturday, May 9, 2 PM

12:30 PM | VIP Ticket Holders Pre-Performance talkback with Hartford Dance Collective
1:15 PM | Doors open
1:15-2:00 PM | Cash Bar, furnished by Vino Crudo
2:00 PM | Performance in-the-round

TICKETS | $18 / $25 / $30 / $45
Students (16-22) | $18
Members | $25
General Admission | $30
Inner Circle VIP | $45

Premiere seating: first two rows
Pre-performance talk-back with dancers and choreographers of Hartford Dance Collective
Early-admission
Reserved Parking
Access to one open rehearsal on May 1 at the HDC studios

Hartford Dance Collective | The Hartford Dance Collective bridges the gap between dance and community by curating unique and accessible performances led by female identifying choreographers and offering open adult movement classes that foster artistic expression, connection, and inclusivity.
Since July 2017, the Hartford Dance Collective has curated performances in unique settings, featuring female choreographers from across the nation. We have shared dance at the Connecticut Convention Center, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, ShapeShifter Lab, Real Art Ways, TheaterWorks Hartford, Dunkin Park, Parkville Market, & multiple breweries around the Connecticut, to name a few; and we aim to continue to share the art form with a wide range of demographics. Along with many small programs that we present throughout the year,
The Hartford Dance Collective curates the annual Hartford Dance Festival in Elizabeth Park with 25 performing groups, which is the largest free dance festival in Connecticut. Our studio space in Hartford, Connecticut, provides creatives with a home to hone in on their movement vocabulary and the opportunity for us to bring professional dancers to Hartford including dancers from Pilobolus, David Dorfman Dance, the Limon Company, the Radio City Rockettes, Doug Varone and Dancers, the Merce Cunningham Trust, and the Brooklynettes, to name a few. We hold the belief that everyone can dance and everyone should. Our professional and inspiring studio hosts open adult movement classes for the community featuring the Collective’s Resident Artists and Guest Instructors. A perfect place for a dancer to train, a former dancer to reignite their love for movement, or a member of the community looking to practice dance movement as a form of exercise, art, or meditation. Movement allows us to escape, which drives our commitment to curating experiences that allow for discovery and connection.

TEA | Mother's Day Tea
2026-05-10 10:00 - 11:30 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Purchase Tickets

Treat the special women in your life to an elegant Mother’s Day filled with flowers and flavor. Enjoy music and a morning stroll through our gardens with WDS Head Gardener Pete Winne, learning about the blooms and blossoms that shine in early Spring. Then share tea, cake, and conversation overlooking the beautiful grounds. Whether you’re celebrating a mother, grandmother, daughter, or dear friend, this is a gracious way to honor the women who you hold dear.
Mother’s Day Tea Menu*
Savory Bites
Egg Tartlett (DF, GF)
Smoked Salmon Finger Sandwiches
Cucumber & Cheddar Finger Sandwiches
Coronation Chicken Tea Sandwich

Sweet Treats
Assorted Scones with Cream & Jam
Fruit Tart
Flourless Chocolate Torte (GF)
Bakewell Tart

Beverages
Blackberry Iced Tea
Strawberry Lemonade
Selection of Hot Tea
*Menu subject to change. Please share allergens and food sensitivities to rdumouchel@wdsmuseum.org

Note: Each event is limited to 20 guests. To book a private tour and tea for your friends and family, contact events@wdsmuseum.org.

LECTURE | The Art of Collecting
2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
LECTURE | The Art of Collecting with Ned Lazaro
Thursday, May 14, 7:00 PM
Purchase Tickets
What drives someone to seek out a two-hundred-year-old sampler—and what does that impulse tell us about who we are? Join textile historian Ned Lazaro, Associate Curator of Textiles and Costumes at The Wadsworth Atheneum and former curator of textiles at Historic Deerfield for a moderated discussion on the history of collecting schoolgirl samplers and other forms of needlepoint in the United States. From early needlework to printed broadsides, discover how these rescued objects shaped our understanding of material culture—and why they still matter.
Tickets: $15 |$12.50 Virtual | $10 Members
This lecture will be offered in person and via Zoom.
*Zoom link will be provided in advance of the lecture to Members and Virtual ticket holders.

