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Chelsea Constantino

Nathan Hale Homestead

Friday, October 14th, 2016

Elizabeth O’Brien: Tour Guide

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The Nathan Hale Homestead was built by the Hale family in 1775. Nathan Hale, the

celebrated Connecticut state hero recognized for his contribution as a spy to the American

Revolution, was the family’s fifth son, and only twenty-one years old when he was hanged by

British troops for treason. Nathan Hale’s famous last words, “I only regret I have but one life to

give for my country,” have gone down in infamy, representing the fervent Patriotism of many

colonists during the war. The homestead housed around sixteen Hale family members during the

late-18th century, and was not maintained by the labor of slaves or domestic servants. Female

family members were in charge of domestic duties while male relatives managed the cattle farm

and held additional occupations in law, education, and the clergy.

The homestead was purchased in 1914 by George Dudley Seymour, a Connecticut lawyer

and historian interested in local history, particularly Nathan Hale. Seymour found the homestead

abandoned, and after discovering a silhouette of Nathan Hale hidden by layers of paint on the

back of a door, was convinced of the site’s historical value. The homestead was restored and

mildly altered by Seymour, who also donated the three hundred acres of land surrounding the

homestead to the state of Connecticut, now the Nathan Hale State Forest. Today, possession of

the Nathan Hale Homestead has fallen to Connecticut Landmarks, an organization whose

mission is to, “acquire and preserve... real and personal property having scenic, artistic, literary,

educational, architectural, and monumental...interest, to the public...” (2014). CT Landmarks is

administered by a board of directors, and is funded primarily through grants and revenue

collected at their various sites.

The homestead’s website provides general information about the site’s history and

programs offered. Upcoming special events can be found under “Events and Programs,” which

include “Grave Yard Tours,” and “Things that go Bump in the Night Tours,” around Halloween.
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The “School and Youth Groups,” link describes activities for students at the homestead,

including hearth cooking, spinning and weaving, 18th-ventury schoolhouse and farm

reenactments, writing in invisible ink, nature walks, and creating a shadow portrait. This page

also addresses the homestead’s general policies for field trips, such as prices, group sizes, and

student-to-chaperone ratios. The “Links and Nearby” page lists contact information for nearby

local historical sites, such as the Coventry Brick Schoolhouse.

The Nathan Hale Homestead extensively depicts the perspectives of Hale family

members, however, it does not depict the experiences of other groups during the American

Revolution. While the perspectives of white middle-class men, women, and children are

thoroughly conveyed, those of African slaves, Native Americans, and other oppressed groups are

not, in part because the Hale family did not own slaves or employ servants. However, the

dynamics between these groups provide valuable insight to the Revolutionary era, therefore,

incorporating these perspectives would improve and expand the homestead’s depiction of the

past. The homestead does an excellent job of portraying domestic responsibilities of 18th-century

middle-class women through engaging students in hearth cooking, spinning, and weaving. Also,

students are able to step into the shoes of youths before them through an 18th-centruy

schoolhouse reenactment, developing historical empathy and creating past-present connections.

While the Hale homestead excludes perspectives of oppressed groups, preventing it from

accurately representing Revolutionary-era society as a whole, it does convey white, middle-class

experiences effectively.

A tour through the homestead entails accompanying a tour guide through the various

rooms, many of which contain belongings of the Hale family. The homestead memorializes

Nathan Hale and his family through preserving their belongings and reproducing the habitat they
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lived in. In each of the bedrooms, surviving possessions of the family are displayed. For

example, in the girls’ bedroom where four daughters slept, there are petticoats, gloves, hats, and

trunks that belonged to the girls. Though Nathan Hale never lived in the house, his shoe buckles,

clothing, and his trunk are also displayed in the boys’ bedroom. In the kitchen, foods and

cooking utensils the family would have consumed and used are present, including herbs taken

from the restored family garden. In the “Judgment Room” where patriarch Richard Hale would

hold local hearings, tea sets, furniture, and portraits of the family are displayed. Amidst the

reproduction of these rooms, original light fixtures have been modernized with electricity, heat,

and air conditioning. Modern bathrooms have also been added on to the side of the house for the

convenience of guests. While the homestead strives to recreate the environment the Hale family

inhabited, modifications have been made as necessary.

