Historic Wethersfield museum showcases Revolutionary War legacy

WETHERSFIELD, CT. (WFSB) - The Webb Deane Stevens Museum consists of three historic houses that line Main Street in Old Wethersfield, nestled in the heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district.

“It makes for a really special campus. They weren’t moved onto this campus. This is where they’ve always been, and they’re at the center of this town,” said Brenton Grom, Executive Director, Webb Deane Stevens Museum.

The eight-acre campus encompasses the Silas Deane House, the Joseph Webb House and the Isaac Stevens House from left to right.

The Webb House is the oldest of the three, built in 1752. It served as George Washington’s home base and command center in May 1781.

“The Webb House is really the beginning of historic preservation in this town. And it was thought about as worth preserving because George Washington spent the better part of a week here in 1781 to meet with Rochambeau, who was the commander of the French forces supporting the Americans in the Revolution. And there, they decided on the military campaign that ultimately ended the Revolutionary War at Yorktown,” continued Grom.

The Deane House was home to the nation’s first diplomat, Silas Deane, and his wife, Elizabeth. It was completed in 1769.

Deane’s efforts led France to become the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation.

“Deane had a separate dining room which was not a given at that time. But important guests came. Washington actually had dinner here at a completely separate time. John Adams came here too so Deane was somebody,” said Grom.

The Stevens House was built by leatherworker Isaac Stevens in 1789 after the Revolution. The rooms reflect the taste of a middle-class family in the 1820s and 30s with many original family possessions on display.

“And it really shows how the ideals of liberty and individual opportunity of the Revolution played out afterward, where someone like Stevens could really get ahead. By the end of his life, he actually became a banker, which is telling. And it’s, it’s the American story,” stated Grom.

The campus serves as a place for community gatherings, recreation and cultural enrichment. Hundreds of years of history can be told in one place with national and statewide significance.

“Looking at the past requires us to empathize with people in the past. And if we practice putting ourselves in their shoes to figure out their homes and how they live their lives, that teaches us how to empathize with each other, understand each other, pause for a moment, and observe, and listen and think carefully. I think that’s something that we can really use all of us right now,” Grom said.

The museum is open for visits from May through October and December.