Ned Lazaro | David E. (Ned) Lazaro is the Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut. He manages a collection of roughly 7,500 items, including costumes and textiles ranging from Egyptian artifacts to contemporary fashion. Lazaro specializes in interpreting fashion history, including 18th-to-20th-century deportment.

FEUDING FOUNDERS COLLECTIVE | Wethersfield Symposium: The Making of Silas Deane
2026-05-16 10:00 - 15:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Walk the rooms where history unfolded. Then hear from the historians who know them best.
SCHEDULE
10:00 AM | Welcome & Orientation
10:30 AM | Tour: Webb and Deane Houses
12:00 PM | Lunch in the Webb Barn
1:00 PM | Historian Roundtable
3:00 PM | Walk to Wethersfield Cove Warehouse with the Wethersfield Historical Society
Roundtable also available via Zoom—$8

TICKETS
Full Day + Lunch: $55 | $50 Members
House Tours & Roundtable Discussion: $20 In Person | $15 Members
Virtual Roundtable Discussion: $8
Member pricing available to members of all four partner institutions.
Purchase Tickets

About the Symposium
We tend to remember the founders as marble men — monumental, unified, certain. The truth is messier and more interesting. The Feuding Founders Collective is a multi-site public history initiative that humanizes Silas Deane, John Jay, and the Lee brothers of Virginia—men who were in conversation, in collaboration, and sometimes in conflict with one another.
Meet the men behind America’s founding in this daylong exploration of Deane and his relationship to John Jay and the Lee brothers. Tour the Webb and Deane Houses, then join a roundtable featuring historians from Jay Heritage Center (NY), Menokin & Stratford Hall (VA), and the Webb Deane Stevens Museum (CT). This is the first in a three-part series across three states.
How does a man of middling origins rise to become America’s first diplomat—then plummet to disgrace? How did the Lee brothers leverage Virginia’s planter aristocracy into political influence? How did Jay’s legal prowess place him at the center of revolutionary diplomacy? This is a day for people who want the real story—not the tidy one.
Begin with a guided tour of the Webb and Deane Houses—stand in the rooms where political debates unfolded and military strategy was weighed. Share a meal in the Webb Barn. Hear from historians representing each partner institution as they build a more layered, more human portrait of Jay, the Lees, and Deane—their relationships to power and to one another. The day closes at the Wethersfield Cove Warehouse, the very waterfront where Deane built the merchant trade that launched everything.
In an era of weaponized media and public takedowns, these 250-year-old stories feel less like history and more like a mirror.

Attend All Three
Each roundtable discussion will be livestreamed on Zoom. Attend all events onsite, online, or a combination!
Webb Deane Stevens Museum | The Making of Silas Deane—May 16, Wethersfield, CT
Jay Heritage Center | John Jay, Diplomat and Spymaster—September 26, Rye, NY [Register your interest with an email to Suzanne Clary: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com]
Stratford Hall & Menokin | The Lee—Deane Conflict and the Political “Bloodbath” of 1778—November 8, Stratford, Virginia

FREE EVENT | Wethersfield 250 Jubilee: Revolutionary War Encampment & Traditional Trades Fair
2026-05-23 10:00 - 16:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
FREE EVENT| Wethersfield 250 Jubilee: Revolutionary War Encampment & Traditional Trades Fair
Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Join us for a free, family-friendly day that celebrates our Colonial heritage and the traditional trades that built America.
This year, our beloved Revolutionary War Encampment joins forces with the Traditional Trades Fair for a full day marking America’s 250th anniversary on the museum grounds. Watch the 5th Connecticut Regiment set up camp with musket demonstrations, a battle skirmish with invading British Marines, open hearth cooking, and a children’s march with wooden muskets. Listen to traditional Colonial music and speak with a camp surgeon about his gruesome profession. Try your hand at centuries-old games like graces, or eavesdrop on military maneuvers.
Alongside the encampment, skilled artisans demonstrate timber framing, weaving, carpentry, and historic restoration—the craftsmanship that built the nation and keeps our oldest buildings standing. Witness live preservation projects, try hands-on workshops, shop our vendor market for everything from tools to keepsakes, and discover centuries-old skills through family-friendly demonstrations, Colonial games, and activities. Whether you’re interested in history, restoration, or simply love beautiful craftsmanship, this immersive experience showcases the dedication and artistry behind preserving our architectural heritage.
Bring the whole family for hands-on workshops, Colonial games, food vendors, and a day spent surrounded by the sights, sounds, and skills of the founding era.
The free festivities will begin on the Museum grounds immediately following the Town of Wethersfield Memorial Day Parade.
Schedule*
All Day Scavenger Hunt | Start at Wethersfield Historical Society
Quiet Space | Rotary Room, Wethersfield Historical Society

