Author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) and her husband, Calvin Stowe (1802-1886), had twin daughters named Harriet (Hattie) Beecher (1836-1907) and Eliza Tyler (1836-1912) Stowe. Neither twin married, but they lived with their parents, traveling with their mother and managing the family’s households in Hartford and in Mandarin, Florida. After their mother’s death in 1896, the twins settled in Simsbury, where their brother, Charles E. Stowe, was the minister at the First Church of Christ. According to the new Images of America series book on Simsbury, their former house at 965 Hopmeadow Street was provided for them by their brother when he became minister in 1891. They wouldn’t have moved there until their mother died, so perhaps the house was built in 1891? Today, the house is used for offices.
Update 4/5/12: There’s a new article about the Stowe family’s connections with Simsbury. Check it out!
what a wonderful post, and what a wonderful piece of history dan. thanks so much for sharing. i’ll be sure to check this place out!!
Thanks, Dan. So great to see where the twins lived after their ‘nook’ room on 77 Forest Street. Good also to know it was Hopmeadow Street to share with my tour groups. Although I am not very familiar with Simsbury, CT as a whole, I do know Hopmeadow-a name recognition like “Beecher”.
Signe
dan , i wonder if you have tagged this to hartford .com or other ct historic sites??? anyone who loves ct. history would love this blog