MAY
Decades of Dishes
When: Saturday, May 16, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Admission: $5 Historic New England members, $8 nonmembers
Please note: Registration recommended
Learn about late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century ceramics and what these objects tell us about the social history of dining in America. The program begins with an illustrated lecture about American and imported ceramics, highlighting changes in style, materials, and manufacturing technology. Afterwards, tour rooms in the house that the Bowen family used for entertaining and examine their collection of china, including pieces not regularly on display.
Power of the Press
When: Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Admission: Free to Historic New England members, $8 nonmembers
Please note: Registration recommended
Power of the Press, 1858-1859, addresses critical events leading up to the Civil War, including the Lincoln-Douglas debates and John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Historic New England staff present excerpts from editorials and articles in Henry Chandler Bowen’s newspaper, The Independent, and other papers of the period, with primary source images and a narration. A question and answer period follows the presentations.
JUNE
Meet the Author-Book Signing
When: Saturday, June 20, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Celebrate America's Kitchens, Historic New England's newest publication, with a talk and book signing by co-author and Museum Historian Jennifer Pustz. Innovatively designed and lavishly illustrated with drawings, photographs, and colorful ephemera from Historic New England's diverse collections, America's Kitchens features New England kitchens, detached kitchens on southern plantations, Spanish colonial kitchens of the Southwest, elaborate nineteenth-century kitchens in the Midwest, and middle-class open-plan homes of 1950s suburbia.
Sixth Annual Connecticut’s Historic Gardens Day
When: Sunday, June 21, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Celebrate Connecticut’s Historic Gardens Day at Roseland Cottage. Enjoy a guided tour of the garden and learn the history, significance, and theory behind the Roseland Cottage garden layout and design, including Historic New England's on-going boxwood restoration project.
Twilight Lawn Concert
When: Friday, June 26 (rain date June 29), 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Enjoy the sounds of the Windham Concert Band. Visitors are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair and a picnic supper. Cosponsored with the Woodstock Recreation Commission.
JULY
Fourth of July Celebration
When: Saturday, July 4, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Celebrate the Fourth of July at the home of a man called “Mr. Fourth of July” for his patriotism and close ties to several U.S. presidents. Historic flags used by Henry Bowen during his July 4 celebrations (1870-1895), including a 29-foot flag flown for the 1889 visit by President Benjamin Harrison, are on display. Ulysses S. Grant makes a special appearance. Family activities are offered, including period children’s games, word puzzles, and art projects.
Twilight Lawn Concerts
When: Sunday, July 12 (rain date August 14) and Saturday, July 25, 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Enjoy the sounds of local bands. Visitors are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair and a picnic supper. Cosponsored with the Woodstock Recreation Commission.
Food and Family
When: Saturday, July 18, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Admission: $10 Historic New England members, $15 nonmembers
Please note: Registration required
Historic New England Museum Historian Jennifer Pustz delivers an illustrated presentation of food traditions in the late nineteenth century, highlighting the recipes, menus, and tastes of the Bowen family. The presentation is followed by a tasting of Bowen family recipes, generously provided by the Mansion at Bald Hill, and a tour of the entertaining spaces at Roseland Cottage.
Victorian Tea
When: Thursday, July 23, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 Historic New England members, $15 nonmembers
Please note: Registration required
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea in the carriage barn. After nibbling on scones and cakes, tour this remarkable Gothic Revival summer cottage to learn about Victorian dining customs and etiquette, then stroll through the formal parterre garden, laid out by Henry C. Bowen in 1850.
AUGUST
Twilight Lawn Concert
When: Wednesday, August 5 (rain date August 6), 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Enjoy the sounds of the Little Big Band. Visitors are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair and a picnic supper. Cosponsored with the Woodstock Recreation Commission.
Victorian Tea
When: Thursday, August 13, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 Historic New England members, $15 nonmembers
Please note: Registration required
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea in the carriage barn. After nibbling on scones and cakes, tour this remarkable Gothic Revival summer cottage to learn about Victorian dining customs and etiquette, then stroll through the formal parterre garden, laid out by Henry C. Bowen in 1850.
Behind the Scenes at Roseland Cottage
When: Saturday, August 29, 1:00 -2:30 p.m.
Admission: $5 Historic New England members, $8 nonmembers
Please note: Registration required
This in-depth tour explores sections of Henry C. Bowen’s Gothic Revival summer retreat not typically seen by visitors. Visitors have the opportunity to see the house and barn from the attic to the basement, including the servants’ quarters, back staircases, water cisterns, and barn haylofts.
SEPTEMBER
Civil War Living History Weekend
When: Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m
Admission: Free
Roseland Cottage opens its grounds for a Civil War living history weekend. Civilian and military reenactors create a sense of life during the middle of the nineteenth century at a time the country was in the deadly grips of the Civil War. Period children's games and activities will be available as well.
Power of the Press
When: Wednesday, September 30, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Admission: free to Historic New England members, $8 nonmembers
Please note: Registration recommended
Power of the Press, 1858 - 1859, addresses critical events leading up to the Civil War, including the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry. Staff present excerpts from editorials and articles in Henry Chandler Bowen’s newspaper, The Independent, and other papers of the period, with primary source images and a narration. A question-and-answer period follows the presentations.
OCTOBER
Walktober, Speaking from the Grave
When: Sunday, October 11, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Explore the oldest burying ground in Windham County (c. 1689). Learn about gravestone art and the different carvers in Northeast Connecticut. Interact with costumed interpreters, who will portray people from Woodstock’s past and speak about Woodstock’s history. Bring a camera and sketchbook.
Annual Fine Arts and Crafts Festival
When: Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Admission: Free to Historic New England members and children under 12, $5 nonmembers
Please note: Rain or shine
This festival is one of the leading juried fine arts and crafts shows in New England and features 175 artisans and their wares - jewelry, woodworking, pottery, clothing, metalwork, and much more. Enjoy live music, a food court, and first floor tours of Roseland Cottage.
DECEMBER
The Bowen's 1887 Christmas Celebration
When: Sunday, December 6, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
This annual Christmas program highlights decorations based upon the Bowens' 1887 written account of their Christmas celebration in New York. Enjoy first floor tours of the house, holiday music, and readings from Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Appointments can also be made for special group tours through January 10, for a fee of $5 per person.
For more information, contact: Lisa Centola, Roseland Cottage Site Manager
PO Box 186, 556 Route 169 , Woodstock, Connecticut 06281
Phone: 860-928-4074
Fax: 860-963-2208