Exhibitions

American Girlhood and Remember the Ladies | WDS Museum
Legendary People, Ordinary Lives | Wethersfield Historical Society
Crafts & Traditional Trades | Webb Barn

10:00 AM Ancient Burying Ground Tour | Meet by the First Church parking lot
10:30 AM Musket and Drill Demonstration

Declaration of Independence Reading | Steps of the Hurlbut-Dunham House

11:00 AM Children’s wooden musket drill
12:00 PM Midday nooning
12:45 PM People of the Revolution
1:00 PM Tours of Cove Warehouse [until 4:00 PM]
1:30 PM Soldiers Drill
2:00 PM Skirmish with Redcoats
2:30 PM Declaration of Independence Reading | Steps of the Hurlbut-Dunham House
4:00 PM Camp Closes
*Schedule and demonstrations subject to change.

Demonstrations throughout the day will include*:

Colonial music
Children’s colonial games
Surgeon’s table
Woodworking
Masonry
Textile weaving
Open hearth cooking and food
Flag displays and history programs
Weaving and sewing
Soldier’s tent and display of equipment
Colonial clothing and textiles
Life of a Privateer
Butter churning
Camp tours and information about the 5th Connecticut Regiment and its history

CONCERT | American Bluegrass & Square Dance
2026-06-05 18:00 - 20:30 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
American Bluegrass & Square Dance
Purchase Tickets
Two American traditions, one summer evening. First, a seated concert with Audrey Mae—a Connecticut bluegrass quartet whose close harmonies and acoustic drive draw from the brother duet tradition. Then the floor opens up for a live-music square dance led by caller Liz Slade, who has been guiding first-timers through their first do-si-do for over forty years—no experience necessary.
Ani’s Table + Marketplace will be on-site with dinner, or pack a picnic and settle in on the grounds before the music starts. Whether you love to dance or prefer to appreciate exceptional musicianship, this lively evening combines outstanding entertainment with the charm of our historic setting.
Tickets $15 | Children under 12 free
Friday, June 5, 6:00-8:30 pm
Webb Barn, Wethersfield
Don’t worry if you’ve never square danced before—Liz will teach you everything you need to know. Join your neighbors for an evening that celebrates both our musical heritage and community spirit.

Audrey Mae | Audrey Mae is Peter Winne and Joe Delillo on close two-part harmony, with Joe Lemeris on banjo and Sam McDougle on fiddle and mandolin. A generation apart in age, Winne and Delillo draw from the great brother duet tradition—the Stanley Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, the Everly Brothers—while sounding entirely like themselves. Named for Delillo’s mother, an Alabama belle, the band moves between high-octane drive and something quieter and more lonesome, sometimes within the same song.
Liz Slade | Caller, fiddler, and educator Liz Slade has spent more than four decades drawing people into community dance. Rooted in the old-time traditions of the Virginia and Carolina mountains and the contra dance world of New England, she’s known for her warmth, her clarity, and her ability to make beginners and seasoned dancers feel equally at home.

WDS BOOK CLUB | The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding
2026-06-09 18:00 - 20:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Calling all bookworms, history buffs, preservationists and culture mavens! Join us for our NEW year-long book club, accompanied by a lecture series with acclaimed authors.
This month we’re reading:
The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding
By Joseph Ellis
(Available on audible)
Tuesday, June 9, 6 pm | In Person and Virtual
Moderated by TR Revella-Hamilton, WDS Director of Preservation & Collections
Meet fellow history enthusiasts in person as we discuss thought-provoking books by acclaimed authors. Our carefully curated monthly selections delve into the rich tapestry of American and European history, featuring compelling works about revolutionary figures, historic preservation, decorative arts, and stories that shaped our cultural landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned historian, preservation enthusiast, or simply curious about the stories behind our built heritage, there’s a place for you in our community of learners.
JOIN BOOK CLUB

How it Works: Book Club meets bimonthly at the Museum and via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each designated month, unless otherwise noted. Book Club members will receive the newest book title via email two months prior to the book club date. You may join Book Club at any point during the year. Come when you can – there is no penalty for missing a session.
Book Club 2026 “Library Card” Annual Fee*: $25 General | $20 Museum Members | $15 Students
Your Book Club Library Card entitles you to in-person and virtual Book Club sessions, as well as discounted admission to the accompanying Book Talks lecture series held on Thursdays at the Museum.