The Nathan Hale Homestead tells the narrative of a white, middle-class family during the

American Revolution. The experiences of white men, women, and children are the primary

focus, excluding those of other groups. I would recommend a half-day field trip to the homestead

for middle school students studying the American Revolution. I don’t believe there are enough

activities to engage middle school students for an entire day at the homestead, however, I think

that some of the activities, such as the 18th-century school and farming reenactments, hearth

cooking, and spinning and weaving, would be beneficial for students’ comprehension of

everyday life for families like the Hale’s during this era. Students’ historical understanding of the

Revolutionary era must be supplemented by additional experiences that depict other perspectives

besides those at the Nathan Hale Homestead.

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Appendix

This Nathan Hale Homestead, surrounded by students who just completed activities and a tour
inside. The Georgian-style house was built at the beginning of the American Revolution, and was
not quite complete when Nathan Hale became a captain of a Connecticut regiment in 1776. In
addition to learning about the Hale family, students learn about how the house was built and who
lived in which rooms of the house during the tour component of their field trip.
The house is surrounded by over three hundred acres of land where the Hale family once raised
cattle. Today, the land composes the Nathan Hale State Forest. One program the homestead
offers approaches the homestead from an environmental angle, taking the students on a nature
walk to analyze how the landscape has transformed from grazing fields to forest.
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Two barns adjacent to the homestead are currently being modernized into venues to hold
educational sessions, conferences, and events such as weddings. These barns were once used to
house the Hale family’s cattle. I was disappointed to hear these components of the homestead
which may hold educational value are being modernized, however, I understood this was a step
the homestead needed to take financially. The homestead will now be able to host larger groups
of students once these barns are completed, and perhaps a new source of revenue will allow the
homestead to develop new educational activities.
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At the homestead’s hearth students are guided by staff in preparing colonial-era snacks and tea
using convection ovens, seen in front. Because the original hearth was located in the lowest level
of the homestead, this hearth was recreated in accordance with modern fire codes to allow its
use. In the kitchen, students learn how colonial cooking differs from how we prepare food today,
walking students through the process of farming and harvesting crops. The staff shares stories of
Abigail, Elizabeth, and Joanna Hale, the mother and eldest daughters of the Hale family who
were responsible for cooking in a house without slave labor. Hearth activities expose students to
colonial practices and female perspectives.
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Above is Deacon Richard Hale’s “Judgment Room,” a parlor where he would hear local court
cases. Homestead staff illustrate the role of local judges during the colonial era through
providing examples of problems a Justice of the Peace may have solved. The “Judgment Room,”
is an example of where I think staff could lead engaging activities with students. For example,
having them dissect primary sources from colonial-era court cases could further foster their
understanding of the Hale family members’ lives, as well as colonial life overall through
presenting common issues which arose in this society.
The table in the image is not native to the Homestead, but instead on loan from an inn in
Lebanon, CT George Washington allegedly visited. I thought this was an interesting addition,
however, I did not understand its utility to this particular exhibit.
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The bedroom above lodged anywhere from three to four Hale daughters during their lifetimes.
The room is decorated with the daughters’ possessions, including gloves, hats, stockings, shoes,
and a petticoat, laid across the bed. Students were shocked to learn that four daughters shared
this room – and bed – at a time.
In the right corner there is a wheel used to spin yarn used by the Hale daughters. Downstairs,
students are able to comb wool and spin it on a wheel with staff assistance. There are also several
looms where students can learn to weave. The homestead does an excellent job of portraying and
engaging students in domestic activities of females during the colonial era, providing insight to
the roles of women in this society.
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Faintly traced on the door above is the only existing image of Nathan Hale. The silhouette is
believed to have been traced while Nathan was home on a three-week furlough in January 1776.
The silhouette was drawn in the Hale family’s previous house, however, they used the same
doors when constructing their new house. George Dudley Seymour heard about the silhouette
from a distant Hale descendant in 1914, and discovered it under layers of paint. The silhouette is
one of the Hale Homestead’s unique mysteries. After learning about the silhouette, students were
able to create their own shadow portraits in partners using flashlights.
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Photo Notes

Learning Representative Historical Notes

Photos Photos Analysis
Photos
Photo 1 X The Nathan Hale Homestead,
surrounded by students who just
completed activities and a tour
inside. These students were in 7th
grade, and from Vernon Center
Middle School.
Photo 2 X Students learn about different
plants grown by the Hale family,
and are able to use replicas of 18th-
century farm tools in the garden
adjacent to the house.
Photo 3 X These barns originally housed the
Hale family’s cattle, but are being
renovated to hold educational
sessions and to be rented as an
event venue to provide the
homestead with an additional
source of revenue.
Photo 4 X Outside the homestead, near the
barns, there was a stone
monument for Thomae Hooker
Bones from 1937. The purpose of
this monument is unclear because
the text is written in Latin,
however, I found it interesting that
the homestead was chosen as a
location for this monument.
Perhaps it was located here
because it was believed it would
accrue an audience from those
visiting the homestead.
Photo 5 X In this smaller building to the side
of the homestead, the 18th-century
schoolhouse reenactment is held.
While I was not able to get into
the building, I was told by the staff
that it is very cramped inside, and
there are benches in rows for
students to sit at.
Photo 6 X At the hearth, students are able to
participate in colonial era cooking,
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using ingredients from the family

