2022 Programs, Events & Exhibits | Friends of the Morrill Homestead

The Sunday workshop is full! Please select Saturday, March 25 when you register. Email director@morrillhomestead.org if you would like to be put on the waitlist for Sunday.

Morrill Education Center

Mike Hebb describes the basics of pruning apple trees for esthetics, health, longevity, better fruit, ease of harvesting and management, including correct pruning cuts and tools. Hebb’s hands-on grafting workshop shows how grafting can be used to control many of the characteristics of growing trees, including size, timing of maturity and fruiting, disease resistance, drought resistance, and fruit varieties. He’ll cover cultivars, asexual propagation, whip grafts, nurse grafts, bark grafts, cleft grafts, bridge grafts, top working, inarching, brace graft, graft compatibility, budding and information on pest control and root stock selection. Participants will practice the mechanics of grafting in the workshop and discuss after-care. A materials list will be sent to each registrant.

$30.00

The Sunday workshop is full! Please select Saturday, March 25 when you register. Email director@morrillhomestead.org if you would like to be put on the waitlist for Sunday.

Online: Register & pay securely online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Wake Up the Garden: Cultivating Morrill’s Historic Landscape

Saturday, May 13, 1-4 p.m. A Free event!
Morrill Homestead Gardens & Grounds

Work with the Homestead’s Master Gardeners to prepare the Victorian gardens for the 2023 season. This is the first of several projects designed to nurture the colorful annual beds in the pleasure ground and expand the kitchen garden—Morrill’s laboratory for experimenting with plant hardiness that contains a variety of roses, perennials, berry bushes, and herbs.

Come join us and become a part of Vermont’s history as we care for the historic landscape of this very influential American. You can earn all of your Master Gardener outreach hours with us.

What is provided:
Basic garden tools will be on hand. Snacks and beverages will be provided.

All welcome! Event is free. Please preregister:

Online: Register free online
Phone: 802-649-2940
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

2023 Guided Tours, Exhibits, and Gardens at Justin Morrill State Historic Site

May 26 through October 8

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday

TOURS: Guided tours of Morrill’s Gothic Revival historic house and art start on the hour. Self-guided explorations of the formal gardens, interpretive exhibits, and walking trails, at your leisure.

House Tours: Adults – $7.00; Children under 15 – free

Public Tour questions: 802-765-4484
To Schedule a Group Tour contact Vermont Division for Historic Preservation: 802-828-3051
Directions: www.morrillhomestead.org
Email: Victoria.Anderson@vermont.gov

Website: historicsites.vermont.gov/directory/morrill

Morrill Homestead Open House and Puppet Show

Presented by the Friends of the Morrill Homestead and Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.

Sunday, June 11, 2-4 p.m. A Free event!

Bring the family and be our guests for a Strafford Organic Ice Cream Social, Guided Tours of Justin Morrill’s Gothic Revival Home, Victorian Gardens, Interpretive Exhibits, and a Puppet Show.

At 2:30 join No Strings Marionette Co. for “Bully! For The Three Big Pigs”

Join us for a version of the classic tale in which a prolific painter, a sensational singer, and an industrious architect are faced with the non-stop taunting of a puffed-up bully. As the pigs deal with the pushy tactics of the Big Bad Wolf; Pablo Pigcasso, Beverly Swills, and I.M. Pig, each develop a more successful strategy to deal with the Wolf. A cast of hand-crafted marionettes romp through an artist’s studio, an opera stage, and the problem-solving mind of a builder, providing a feast for the eyes, ears, and imagination.

Sponsored by M.C. Autoworks and underwritten by Mascoma Bank.

Tapestry Felting Class

Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This needle felting class with Neysa Russo of The Felting Studio will focus on creating a small tapestry with ‘Vermont Wildlife’ as the theme. Choose from an abundance of designs or create your own from scratch. For Adults and teens. Beginners Welcome!

$60 includes materials for a 13″ x 13″ tapestry

Online: Register & pay securely online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Kate Cassidy at Four Seasons – Sotheby’s Realty.

Walking Tours of Morrill’s Strafford Village

Saturdays, June 17, July 15, August 19 and Sept. 16

11 a.m. leaving from the Morrill Homestead

Historical tours of Strafford’s village which remains much the same as in Morrill’s time. Tours include Morrill’s birthplace, his father’s blacksmith shop, two libraries, the Strafford Town House, and the mausoleum where Morrill is buried.

$5.00; Children under 15 free Please pay when you arrive.

Please preregister:
Online: Register online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Coburn’s General Store.

Nature Play With Little Ones

For ages 1-6 and their families. A Free event!

Sunday, June 18, 10:30 a.m. to noon

Hooray for summer outdoor play! Four Winds Nature Institute will bring seasonally-appropriate loose parts, science tools, a mud kitchen, and more to help nurture a sense of wonder, place, and well-being.

Please preregister:
Online: Register online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Eric Thorp Diversified.

Gallery in the Garden

Art Exhibit Opening Reception and Viewing of Mini Paintings to be Auctioned

Friday, June 30, 5 to 7 p.m. A Free event! Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

The Morrill Homestead’s annual Gallery in the Garden art show and online auction is a highlight of the Upper Valley art season. The 2023 edition features works created in an array of styles by fine artists from the Strafford community, the Upper Valley, and beyond. Eighteen artists present their unique perspectives on the theme “Art as Voice” in ways that are moving, playful, profound, and inspiring.

