Hempsted Houses Host FREE Pirates & the Sea Day
Join Connecticut Landmarks at the Hempsted Houses on Saturday, August 12 to learn about the sea farers of not so long ago. All are invited to this FREE event with sea-celebrating festivities from 1-4pm. Pirates and privateers once sailed the sound and strolled the streets of New London. The Hempsted family had connections to a privateer/pirate and was involved in New London’s maritime trade. The site’s stone house was constructed by Nathaniel Hempsted in 1759. Nathaniel was a merchant and one of three rope makers in maritime New London. Learn about the trade of rope making and try your hand at our rope making machine. Budding shipwrights can craft their own toy boat and then set it afloat. Express your inner sea farer with a henna tattoo and create a treasure map. Legendary pirate stories and sea shanties are sure to buoy the atmosphere! And don’t forget to tour the Hempsted Houses that witnessed all the salty characters and tales of New London’s maritime past! FREE family event sponsored by the Chester Kitchings Family Foundation.
About The Hempsted Houses
The 1678 Joshua Hempsted House is the oldest house in New London and is one of New England’s best-documented dwellings. Adjacent to the Joshua Hempsted House is a rare stone house built in 1759 by Nathaniel Hempsted. Both structures survived the 1781 burning of New London and stand today as testaments of 17th and 18th-century daily life.
About Connecticut Landmarks
Founded in 1936, Connecticut Landmarks is the largest state-wide heritage museum organization in Connecticut. The historic, landmark properties span four centuries of Connecticut history and include: the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem; the Butler-McCook House & Garden and Main Street History Center, Hartford; the Buttolph-Williams House, Wethersfield; the Hempsted Houses, New London; the Isham-Terry House, Hartford; the Nathan Hale Homestead, Coventry; the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden, Suffield. Connecticut Landmarks’ mission is to inspire interest and encourage learning about the American past by preserving selected historic properties, collections and stories and presenting programs that meaningfully engage the public and our communities. For more information, please visit www.ctlandmarks.org.