The LiberTea Party at Stanley-Whitman House

Tea, history, and garden tours—join the LiberTea Party at Stanley-Whitman House celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence.

Join us on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 2:00–4:00 PM for a festive afternoon of tea, history, and community at the historic Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington, Connecticut. Seating is limited to forty guests.

This special event supports the preservation, care, and interpretation of our historic gardens and grounds—an essential and active part of the museum’s mission and visitor experience.

Part of the FarmingtonCT250 programming series at Stanley-Whitman House. Stanley-Whitman House is a proud official affiliate of the America 250 | CT Commission. Join us for these commemorative events.

Highlights

Traditional Tea Service
Tea, scones, and seasonal fruit — served in the spirit of resistance. As you pour, consider how a simple cup of tea became one of the most charged political acts in Revolutionary America.

Living History: Martha Cowles
In March 1775, Farmington resident Martha Cowles publicly confessed to serving British tea in violation of the Continental Association, and her words survive in the pages of the Connecticut Courant. Meet Martha at the LiberTea Party and explore how one woman's ordinary act became a moment of political consequence.

Guided Garden Tours
The Stanley-Whitman House gardens are a living collection — a museum without walls. On this tour, discover the plants that sustained colonial households, and consider how the disruptions of war, trade, and boycotts reshaped what Farmington families grew, gathered, and ate.

• Intimate garden tea for forty guests — $25 per person, all proceeds support the gardens
• Meet Martha Cowles: a true Farmington story from the eve of the Revolution
• Guided tours of the historic 17th and 18th-century gardens and grounds

Tickets

$25 per person — and every dollar goes directly to the historic gardens and grounds that make this afternoon possible. Join us for tea, history, and a cause worth raising a cup to.

Payment Options

To reserve your place, you may:

• Register online through Eventbrite (credit card)
• Or reserve and submit payment by check to the museum

We encourage payment by check when possible, as it allows your full contribution to directly benefit the museum.

About Stanley-Whitman House

Stanley-Whitman House is a National Historic Landmark and living history center dedicated to collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the history and culture of early Farmington, Connecticut.

What to Expect

The afternoon unfolds in three parts.
Guests gather first in the Whitman Tavern for traditional tea service: tea, scones, and seasonal fruit, poured in the spirit of resistance. The group then moves to the Speare Classroom, where co-chair Jane Dalal presents the story of Farmington on the eve of the Revolution and the political stakes of something as ordinary as a cup of tea. Alyce Barlowski follows as Martha Cowles, bringing to life the moment when one Farmington woman's domestic act became a public confession of political consequence.

The afternoon closes with a guided tour of the historic 17th- and 18th-century gardens led by Andrea Donald and Dooryard Garden Society volunteers, exploring the plants that sustained colonial households and how the disruptions of war, trade, and boycott reshaped what Farmington families grew, gathered, and ate.

At the Stanley-Whitman House, the gardens are a living collection, our museum without walls. They serve as active teaching spaces, bringing to life the agricultural practices, labor, and daily experiences of early Farmington. Historic house tours are available throughout the afternoon at regular admission rates.

Sponsorship and Additional Support

In addition to attending, guests are invited to support one of the museum's most vital interpretive assets: its historic gardens and grounds.

As a living collection and museum without walls, the gardens help us interpret how Farmington residents experienced the Revolutionary era through daily life, labor, and landscape.

Garden Bed Sponsor — $250 (10 available)

• One event ticket
• Recognition on a garden bed sign during the event
• Recognition in the event program

To inquire about Garden Bed Sponsorship, contact averzosa@stanleywhitman.org.

Additional Contributions
If you are unable to attend or wish to give beyond the ticket price, you may contribute at any level. Every gift directly supports the preservation and interpretation of this living landscape.

Living History & Revolutionary Context

At the heart of the LiberTea Party is a true story from Farmington on the eve of the American Revolution.

In March 1775, Martha Cowles publicly confessed to serving tea in violation of the Continental Association, a boycott intended to resist British trade. Her words, preserved in the pages of the Connecticut Courant, reveal the tension between daily life and political conviction:

We…being fully sensible that the purchasing and consumption of India teas…was prohibited…have made use of that article…which conduct of ours we do…utterly disapprove of and condemn. — Martha and Solomon Cowles, Farmington, March 23, 1775

Through this episode, the LiberTea Party explores how ordinary choices—such as serving tea—became acts with political consequence, linking Farmington residents to the broader struggle for independence.