LECTURE | Portraits of Patriots with Historian Damien Cregeau
2026-06-25 19:00 - 20:30 | CT
Purchase Tickets
LECTURE | Portraits of Patriots with Historian Damien Cregeau
Thursday, June 25 , 7:00 PM
One man painted the Revolution. Another held the Bible at Washington’s inauguration. And both have deep Connecticut roots.
Join us for Portraits of Patriots, a richly illustrated presentation tracing six extraordinary lives from the American Revolution—beginning with Colonel John Trumbull, who left the battlefield to become the young republic’s defining visual chronicler. Through Trumbull’s paintings and the work of his gifted sister Faith Trumbull Huntington, Cregeau brings an entire family into focus: soldiers, artists, and survivors bound together by war and ambition.
At the center of it all: Samuel Webb of Wethersfield. Aide-de-camp to both Generals Putnam and Washington. Veteran of Bunker Hill. The man who held the Bible as George Washington took the oath of office in 1789.

Meet the Author | Purchase a copy of Portraits of Patriots on-site and get your book personally signed.

Tickets: $15 |$12.50 Virtual | $10 Members
*This lecture will be offered in person and via Zoom. Zoom link will be provided in advance of the lecture.
Damien Cregeau | Damien Cregeau earned his B.A. in history from Hillsdale College and M.A. in history from Colorado State. He is a nationally-recognized scholar of the American Revolution who has spoken throughout the U.S. from Boston to Washington, D.C. to Chicago. He received the History Award and medal from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2021 in recognition of his scholarly research and many important contributions to the public’s appreciation for early American history. His talk on Alexander Hamilton is available to watch on C-SPAN. He has been published in numerous journals and magazines, including Military History Quarterly, ten features in the Journal of the American Revolution, and Financial History magazine. He published his first book, Portraits of Patriots, in 2025. He and his wife, Pam, a psychologist, own two homes in Connecticut built in 1765—the Private Samuel Hanmer House in Wethersfield and the General Jedediah Huntington House in Norwich.

WDS BOOK CLUB | The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
2026-08-11 18:00 - 20:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Calling all bookworms, history buffs, preservationists and culture mavens! Join us for our NEW year-long book club, accompanied by a lecture series with acclaimed authors.
This month we’re reading:
The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
By Zara Anishanslin
(Available on Audible)
Tuesday, August 11, 6 pm | In Person and Virtual
Moderated by TR Revella-Hamilton, WDS Director of Preservation & Collections
Meet fellow history enthusiasts in person as we discuss thought-provoking books by acclaimed authors. Our carefully curated monthly selections delve into the rich tapestry of American and European history, featuring compelling works about revolutionary figures, historic preservation, decorative arts, and stories that shaped our cultural landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned historian, preservation enthusiast, or simply curious about the stories behind our built heritage, there’s a place for you in our community of learners.
JOIN BOOK CLUB

How it Works: Book Club meets bimonthly at the Museum and via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each designated month, unless otherwise noted. Book Club members will receive the newest book title via email two months prior to the book club date. You may join Book Club at any point during the year. Come when you can – there is no penalty for missing a session.
Book Club 2026 “Library Card” Annual Fee*: $25 General | $20 Museum Members | $15 Students
Your Book Club Library Card entitles you to in-person and virtual Book Club sessions, as well as discounted admission to the accompanying Book Talks lecture series held on Thursdays at the Museum.

