Attention Media: Hugh Howard is available for phone interviews prior to his appearance at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum.
Contact:
Becky Giantonio, Pita Communications
(860) 293-0157, ext. 25; becky@pitacomm.com
VENTURE INTO THE HOMES OF
AMERICA’S FOUNDING FATHERS AT THE
WEBB-DEANE-STEVENS MUSEUM ON MAY 4
Award-Winning Author Hugh Howard to Discuss His Latest Book, Which Reveals the Private Lives of Those Who Shaped Our Country’s History
Silas Deane and Joseph Webb Houses Among the Sites Featured
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (March 31, 2008) – Get a unique and intimate look into the private lives of our country’s founding fathers on May 4 at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield. Award-winning author Hugh Howard will speak about his latest book, Houses of the Founding Fathers, which brings readers into the towns, homes and lives of 48 leaders of the revolutionary generation.
This free lecture is part of the museum’s annual Beatrice Utley Lecture. Mrs. Utley died in 1998 after serving with distinction as the chairman of the Silas Deane House and in various other capacities for both the Connecticut Society and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
Among the sites featured in the book are the museum’s own Silas Deane and Joseph Webb houses. Howard discusses the stories of Silas Deane as America’s first secret agent and the meeting between George Washington and French General le comte de Rochambeau at the Joseph Webb House that ultimately led to the Battle of Yorktown.
Howard’s nine books on historic architecture include Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson: Rediscovering the Founding Fathers of American Architecture, a book about the early days of American architecture and their rediscovery by Jefferson scholar Fiske Kimball, as well as the award-winning House-Dreams, a memoir concerning the Federal Revival home he designed and built for himself and his wife, writer Elizabeth Lawrence, and their daughters.
Howard’s writings have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, Biblio, Preservation and Early American Life, among many other publications. He is the founding editor of The Eastfield Record, a Historic Eastfield Foundation periodical, and has been a writer, researcher and scout for a number of A&E Networks television specials.
WHAT: Lecture by award-winning author Hugh Howard on his latest book, Houses of the Founding Fathers, which brings readers into the homes and private lives of 48 revolutionary generation leaders who shaped America’s history. Among the homes featured are the museum’s Silas Deane and Joseph Webb houses.
WHERE: Webb Barn at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
211 Main St., Wethersfield, CT 06109
WHEN: Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m. Wine and cheese reception to follow the talk.
COST: Free
For more information, please contact Charles Lyle at (860) 529-0612 or visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org .
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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 General le comte de Rochambeau; the 1766 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 new children’s museum.
The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, located at 211 Main St., Wethersfield, is open daily – with the exception of Tuesday – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May through October, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., November 1 through April 30. 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.