Noah Webster House

By Molly G. @ The Bumbles Blog

If you’ve ever wondered where on earth the words we use get their pronunciation, spelling and definition from, Noah Webster is the man for you. A visit to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, CT can teach you a little about that as well as provide insight into everyday colonial life.

The museum exists in the childhood home of Noah Webster whose structure has remained intact and exhibits scenes true to his time there. The guided tour through the four rooms of the home provide good examples of life in the 1700’s. They focus heavily on weaving, looms, clothing and cooking – which were the known major functions of Noah’s family.

Very little on the tour is told about the politics of the time or Noah’s famed pursuit of all things language. Noah’s history of the creation of the dictionary and his life’s passions about language, politics and copyright protection is instead told in the introductory video prior to the tour in a reproduction one room classroom, as well as in a discovery exhibit beyond the gift shop, which is excellent.

If you live locally, the foundation offers monthly activity programs for children the first Saturday of each month which focus on arts & crafts from the time of Noah’s childhood. Their activities for birthday parties, camps or field trips seem to be very good as well. They also sponsor adult Tavern Nights to showcase games of that century, wine tasting classes as well as holiday events, such as a fun filled Father’s Day Breakfast that is used for fund-raising.

There is a small garden tucked in front of the home next to noisy South Main Street, as well as a beautiful old Copper Beech tree in the back of the property which seems more of an idyllic setting to relax under for a while to discover the lessons of language from Noah Webster.

QUICK HITS:

• COST = $7 Adults, $4 Kids, Free under Age 5, Discounted Rates to Seniors & Students.
• DURATION = Tours last approximately 1 Hour.
• HOURS = Brief, 1PM – 4PM daily, Closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays
• ENVIRONMENT = Family friendly. Handicap accessible on first floor only.
• ACCESSIBILITY = By car.
• WEBSITE = http://www.noahwebsterhouse.org
• FUN FACTS = Noah wanted to be a lawyer but his family couldn’t afford it so he became a teacher instead – he founded Amherst College. Noah was very active with the Founding Fathers but was not elected an official representative at the Constitutional Convention because he was critical of CT’s financing habits in the Revolutionary War. Politics never change.