LECTURE | Civic Stitches: Early American Needlework and National Identity
2026-09-10 18:00 - 19:30 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
LECTURE | Civic Stitches: Early American Needlework and National Identity  with Emily Whitted, Guest-Curator, American Girlhood: Needlework, Memory, and The Making of a Nation

Thursday, September 10, 6:00 PM
Purchase Tickets
This companion lecture to the exhibition American Girlhood by guest curator Emily Whitted will explore the larger history of needlework as part of early American education for girls. In the aftermath of the American Revolution, female education was a critical space for civic development, and needlework was one educational medium in which girls processed their own identities within the new nation. This lecture will connect needlework within the exhibition with pieces from other public collections, and broadly trace the rich lives of early American girls engaged in crafting a nation.
Tickets: $15 |$12.50 Virtual | $10 Members
*This lecture will be offered in person and via Zoom. Zoom link will be provided in advance of the lecture.
About the Curator | Emily Whitted is a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the guest curator of American Girlhood: Needlework, Memory, and the Making of a Nation. Her research broadly explores the history of textiles, women’s history, and material culture in early America. Her current and past work includes projects with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the National Park Service and National Council on Public History, the Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, and the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation. She also holds an M.A. in American Material Culture from the Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware.

FEUDING FOUNDERS COLLECTIVE | Jay Heritage Center, NY: John Jay, Diplomat and Spymaster
2026-09-26 10:00 - 15:00 | Jay Heritage Center, 210 Boston Post Road, Rye, 10580
Register your interest with an email to Suzanne Clary: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com
This event takes place at Jay Heritage Center in Rye, NY. Attend the full day in person, or purchase a virtual ticket for the roundtable discussion.
We tend to remember the founders as marble men — monumental, unified, certain. The truth is messier and more interesting. The Feuding Founders Collective is a multi-site public history initiative that humanizes Silas Deane, John Jay, and the Lee brothers of Virginia — men who were in conversation, in collaboration, and sometimes in conflict with one another.
Presented in partnership with Jay Heritage Center (NY), Friends of John Jay Homestead, and Menokin and Stratford Hall (VA), this series destabilizes the one-dimensional portraits we’ve inherited and invites audiences to sit with the full complexity of these lives: the ambition and the insecurity, the idealism and the grudges, the smear campaigns and the shared cause.
In an era of weaponized media and public takedowns, these 250-year-old stories feel less like history and more like a mirror — and understanding how the founders navigated political polarization, character assassination, and the tension between principle and self-interest may be one of the most useful things the past can offer us right now. Three sites. Three perspectives. Not a story of heroes and villains, but of imperfect people trying to build something that had never existed before.
Rye Symposium: John Jay, Diplomat and Spymaster
How did our earliest American diplomats accomplish their secret and very delicate assignments abroad? The Jay Heritage Center symposium will focus on the interactions of John Jay, Silas Deane and the Lee brothers, Arthur and William, as illustrated by the decipherable records and cyphers that they left behind. What was the Jay-Deane code and why is John Jay credited by the CIA as being the first chief of US counterintelligence? What controversy put Jay at the center of a legal defense of Deane’s actions in France? Learn firsthand about the security concerns that prompted the Lee brothers of Virginia to launch public accusations that Deane was a traitor.
This is an experience for people who want to hear our whole history. Join us and fellow history lovers for a daylong exploration of 18th century political quandaries and fragile allegiances. Stand on the very spot where Jay looked out at the horizon during the Stamp Act and imagined a new nation and his own role in shaping it. Contemplate the contradictions he faced in seeking freedom from British rule while his family denied freedom to others who worked the land. Tour the historic Jay Estate gardens followed by lunch at the same place where Jay celebrated the end of the Revolutionary War and his negotiation of the Treaty of Paris. Then hear from scholars representing each partner site as they paint a more layered, more human picture of Jay, the Lees, and Deane — their relationships to power and to one another. The program closes with a walk of the property that inspired James Fenimore Cooper’s Revolutionary War novel, “The Spy.”

10:00 AM: Welcome and Orientation (210 Boston Post Road) at Jay Mansion
10:30 AM: Jay Mansion Tour
11:00 AM: Jay Estate Gardens and Grounds Tour
12:00 PM: Lunch break on the Veranda
1:00 PM: Round Table Discussion at the Wachenheim Center
Hour long round table discussion plus Q&A.  Discussion will focus on the early lives and background of the Lee Brothers, Silas Deane and John Jay.  Each site will give a brief introduction to their founding father(s) and historic site(s).
3:00 pm: Tour of the 18th century Lyon Farmhouse exterior and archaeological area.

