Studies in American Literature: Stowe & Twain

For the fourth consecutive year, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and The Mark Twain House & Museum will collaborate with Capital Community College to offer Studies in American Literature: Twain and Stowe. The three-credit course, which can also be audited for no credit, offers a combination of in-person and online classes. Classes will meet every other Wednesday from 2 to 4:45 pm, alternating weekly between classrooms at the Stowe and Twain houses, and online. The class begins August 29 at The Mark Twain House & Museum.

Students will read and discuss works by two of American literature’s most influential authors and will have behind-the-scenes access to the houses and materials unique to these neighboring landmarks. Capital’s Humanities Chair, Dr. Jeffrey Partridge, will teach the class, and students will also learn from staff experts at the Stowe and Twain museums.

“Teaching in these museums opens up a whole world of exploration for the students,” said Partridge, who also directs the Hartford Heritage Project, a National Endowment for the Humanities-supported initiative to infuse Capital Community College course curricula with local resources.

“The Stowe Center is thrilled to continue our partnership with Capital and the Twain House & Museum,” said Dr. Katie Burton, Program Coordinator for School and Writing Programs at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. “We value the course’s commitment to place-based learning, encouraging students to recognize literature’s power to effect change and empowering them to help shape their communities.”

“We’re delighted to join with Capital and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center to offer this innovative course again,” said Dr. James Golden, The Mark Twain House & Museum’s Director of Education. “This partnership is an example not only of the robust cultural resources in Hartford, but how the history of one of America’s oldest cities continues to inspire new learning.”

To register or for more information, visit www.capitalcc.edu.

School Group Interest Form

School Group Interest Form 2024

Thank you so much for your interest in a group tour at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center! Please help us schedule your visit by answering the questions below.

School name:

Please suggest three dates and times when your group would like to visit. (Note: the Stowe Center is closed on Sunday and Tuesday.)

Contact Teacher Name:

Contact Teacher Email:(Required)

Contact Teacher Phone Number:(Required)

Number of students expected to attend:(Required)

Please enter a number from 8 to 40.

Please identify the grade level(s) of attending students:(Required)

Likely number of chaperones (including other teachers):

The Stowe Center requires one adult per every 10 students.

Are there special student, teacher, or chaperone accommodations that can help us serve you best?

Do you plan to have lunch on site?

Yes, please.

No, thank you.

Are you interested in scheduling a joint visit with our neighbor, The Mark Twain House and Museum?

Yes, please

No, thank you.

If yes, have you already contacted The Mark Twain House?

Yes

Adult Group Interest Form

Group Tour Interest Form 2022

Thank you so much for your interest in a group tour at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center! Please help us schedule your visit by answering the questions below.

Group Name:

Name of Primary Contact:(Required)

Contact Email:(Required)

Contact Phone Number:(Required)

What date would you like to visit? (The Stowe Center typically books group tours for Thursday through Sunday visits.)

Expected number of visitors:(Required)

Please enter a number from 20 to 42.

Please indicate the number of adults, seniors, and children expected in your group:

Are there special accommodations that can help us serve you best?

Are you interested in a joint visit with our neighbor, The Mark Twain House and Museum?

Yes, please.

No, thank you.

If yes, have you already contacted The Mark Twain House?

Yes

Isabella Beecher Hooker

Isabella Holmes Beecher Hooker (1822-1907)
An ardent member of the woman’s suffrage movement, Isabella Holmes Beecher Hooker joined in the cause along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Isabella was the first child of Lyman Beecher and his second wife, Harriet Porter Beecher.

Isabella began her education at Catharine Beecher’s Hartford Female Seminary and lived with her sister Mary Perkins. In 1841 she married John Hooker, a descendant of Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford. John Hooker was a lawyer and an abolitionist.

In the early 1860s Isabella got involved in the woman’s suffrage movement. Isabella joined Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony as a member of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association in 1869. She was a founding member of the Connecticut Woman’s Suffrage Association. Isabella’s ideas of equality were influenced by John Stuart Mills’ On Liberty and the Subjection of Women.

In 1871, Isabella organized the annual convention of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association in Washington D.C. and presented her argument before the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate. Her husband, John Hooker, believed in his wife and supported her activities. He helped Isabella draft a bill to the Connecticut Legislature giving married women the same property rights as their husbands. The bill passed in 1877. Isabella annually submitted a bill granting women the right to vote, but it did not pass in her lifetime.