Deacon Graves House Outdoor Exhibition in Madison, CT

I'm exhausted! Today I and a group of painters from the Madison Art Society came to the Deacon Graves House in Madison, CT to showcase our work all around the house’s lawn and barn. We were there all day from 10 am to 4 pm, plus the time it took for us to set up before ten and clean up afterwards. But it was all well worth.

We had a nice sunny day with a pleasant breeze. Many visitors came to see our work, the nicely maintained gardens in the property and the house, which was open for guided tours with open hearth cooking happening in the Tavern room. We couldn’t ask for more! We all felt transported in time...

A little history about the Deacon Greaves house:

"The Deacon John Grave Foundation was incorporated in 1983 to save the Deacon John Grave House from destruction. Since that time the foundation has worked tirelessly to restore and preserve this unique structure.

The Deacon John Grave House is special because its history is the story of seven generations of one Madison family, how they lived and died, their joys and sorrows and their continual struggle to make ends meet in a constantly changing society.

Seven generations of farmers, haulers, soldiers, innkeepers, shoemakers, dressmakers and weavers have tread on the time worn floorboards of the house. Seven generations kept amazingly meticulous entries in account books that tell their story, from early colonial beginnings to the twentieth century". (Taken from their website at: http://www.deaconjohngrave.org/)