Attend All Three!
Each roundtable discussion will be livestreamed on Zoom. Attend all events onsite, online, or a combination!
Webb Deane Stevens Museum | The Making of Silas Deane: May 16, Connecticut
Jay Heritage Center | John Jay, Diplomat and Spymaster: September 26, New York
Stratford Hall & Menokin | The Lee—Deane Conflict and the Political “Bloodbath” of 1778: November 8, Virginia

WDS BOOK CLUB | Spiritualism's Place: Reformers, Seekers, and Séances in Lily Dale
2026-10-13 18:00 - 20:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
Calling all bookworms, history buffs, preservationists and culture mavens! Join us for our NEW year-long book club, accompanied by a lecture series with acclaimed authors.
This month we’re reading:
Spiritualism’s Place: Reformers, Seekers, and Séances in Lily Dale
By Averill Earls
Tuesday, October 13, 6 pm | In Person and Virtual
Moderated by TR Revella-Hamilton, WDS Director of Preservation & Collections
Meet fellow history enthusiasts in person as we discuss thought-provoking books by acclaimed authors. Our carefully curated monthly selections delve into the rich tapestry of American and European history, featuring compelling works about revolutionary figures, historic preservation, decorative arts, and stories that shaped our cultural landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned historian, preservation enthusiast, or simply curious about the stories behind our built heritage, there’s a place for you in our community of learners.
JOIN BOOK CLUB

How it Works: Book Club meets bimonthly at the Museum and via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each designated month, unless otherwise noted. Book Club members will receive the newest book title via email two months prior to the book club date. You may join Book Club at any point during the year. Come when you can – there is no penalty for missing a session.
Book Club 2026 “Library Card” Annual Fee*: $25 General | $20 Museum Members | $15 Students
Your Book Club Library Card entitles you to in-person and virtual Book Club sessions, as well as discounted admission to the accompanying Book Talks lecture series held on Thursdays at the Museum.

FEUDING FOUNDERS COLLECTIVE | Stratford Hall & Menokin, VA: The Lee—Deane Conflict and the Political "Bloodbath" of 1778
2026-11-08 10:00 - 18:00 | Stratford Hall, 483 Great House Road, Stratford, VA, 22558
This event takes place at Stratford Hall and Menokin in Virginia. Attend the full day in person, or purchase a virtual ticket for the roundtable discussion.
Presented in partnership with Jay Heritage Center (NY), Friends of John Jay Homestead, and Menokin and Stratford Hall (VA), this series destabilizes the one-dimensional portraits we’ve inherited and invites audiences to sit with the full complexity of these lives: the ambition and the insecurity, the idealism and the grudges, the smear campaigns and the shared cause.
How did a diplomatic dispute become one of the first political media storms in American history?
Join us at Stratford Hall in Montross, VA for a Semiquincentennial conversation on the aftermath of the Lee—Deane Conflict. In 1776, Silas Deane of Connecticut was sent to France to secure crucial wartime support. He came under fire when Arthur Lee, a Virginian also posted in Europe, accused Deane of profiteering and fraud. The matter exploded into the public sphere when Deane fired back, charging Arthur Lee with spying for the British and sharing information with them. Virginia congressmen Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee found themselves defending their family’s reputation amid a fierce smear campaign that played out in the pages of newspapers up and down the Eastern seaboard. John Jay, then president of Congress, was drawn into the dispute as well, with consequences that would shadow his diplomatic career for years. As accusations and defenses spilled from private correspondence into newspapers, the reputations of all four men were tested before a watching public.
This is a day for people who want to see how the Revolution unfolded not only in congresses and courts, but in print and in public opinion. Begin the morning with a tour of Menokin, Francis Lightfoot Lee’s home, before traveling to nearby Stratford Hall to walk the grounds and tour the house where the Lee brothers grew up. Share lunch and conversation, then hear from scholars representing all four partner sites—Menokin, Stratford Hall, the Webb Deane Stevens Museum, and the John Jay Historic Site—as they examine how the Deane controversy reverberated through the early republic. This Affair affected the reputations of other “feuding fathers” including Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, and John Adams. It offers a window into the rough-and-tumble politics of the 1770s—and a reminder that the tensions between press, politics, and personal reputation are as old as the republic itself.
SCHEDULE (subject to updates)
10:00 AM-11:30 AM: Tour Menokin house and grounds, Warsaw, VA
12:00 PM-1:00 PM: Lunch at Stratford Hall, Montross VA
1:00 PM-2:30 PM: Hour long round table discussion plus Q&A on the Lee—Deane Conflict with representatives from the historic homes of John Jay (NY), Silas Deane (CT), Richard Henry Lee (VA) and Francis Lightfoot Lee (VA).
3:00-4:30 PM: Tour of Stratford Hall
5:00-6:00 PM: Wrap-up Reception and NNK Symposium Kick off, Stratford Hall
6:30-7:30 PM: Talk | NNK Symposium Keynote [add-on $10]
Pricing:
$30 | Sun, 11/8 Day Pass: Includes Menokin tour, Stratford tour, Roundtable, Reception
$10 | Add-on: NNK symposium keynote on 11/8 and NNK Symposium ticket for 11/9
$15 | Roundtable only
$5 | Virtual admission only to Roundtable
Special: $60: Pass to 11/8 Feuding Founders Symposium + Pass to 11/9 NNK Symposium
For more information or to register interest, email Connie Rosemont at crosemont@menokin.org or Hunter Peal at hunterp@stratfordhall.org

