About Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) was born in Litchfield, CT, the daugher of a prominent and influential Congregational minister, the Reverend Lyman Beecher. Today she is best known as the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which helped galvanize the abolitionist cause and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. After its publication in 1852, Stowe became an internationally acclaimed celebrity and an extremely popular author.

In 1873, Harriet and her husband Calvin purchased and moved into the painted brick “cottage” on Forest Street in Hartford. (A year later, Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, and his family moved into an elaborate house just across the lawn; the two families were friendly and often visited each other). The gardens around the house reflect Stowe’s fondness for and knowledge of the plantings of the Victorian era. Stowe lived in the house until her death in 1896.

Harriet loved flowers and was an enthusiastic flower gardener. On this urban site you’ll find eight distinct gardens, including the woodland garden, the blue cottage garden, the wildflower meadow, a high Victorian texture garden, antique rose garden, formal color-coordinated gardens, and more. The site includes Connecticut’s largest magnolia tree and a 100+-year-old dogwood believed to be from Stowe’s time.

For hours and admission information, visit https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/