garden and a tin convection oven.
Students also boil water to make
tea and make lavender sachets.
This hearth is not the original – it
was recreated to fit modern fire
codes.
Photo 7 X In the front parlor, where the Hale
family would entertain company,
there were portraits of Hal family
members and ancestors, in
addition to furniture, tea sets, and
a pair of glasses originally
belonging to the family.
Photo 8 X The front parlor also had a portrait
of John Hale, the son who ended
up taking over the homestead and
farm after Richard Hale’s passing.
John was not the eldest son,
because Samuel, the eldest son,
allegedly was psychologically
scarred from fighting in the
Revolutionary war and unable to
manage the farm.
Photo 9 X Elizabeth Hale’s tea set, at her
mother’s table. The tea set and the
table are examples of artifacts
preserved in the homestead
intended to memorialize the
family members and provide
insight to their lives.
Photo X A desk where John Hale wrote his
10 letters, with a quill and ink.
Students were interested to learn
this method of writing, and were
able to experiment using a quill
during the invisible ink activity,
intended to simulate Nathan
Hale’s experiences as a spy.
Photo X Richard Hale’s Windsor chair, an
11 eclectic artifact preserved by the
homestead. Many artifacts, such as
this chair, were passed down
through Hale generations, and
after George Dudley Seymour’s
purchase of the homestead were
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returned to the homestead in

efforts to memorialize the family.
Photo X A marriage contract, signed by
12 Deacon Richard Hale. This is
shown to students as an example
of daily duties of the Justice of the
Peace, and to illustrate colonial-
era societies. Past-present
connections can also be made
through this document, through
visible language which is still
present in modern weddings, such
as “to have and to hold.”
Photo X A writing desk which belonged to
13 John Hale, also with a quill and
ink. On the writing desk are
recreated copies of early colonial
newspapers which students can
read through, even though there is
no formal activity involving them.
Photo X The seat of Deacon Richard Hale,
14 where he would sit as Justice of
the Peace as he listened to local
cases. While the chair is original
to the house, the table was on lend
from a historical inn in Lebanon,
and supposedly George
Washington ate at it.
Photo X An illustration of a Hale family
15 tree, listing Richard Hale’s two
wives and their respective
children. This is shown to students
to illustrate how big families often
were during this time. Students are
encouraged while analyzing the
family tree to compare and
contrast it to their own families.
Photo X Nathan Hale’s trunk, which
16 accompanied him throughout his
time as a captain. The deer skin
covering the trunk has been
flattened and eroded with time,
however, staff have a patch of
modern deer skin to show students
to help them visualize what it
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would have been covered in

during Nathan Hale’s lifetime.
Photo X The silhouette of Nathan Hale
17 discovered by George Dudley
Seymour on the back of a door,
under layers of paint. It is the only
known existing image of Nathan
Hale. Discovering the silhouette
was what convinced Seymour to
purchase and restore the
homestead. After learning about
the silhouette, students are able to
make their own shadow portraits
using flashlights.
Photo X The girls’ bedroom, where 3-4
18 Hale daughters slept. Learning
that so many people shared a small
room and bed was shocking to
many of the students. Also, in the
back corner of the room is a wheel
for spinning yarn, similar to the
one students use downstairs when
learning how to spin and weave.
Photo X A list of Yale graduates from
19 1773. There are three Hale sons on
this list, including Nathan, who
continued on as a teacher in
Norwich following his graduation.
Nathan was a teacher up until he
became a captain of a Connecticut
regiment in the Revolution.
Photo X Tin convection ovens, similar to
20 those used by colonists, which
students use to prepare toast,
which they top with strawberry
preserves. Around Thanksgiving,
the homestead offers a program
where they prepare a full
Thanksgiving feast using only
colonial cookware. Students were
surprised that these ovens would
be able to cook an entire turkey.
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References

History. (2014). Retrieved October 17, 2016, from http://www.ctlandmarks.org/page/history-0

Nathan Hale Homestead. (2014). Retrieved October 20, 2016, from

http://www.ctlandmarks.org/content/nathan-hale-homestead