Press Room

 

Charles Lyle, Executive Director, Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, (860) 529-0612; clyle@webb-deane-stevens.org
Jenny Smith, Pita Group, (860) 293-0157 ext. 15; jenny@thepitagroup.com

Ghosts of Wethersfield’s past yield their secrets
during Spirits of Old Wethersfield tours at the
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
October 9, 6 to 9:30 p.m.

[Wethersfield, Conn., September 27, 2010] —Meet the spirits within three of Connecticut’s most historic homes. Learn the secrets of their inhabitants’ lives and deaths over three centuries during the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum’s ‘Spirits of Old Wethersfield’ Halloween house tours October 9 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

Guides in capes and lanterns usher you into the Silas Deane House, where the spirit of Continental Congress delegate Silas Deane— who was the United States’ first diplomat — will relate how he may have been betrayed at the hands of a British counter-spy and died (many say he was murdered) in 1789.  

Within the Isaac Stevens House learn how people in the early 1800’s treated illness using early medical techniques. Also learn how families dealt with the death of a loved one at this time. In the home’s front parlor, you will witness how the family mourned the premature death of a child by draping cloths over pictures and stopping the clock at the time of death. During this period, funeral services were held in the home and the deceased was buried in the churchyard across the street.

At the Joseph Webb House, Mrs. Wallace Nutting will talk about how the nervous breakdown of her Congregational minister husband Wallace Nutting led to his career as an antiquarian, photographer, illustrator and art merchant. Visitors will enter the Webb House’s Yorktown Parlor, where they will meet Mr. and Mrs. Nutting.

WHAT: Spirits of Old Wethersfield House Tours

WHERE: Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, Conn. 06109

WHEN: Saturday, October 9

TIME: 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tours begin at 6 p.m. from the Webb house gift shop and depart every 30 minutes.

COST: $10 for adults ($8.00 for adult museum members) and $8 for children ($6.00 for youth museum members). Recommended for children 10 and older. A paying adult must accompany children. Tours begin at 6 p.m. from the Webb house gift shop and depart every 30 minutes.

About the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum

Located in the heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district, the museum, which consists of three authentically restored 18th-century homes, brings Wethersfield’s rich history to life, from the American Revolution to the early 20th century. The museum includes the 1752 Joseph Webb House, which served as George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in May 1781, when he met with French Lieutenant General le Compte de Rochambeau; the 1770 Silas Deane House, built for America’s first diplomat to France; and the 1788 Isaac Stevens House, which depicts life in the 18th and 19th centuries through original family objects and includes a children’s exhibit.
 
The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, located at 211 Main St., Wethersfield, is open Monday-Saturday – with the exception of Tuesday – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m., May through October, and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m., in April and November.  December hours vary, call the museum or visit our website for details.  Three-house tours cost $8 for adults and $4 for students and children ages 5 to 18. For information about current exhibits, upcoming events or Museum School classes, call (860) 529-0612 or visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org.