Get your tickets early for our Fall programs.
upcoming events
Other People's Stuff: How the Spectacle of House Museums Can Bring Us Together and Teach Us Empathy
Presented by Brenton Grom, Executive Director of WDS Museum
September 12, 6:30-8 pm
Amid strident politics and what the U.S. Surgeon General has described as an “epidemic of loneliness,” Americans today give less than ever to charity, belong to fewer organizations, and feel increasingly isolated even as technology connects us. Old houses and the awe they inspire can open our minds and teach us to look critically at the things around us, helping us to see one another with the same curiosity and respect we afford to people of the past.
Join WDS Executive Director Brenton Grom for the first in a new program series entitled Common Ground in a Fractured Nation: Dialogues on the Past and Future of American Democracy, which reflects on the relationship between the individual and the larger community.
Preservation in Action: Book Launch & Party
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Preservation in Action, written by former NSCDA-CT President Anne Crofoot Kuckro, with stunning images by Peter Brown. Preservation in Action is the first publication to tell the compelling, illustrated story of preservation in Old Wethersfield, Connecticut’s largest and oldest historic district in its oldest town.
Pre-order your copy today, and RSVP to get an exclusive invite to the limited-ticket Launch Party featuring a special exhibition of Brown’s photographs from the book.
Flowers & Flavor: Garden Tours with High Tea
Sun, September 29, 10-11:30 a.m.
Start your Sunday off with florals, flavor, and flair. Join our Head Gardener Peter Winne for an intimate tour of our colonial revival gardens, followed by “high tea” in the garden. Scratch your horticultural itch, or just enjoy a whimsical morning among flowers and friends.
Tickets: $40; $35 members
Note: Each event is limited to 16 guests. To book a private tour and tea for your friends and family, contact events@wdsmuseum.org.
From Grieving Hearts to Guiding Spirits: A Medium's Journey with Scott Allan
Thu, October 3, 6-8 pm
Unlock the mysteries beyond our world with renowned medium Scott Allan. Join us for an enlightening evening as Scott shares profound insights from his experiences connecting the living with loved ones who have passed on. Discover how grief can transform into healing and hope.
Tickets: $20; $15 members
The Last Night, A Connecticut Witch Trials Play
Thu, October 10, 6 pm Reception | 6:30 pm performance, Q&A to follow
Experience the gripping stories of Mary Barnes and Rebecca Greensmith, accused and convicted of witchcraft in colonial Connecticut. This powerful play brings their forgotten voices to life in our atmospheric 18th-century barn. Join us for a haunting evening of history, drama, and reflection on a dark chapter of our past.
Tickets: $20; $15 members
This program is part of Common Ground in a Fractured Nation: Dialogues on the Past and Future of American Democracy, a new series which uses Historic Wethersfield’s distinctive colonial past to help people see and empathize with one another as we approach America’s 250th anniversary.
The Loyalist Legacy: Martha Codman Karolik's Ancestry, Collecting, and Nationalism with MaryKate Smolenski
Sat, Oct 13, 6:30 pm Lecture
Details forthcoming. Inquire at info@wdsmuseum.org
Tickets: $20; $15 members
Lecture with Beth Caruso
Thu, Oct 17, 6 pm Reception | 6:30 pm Lecture
Join us for an enlightening evening with acclaimed author Beth Caruso as she delves into Connecticut’s often-overlooked witch trials. Discover the stories of those accused and the societal forces that fueled the hysteria.
Caruso, known for her meticulous research and engaging storytelling, will illuminate this complex and misunderstood period of our state’s history. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain new insights into a fascinating and tragic era of early American life.
Tickets: $20; $15 members
Witches and Tombstones Tours
Saturdays, October 19 + 26, 10:30 am – 4 pm
An up close and creepy examination of all things funereal, our popular Witches & Tombstones Tour returns on Saturday, October 19, and Saturday, October 26.
The Witches & Tombstones Tour begins at The Isaac Stevens House with the wake of young Henry Stevens, who died at the age of three. Guests will learn about 19th-century mourning practices, how illnesses were treated, and how the living dealt with fears of being buried alive. Next, guests will visit the Wethersfield Ancient Burying Ground. See the graves and hear stories of those who met their end during Connecticut’s first mass murder and learn how gravestones warned the living of their own impending peril. The final stop on the Tour is The Buttolph-Williams House (c 1711), the setting for the award-winning children’s novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Hear stories about the notorious Wethersfield Witch Trials, which preceded the Salem Witch Trials by 30 years. The Buttolph-Williams House is a Connecticut Landmarks Property.
Tour times: 10:30am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
Tickets: Members: $25 per person | General Public: $30 per person. Tours are limited to groups of 16.
*Please note: The Witches & Tombstones Tour includes climbing stairs and walking on uneven ground. It is not recommended for youth under age 12.
Symposium | Common Ground in a Fractured Nation: Dialogues on the Past and Future of American Democracy
Sat, November 2, 9 am-4 pm
SAVE THE DATE! In partnership with The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut, engaged in a lively and comprehensive symposium on political speech, featuring distinguished speakers from various fields.