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Becky Giantonio, Pita Communications
(860) 293-0157, ext. 25; becky@pitacomm.com
WEBB-DEANE-STEVENS MUSEUM AND CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA
FEATURED IN NATIONAL MAGAZINE
July Issue of Antiques: The Magazine Reveals the
History of the Museum and the Women Behind It
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (July 2007) – Wethersfield’s own Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum appears in the July issue of the national publication Antiques: The Magazine, on newsstands now. The issue, dedicated to the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), features the museum among many of the society’s other historic restoration and preservation projects.
The July issue, which features nine articles on the NSCDA’s work, represents the first time Antiques: The Magazine has dedicated an entire issue to an organization. Second only to the National Park Service in the number of properties they own, the NSCDA operates societies in 44 states, has acquired, restored and preserved 62 properties – including the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum – and maintains a vast collection of thousands of historic objects. The National Park Service recently recognized the NSCDA for its historic preservation and education efforts.
“We are very pleased and gratified to see the Connecticut Dames’ work recognized alongside the efforts of our sisters societies,” said Anne Kuckro, president of the Connecticut chapter of NSCDA. “Our historic houses help the individuals who visit them to imagine the people who lived there and to understand the role that they played in American history.”
Kuckro and the Connecticut chapter of NSCDA are responsible for overseeing a large number of projects currently underway in the state, including the preservation of the Joseph Webb, Isaac Stevens and Silas Deane houses in Old Wethersfield.
Six of the issue’s articles on American architecture, period room settings, furniture, ceramics, paintings and prints refer to persons or objects associated with the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. Photos of objects from the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum’s collection and a brief history of the museum are included.
In his article, “Treasure Houses of the Colonial Dames,” Jane Nylander recounts how the Connecticut Dames began the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in 1919 with the purchase of the 1752 Webb House from antiquarian Wallace Nutting. Nylander’s article includes a photograph of the bedchamber, where General Washington stayed for five days in 1781. During those days, he and the French commander, Jean Baptist de Vimeur, the Conte de Rochambeau, met in the Webb House to plan the joint military campaign that led to the defeat of the British at Yorktown during the American Revolution.
William Hosley’s article, “A Precious Legacy of Furniture,” includes a photograph of a tea table made in Wethersfield within 10 years of Washington’s visit. Visitors to the museum’s Webb House can see this table, as well as the bedchamber where Washington slept.
At the Stevens House, built in 1789 and acquired by the Dames in 1958, visitors can see the leather fire bucket featured in Nylander’s article, as well as the 19th-century toy schoolhouse shown in “The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America: The First 116 Year” by Nancy Douthat Goss and Alexandra West Rollins.
The Connecticut Society’s collection of antique toys, including the toy schoolhouse, is featured in the recently opened toy museum and children’s exhibits on the second floor of the Stevens House.
“Without the Dames’ continued support, we would be unable to offer such a wide scope of programs, events and special exhibits, such as the new toy museum,” said Charles Lyle, executive director of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum.
The Connecticut Dames are currently working to acquire a $3 million endowment fund to continue operation of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum and are planning a capital campaign to raise money for an addition to the museum.
Copies of the July issue are available in the museum’s shop for $10.
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 conte 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.
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