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Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Henry Whitfield State Museum

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Guilford, CT
Henry Whitfield State Museum

Explore the complex history of nearly 400 years through the evolution of the Henry Whitfield House Restored by noted architects Norman Isham and J.
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Construction of the Henry Whitfield House began in 1639 when a group of English Puritans, including Reverend Henry Whitfield and his family, entered into an agreement with the Menuncatuck band of the Quinnipiac tribe and renamed the jurisdiction Guilford. Built of local granite, the house was one of the colonial settlement’s four stone houses that functioned as defensive buildings and private home

s. It is now considered to be Connecticut’s oldest house and New England’s oldest stone house. Since 1900, it has been owned and operated by the State of Connecticut as a public museum, and the site is a State Archaeological Preserve. The house underwent many structural changes over the course of its nearly 400 years. Frederick Kelly in the early 1900s, it is an important example of Colonial Revival restoration work and was named a National Historic Landmark based on these historic preservation projects. The Henry Whitfield House is a physical reminder of the European settler colonialism of the 1600s, as well as the Colonial Revival era of the 1800s-1900s that celebrated and glorified European ethnocentricity and superiority. The museum is in the process of changing its interpretation – confronting the facts about the site’s history in order to acknowledge past injustice, recognize how that injustice manifests in society today, and work towards an equitable future for all people.

05/10/2026

Thank you to Renee Smith for featuring the museum in her most recent Trail Talk blog post! You can read the full article here: https://trailtalk.org/2026/05/01/our-towns-clinton-and-guilford-may-june-2026/

New England National Scenic Trail - NET

05/03/2026

🎉StoryWalk® at the Museum🎉 Thanks to a generous gift from the New Haven Middlesex Association of Realtors Foundation made possible through a generous grant from the National Association of REALTORS®, visitors can now read a children's storybook while exploring the museum grounds. Open dawn to dusk, the StoryWalk® will feature different books throughout the year highlighting themes including history, nature, and kindness. The current story is "Bird Builds a Nest."

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

05/02/2026

🎉We're open and admission is 50% off!🎉 Visit us 10-4, Wednesday-Sunday. It's a special year at the Whitfield House. A restoration project will start in a few months, so most of the museum collection has been moved out. It's your chance to see the Great Hall and second floor rooms in a whole new way. Learn how Connecticut's oldest house is being preserved for future generations. Admission also includes the archaeology exhibit "History Beneath Our Feet" in the Visitor Center galleries.

03/23/2026

We are commemorating America’s 250th this year by working on the Whitfield House Rehabilitation project, funded in part by a federal Semiquincentennial grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The project will include repointing the exterior and interior of the stone walls and replacing the antiquated and failing electrical wiring.

In preparation, we are busy packing and moving most of the collection items out of the building as well as protecting larger items that cannot be moved. Michelle Parrish and Jodi Polsgrove are pictured here getting a militia uniform coat and vest ready for transport to the Museum of Connecticut History in Hartford where they will be part of the exhibit “Connecticut’s Revolution” opening July 4th.

The Whitfield House will remain open to the public on its May-October schedule as much as possible to offer visitors a unique behind-the-scenes experience this year, seeing how Connecticut’s oldest house is being preserved for future generations. A pop-up exhibit will highlight the site’s history related to America’s 250th and popular annual events will be held on the museum grounds.

PLEASE NOTE: The Whitfield House will be closed to the public at various stages of the project. For the latest news, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

01/12/2026

🎉 We're hiring seasonal museum guides 🎉

Positions are for May through October and applications are due January 30th. Seasonal Museum Guides will be stationed at one or more of the four State Museums: Henry Whitfield State Museum (Guilford), Eric Sloane Museum (Kent), Old New Gate Prison & Copper Mine (East Granby), and Prudence Crandall Museum (Canterbury).

Learn more and apply here:
https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/BulPreview.asp?R1=251223&R2=5704VR&R3=001

If that link doesn't work, go to this link, scroll down to the "Open Job Quick Links" section and select "Seasonal/Summer." Scroll down to select "Museum Guide (Seasonal Worker)":
https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/

01/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who visited the museum in 2025! We welcomed 4,112 visitors from 42 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and 18 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Scotland, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Wales.

For 2026, we're anticipating renovation work on the Whitfield House but a definite timeline hasn't been set. Until we know for sure, we'll be open on our regular schedule.

Through April:
- Gift shop & archaeology exhibit open 10:00-4:00 most weekdays
- Whitfield House closed

May-October:
- open 10:00-4:00, Wednesday-Sunday

Wondering which states were NOT represented by last year's visitors? Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

11/20/2025

Join us at the 26th annual 🔥 F I R E L I G H T 🔥 F E S T I V A L 🔥!!!

Gather outside Connecticut’s oldest house and escape the darkness of the approaching winter solstice in the glow of festive luminaria, lanterns, and outdoor fires. Enjoy roasted marshmallows, popcorn, hot cocoa, and mulled cider. Explore the first floor of the Whitfield House, a rare chance to tour after dark. Learn to craft a punched “tin” (paper) lantern to take home. Tour the archaeology exhibit History Beneath Our Feet in the Visitor Center, and stop into the gift shop to do some holiday shopping. In the spirit of giving, bring donations for the Guilford Food Bank and new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots.

Tickets may only be purchased on-site the night of the event. They allow admission to the outdoor fire area, craft area, Whitfield House, and Visitor Center galleries: Adults (18-64) - $10, Adults (65 & older) - $8, Youth (6-17) - $5, Children (5 & younger) - free. Reservations are not required, and parking is free. The event may be cancelled due to rain or snow and there is no rain or snow date.

Firelight Festival

11/03/2025

✨NEW HOURS✨ November-April: The gift shop is open 10-4 most weekdays and the Whitfield House is closed. Please call 203-453-2457 to check gift shop hours.

The gift shop will be closed on the following dates:
November 11, 18, 27, 28
December 16, 22-31
January 1-2, 19, 20
February 12, 16, 17
March 17
April 3

10/24/2025

Forget about spooky season -- it's glow season around the Whitfield House! 🍂🍁

That means our museum hours are changing soon. From November through April, the Whitfield House will be closed and the Gift Shop & Visitor Center will be open 10-4 most weekdays (call 203-453-2457 to check availability). And mark your calendars: our 26th annual 🔥 Firelight Festival 🔥 will take place 4-8 pm on Friday, December 5th!!!

10/09/2025

See and taste how chocolate was made in the 1700s, tour Connecticut's oldest house, and explore the archaeology exhibit! Spiced chocolate bars and drinking mixes crafted by The Pewter Pot Fine Spiced Chocolates will be available for purchase.

Chocolate the 18th Century Way

The Fan Fest Society

Address

248 Old Whitfield Street
Guilford, CT
06437

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+12034532457

Website

https://portal.ct.gov/ECD-HenryWhitfieldStateMuseum

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