Attend All Three!
Each roundtable discussion will be livestreamed on Zoom. Attend all events onsite, online, or a combination!
Webb Deane Stevens Museum | The Making of Silas Deane: May 16, Connecticut
Jay Heritage Center | John Jay, Diplomat and Spymaster: September 26, New York
Stratford Hall & Menokin | The Lee—Deane Conflict and the Political “Bloodbath” of 1778: November 8, Virginia

About Stratford Hall
Stratford Hall brings together people from around the world to experience two-thousand acres of natural and human history, preserved and presented so that we can all learn from the courageous struggles of our ancestors, taking inspiration both from what they endured and what they accomplished. There are few places in America where people can travel down small, rural roads to arrive at a vast site that preserves so many aspects of early-American life, from the Great House where the influential Lee family helped to forge a new nation, to the fields worked by enslaved Africans, to the waters of the rivers that fueled trade, to the ground, which still yields secrets about the people and animals that lived before. Come experience this extraordinary place and learn about a layered history that began millions of years ago—a history that continues to educate, inspire, and influence Americans to the present day.
About Menokin
The Menokin Foundation uses the historic ruin of Francis Lightfoot Lee’s 18th-century home — and the surrounding built and natural environments — as a living laboratory for preservation and public engagement. Rather than recreating the past, Menokin employs contemporary methods to invite visitors into an active exploration of how America was built and what that history means today. One of the most distinctive historic sites in Virginia, Menokin reimagines what a house museum can be — and what honest, provocative engagement with our nation’s founding ideals and realities looks like on the ground.

WDS BOOK CLUB | Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution
2026-12-08 18:00 - 20:00 | WDS Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109
This month we’re reading:
Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution
By Eric Jay Dolin
(Available on Audible)
Tuesday, December 8, 6 pm | In Person and Virtual
Moderated by TR Revella-Hamilton, WDS Director of Preservation & Collections
Meet fellow history enthusiasts in person as we discuss thought-provoking books by acclaimed authors. Our carefully curated monthly selections delve into the rich tapestry of American and European history, featuring compelling works about revolutionary figures, historic preservation, decorative arts, and stories that shaped our cultural landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned historian, preservation enthusiast, or simply curious about the stories behind our built heritage, there’s a place for you in our community of learners.
JOIN BOOK CLUB

How it Works: Book Club meets bimonthly at the Museum and via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each designated month, unless otherwise noted. Book Club members will receive the newest book title via email two months prior to the book club date. You may join Book Club at any point during the year. Come when you can – there is no penalty for missing a session.
Book Club 2026 “Library Card” Annual Fee*: $25 General | $20 Museum Members | $15 Students
Your Book Club Library Card entitles you to in-person and virtual Book Club sessions, as well as discounted admission to the accompanying Book Talks lecture series held on Thursdays at the Museum.
