Board Members dressed in Colonial attire welcomed a large crowd to the Deacon John Grave House and Gardens. Visitors from throughout Connecticut, as well as from New York and Rhode Island, toured the house. Docents demonstrated hearth cooking and used displays of antique tools and equipment to present information about […] Read more »
Madison 2nd and 4th grade program continues
The annual Spring program for all public second and fourth grade students is a joint Event of the Madison Historical and the Deacon John Grave Foundation. Over three days, around 500 students, teachers and parents rotated between three education stations to learn about early Madison. The Deacon John Grave House […] Read more »
Strong House Seniors Visit the Grave House Again for History and Hearth Cooking
On April 15th, the Strong House of Madison made their annual visit to enjoy our historical program depicting everyday life in colonial Connecticut. The history of the house and the Grave family provided interesting discussions. Some toured the second floor for a demonstration about flax growing, linen making, spinning and […] Read more »
A New Holiday Tradition
A Journey Through Time – The Lantern Tour On a mild evening, December 14th the Deacon John Grave Foundation together with the Madison Historical Society and students from Daniel Hand High School offered special house tours in the Madison Historical District. Over 100 people participated. Groups of 10 visitors with […] Read more »
Children’s Holiday & Open House
November 30th brought the month to a close and opened the winter holidays. To celebrate the start of the festivities, the Deacon’s family had decorated their homestead. Guests were welcomed into the kitchen for cookie baking at the “Children’s Holiday”. With cookies in the oven, families retired to the main […] Read more »
Country Day School Second Grade Visit
In mid October the Country Day School Second grade class and teachers enjoyed a morning field trip to the Grave House and grounds. This annual even remains a highlight of the Education Program. The class toured the house and learned it’s history. Antque tools were explained as well as hearth […] Read more »
Annual Meeting Featured Board Member and Town Historian in a Talk and Display of Old Maps
Henry Griggs, Past President of the Deacon John Grave House gave an interesting presentation of his collection of very old maps. Of note was a 1827 very colorful large map which illustrated Madison as an independent town in 1826. During social time members were able to view the maps on display […] Read more »
Fourth of July Open House
Madison marked Independence Day, starting it with a bang…and an evening of fireworks! The celebration continued the following morning with a Fourth of July parade down the main street. Many of the parade entries lingered in front of the Deacon’s house for an extra drum beat or photo shoot, where […] Read more »
Lessons on the Lawn
Area history buffs met on the lawn at the Deacon’s House on a warm Friday evening recently to hear about the life and times of Daniel Hand, a native son and progressive philanthropist. While the audience gathered, people shared food and conversation in anticipation of the informal lecture to come. […] Read more »
Connecticut Open House Day at the Grave House & Gardens
Connecticut started the event 14 years ago and on Saturday, June 9th and over 230 houses participated. A large crowd toured the Grave House observing and tasting a hearth cooking demo. The cooking included potato chowder, strawberry fritters, strawberry cornbread and a hanging chicken. Farm tools, linen making, including growing […] Read more »