The Nathan Hale Homestead is a historic home located at 2299 South Street in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and was also known as Deacon Richard Hale House. Connecticut Landmarks operates the house as a late 18th-century

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

. As of 2018 they were working with the attorney general's office on an investigation into their alleged neglect of some of their sites and artifacts.

Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale was a spy for the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. A graduate of

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, he taught school for two years, first in

East Haddam East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the N ...

, then in

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...

. After being captured by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, Hale reportedly gave a speech stating that his only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country. After he was hanged, his body was not returned and was never found. There is a monument to him in a cemetery in his hometown of Coventry, Connecticut. Nathan Hale is Connecticut's state hero.Nathan Hale on Connecticut Landmarks website
/ref>

The house

Despite the name of the property, Nathan Hale never lived in the house that is named for him. As a child, he did live in a home that was located in the same spot. This house was razed by his parents in order to create a larger living space for the family. News of Nathan's death came when his family grew concerned for his well-being. His brother traveled from Coventry to Old Saybrook to meet with the army and inquire about Nathan's whereabouts. He was informed that Nathan had been killed and was given a trunk of his belongings. This trunk is in the house. NATHAN HALE HOMESTEAD, COVENTRY,, TOLLAND COUNTY, CT

NATHAN HALE HOMESTEAD, COVENTRY,, TOLLAND COUNTY, CT

After the Hale family, the house was sold to a series of other families who used it as a private residence, and the story of Nathan Hale became forgotten as just another story of a fallen soldier. However, a Connecticut lawyer named

George Dudley Seymour George Dudley Seymour (October 6, 1859 – January 21, 1945) was an American historian, patent attorney, antiquarian, author, and city planner. He was the noted authority and foremost expert on Nathan Hale, the American Revolutionary War hero. B ...

became fascinated by the story while living in New Haven and was instrumental in the effort to recognize Hale's efforts. After championing the cause of erecting a statue of Nathan Hale at Yale University, Seymour learned that the farm in Coventry, which had been owned by Nathan's father, the Reverend Deacon Richard Hale, was for sale and in disrepair. He purchased the property in 1914 and restored the house to its original dignity, furnishing it with Connecticut antiques and artifacts, including Nathan's trunk.George Dudley Seymour article from Seymour Wiki Genealogy site
/ref> In addition, he purchased the property across the street. Named the Strong-Porter House, it was the home of Nathan's grandmother, and is also a museum and on the list of National Registered Historic Places. In a further effort to recognize Nathan Hale's sacrifice, Seymour also convinced the federal government to print a Nathan Hale postage stamp in 1925. The stamp was designed by artist

Bela Lyon Pratt Bela Lyon Pratt (December 11, 1867 – May 18, 1917) was an American sculptor from Connecticut. Life Pratt was born in Norwich, Connecticut, to Sarah (Whittlesey) and George Pratt, a Yale-educated lawyer. His maternal grandfather, Oramel Whittle ...

, who also created the statue of Nathan at

Fort Nathan Hale Fort Nathan Hale, also known as Fort Hale Park, Black Rock, is a city park located on the east shore of New Haven Harbor in New Haven, Connecticut. It includes the site of a 1659 fort, a Revolutionary War-era fort, and a Civil War-era fort. T ...

in New Haven.

Claimed hauntings

Seymour was of the belief that the homestead was haunted. According to a diary entry, he and a friend reportedly viewed the spirit of Reverend Deacon Hale through a window one rainy night. Also believed to be in residence is the spirit of Lydia Carpenter, a servant of the Hale family, and of Joseph Hale, Nathan's brother. Mary Elizabeth Campbell Griffith, the widow of a former caretaker of the homestead, believed that the house might have been haunted by John and Sarah Hale, Nathan's brother and sister-in-law.

The property

Surrounding the house is the

Nathan Hale State Forest Nathan Hale State Forest is a Connecticut state forest encompassing in the towns of Coventry and Andover. The forest is managed to sustain a reliable source of forest products and renewable habitat for wildlife. The forest originated in 1946 th ...

, maintained by the

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. It ...

. Next to the house is a cornfield that is planted in most years. In October, friends of the Hale Homestead put on a haunted corn maze. In front of the homestead is a triangular grassy plot of land containing maple trees planted by Nathan's nephew David Hale Junior in 1812. The area has come to be known as the Holy Grove, in part because neighbors used to hold prayer meetings there. Since 2004, the Homestead property has also been home to th
Coventry Farmers' Market
The market operates annually from the first Sunday in June through the last Sunday in October. It is considered to be the largest farmers' market in the State of Connecticut.

Notes

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Nathan, Homestead Houses in Coventry, Connecticut Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Museums in Tolland County, Connecticut Historic house museums in Connecticut Homestead Connecticut in the American Revolution Biographical museums in Connecticut Connecticut Landmarks National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut