The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is a museum in Hartford, CT located in the house where Stowe and her family moved to in 1873. She resided there for the final 23 years of her life, during which Stowe continued to write, lecture, and made considerable contributions to local art institutions. The Center has a worthy collection: over 12,000 books, 4,000 pamphlets, 180,000 manuscripts, and 12,000 images that illustrate critical issues in nineteenth century American history like abolition and suffrage. It boasts the largest collection of items related to the Beecher and Stowe families as well as prominent members of Hartford society, and, of course, resources related to Uncle Tom's Cabin.

The Stowe Center recently received a $150,000 federal grant from the Museums for America program at the Institute of Museum and Library Services to preserve the Center's collections. The grant will go toward the acquisition and implementation of new climate control and fire suppression systems. The Center has already invested $400,000 for these new systems in addition to other interior renovations and conservation of items in the collection.

Katherine Kane, Executive Director of the Harriet Beecher-Stowe Center said, "The Stowe Center is delighted to receive this public support for a project preserving Harriet Beecher Stowe's Hartford home for our diverse international audiences. This grant is a significant investment in Center’s historic collections, which tell a national story important for all of us."

 

Feds Offer $150K for Harriet Beecher Stowe Center