The Mather Homestead

The Mather Homestead. Darien Heritage Trail. , A Historic Home , The Mather Homestead was built in 1778 by Deacon Joseph Mather, son of Reverend Moses Mather, a fiery patriot and the Minister of Middlesex Parish (now the First Congregational Church in Darien), for 62 years. He lived in the house with his wife, Sarah, and their eleven children. The property was originally a 100-acre working farm, which is what was necessary to support a family of thirteen in the 18th century., The farm provided their sustenance: wood to heat the house, crops that provided vegetables, flax and wheat, and farm animals that provided milk, eggs and meat. The Homestead is considered one of the finest existing examples of 18th-century architecture, a wood frame structure with a central chimney and two stories, plus a basement and attic. The original structure consisted of a kitchen with a large fireplace for cooking, a dining room and parlor downstairs, and two bedrooms upstairs. Over time, a modern kitchen, additional bedrooms and a porch were added. The property is now home to the original house, as well as a caretaker's cottage, playhouse and sunken garden, which were all added in the early 20th century. The Elizabeth W. Chilton Education Center was built in 2020., The home became a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The home was passed through six generations of the Mather family until it was donated to the Mather Homestead Foundation in 2017. The Foundation now runs the Homestead as a museum and is open to visitors., Revolutionary Times , The Mather Homestead was built during the Revolutionary War as a "safe house" in a location thought to be far from incoming British soldiers, who raided towns along the Connecticut shoreline in order to destroy ammunitions reserves of the Continental Army and pillage the valuables of the local residents., Unfortunately, with the help of Tory spies, the British found their way to the home in search of valuables in 1781. Sarah Mather hid approximately 100 pounds of silver and clothing in a deep water well (pictured) for safekeeping, but the British found the valuables and even forced Sarah to prepare a meal for them. Luckily, they did not find the silver flatware that was hidden inside the "highboy" chest dresser that still resides in the dining room.,

"Stephen Mather laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done." , - Louis C. Cramton

, Stephen Tyng Mather , Stephen Tyng Mather (1867-1930), the great-grandson of Deacon Joseph Mather, was the sole owner of the Mather Homestead from 1906 until 1930, using it primarily as his summer home. He was an American industrialist who was best known for his role in the creation of and service as the first Director of the United States National Park Service (NPS)., After coining the slogan "20 Mule Team Borax" and becoming a millionaire in the Borax industry, he turned his attention to the deteriorating state of the National Parks and the need for a National Park Service. Thanks to Stephen Mather's tireless lobbying efforts, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill authorizing the National Park Service within the Department of the Inteiror on August 25, 1916., Under Mather's leadership, significant changes were made to the NPS: the number of parks and national monuments increased, systematic criteria for adding new properties to the federal system were established, a system of Park Rangers was created to protect the parks and educate visitors, and the U.S. doubled its park area, adding the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Acadia, Hawaii and Mt. McKinley (Denali) National Parks. Stephen Mather rests in the Mather Cemetery nearby., Bertha Mather McPherson , Bertha Mather McPherson (1906-1993) inherited the Mather Homestead from her father, Stephen Tyng Mather in 1930. She was one of the first female architects in Connecticut and designed the house which sits on Brookside Road east of the Homestead. She was also a founding member of the Darien Historical Society (now the Museum of Darien) in 1953. Bertha and her husband, Edward McPherson, raised their three children in the Homestead. She lovingly cared for the home, filling it with American antiques and other artifacts, and tending to the gardens outside. Bertha and Edward lived in the home until their deaths in 1993 and 2002, respectively.