5 p.m. – Reception for the art show opening in the Carriage Barn. Sherry SaintGermaine and Mary Louise Pierson are the featured artists and inspiration for the “Art as Voice” exhibit.

“Minis for Morrill” paintings on view in the Education Center —magnificent 4″x4″ mini paintings by artists of regional and national reputation to be auctioned online.

“Art as Voice” also includes works by Gerry Bergstein, Todd Binzen, Gail Boyajian, Jennifer Brown, Matt Brown, Kelly Coffin, Dierdre Dennis, Kate Emlen, Jean Gerber, Jo Levasseur, Jeanne McMahan, Michael Moore, Andy Newman, Celia Reisman, and Enrico Riley.

Sponsored by ECFiber and underwritten by Mascoma Bank.

Minis for Morrill Online Auction

Bidding open 7 p.m. June 30 – 7p.m. July 7

Over 50 magnificent 4″x4″ mini paintings by artists of regional and national reputation.

Come see the Paintings in person at the Gallery In The Garden on Friday June 30.

The 2023 mini auction includes works by these artists, and many more: Gerry Bergstein, Todd Binzen, Gail Boyajian, Jennifer Brown, Matt Brown, Kelly Coffin, Dierdre Dennis, Kate Emlen, Oona Gardner, Jean Gerber, Jo Levasseur, Jeanne McMahan, Michael Moore, Andy Newman, Mary Louise Pierson, Celia Reisman, Enrico Riley, and Sherry SaintGermaine.

Sponsored by Alicia Willette, DDS and Kayen & Liepmann PC.

Tree Walk with Dave Paganelli

Saturday, July 8, 10 a.m.-noon

Please join David Paganelli, Orange County Forester, for an informal tree walk around the grounds of the Homestead. We will walk the grounds and discuss the various unusual plantings, and also the native trees at the forest edge. All are welcome.

Online: Register & pay securely online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by E.C. Brown’s Nursery.

Photography Camp (ages 8-14)

Camp is full. Please email director@morrillhomestead.org to be put on the waitlist.

Monday-Friday, July 17-21, 9 a.m. – noon
Morrill Education Center, Gardens & Grounds

Learning photography is a great way for young people to explore outdoors and appreciate nature. World Story Exchange teacher Scott McClure Miller has taught photography to children in 11 countries for the past decade. Join Scott this summer on the lovely grounds of the Morrill Homestead. Each day will be a fun mixture of practicing photography skills and learning to apply artistic principals through the camera, all while exploring the Homestead and the Strafford village. The week will culminate with a photo exhibit of campers’ work in the Strafford Post Office. Cameras kits are provided.

$150 per child (Financial assistance available.)

Camp is full! Please email director@morrillhomestead.org to be put on the waitlist.

Online: Register & pay securely online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Agatha’s Resale Shop and Bushway Insurance Agency.

Regenerative Agriculture for the Home Gardener:

Sustainability Practices You Can Implement In Your Own Garden

Sunday, July 23, 2-4 p.m.

Join us to understand carbon sequestration, learn how to improve soil health, and increase habitat for biodiversity and a more livable future. Karen Ganey is a permaculture designer and educator who founded Permaculture Solutions, an ecological landscape design company, where she designs gardens and programs for schools, hospitals and municipalities. She also works with the Regeneration Corps where she manages native tree nurseries for agroforestry and land justice projects and teaches climate solutions, anti-racism, regenerative agriculture through the lens of a Just Transition.

$10

Online: Register & Pay Securely Online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Janet Cavanagh Landscape Architect.

Drawing and Watercolor Camp (ages 6 to 12)

Camp is full. Please email director@morrillhomestead.org to be put on the waitlist.

Monday-Friday, July 24-28, 9 a.m. – noon
Morrill Education Center, Gardens & Grounds

Explore the nature and architecture of the Morrill Homestead through drawing, nature journaling, and watercolor painting. Make your own handmade books for sketching and finished work. Drawing will include direct observation of nature, drawing games, and techniques to improve your skills.

Children will be inspired by the natural surroundings of the gardens, trails, and stream. Each child will learn new painting methods and practice watercolors of the buildings, forests, and pond. Students will have time to complete finished drawings and paintings. Instruction will be tailored to children’s experience and interests.

Instructor Jennifer Brown is a longstanding illustrator for Stave Puzzles and has taught art at Sharon Academy. Jennifer teaches watercolor classes at the Morrill Homestead and at AVA Gallery in Lebanon. She is a member of the Vermont Watercolor Society and exhibits her paintings at the Matt Brown Fine Art Gallery in Lyme.

$125 per child (Financial assistance available.)

Camp is full! Please email director@morrillhomestead.org to be put on the waitlist.

Online: Register & pay securely online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Kumon Math & Reading and Bushway Insurance Agency.

Watercolor Workshop with Jennifer Brown

Sunday, July 30, 1-4 p.m.
Morrill Homestead Gardens & Grounds

In this watercolor workshop, we will emphasize painting the beautiful flowers blooming in the Morrill Homestead Gardens. The focus will be to follow in the tradition of observing and painting botanicals with lots of encouragement for embracing your own original style. Some drawing instruction will be provided along with tips and practices in watercolor techniques. A suggested materials list will be provided upon registration.

Jennifer teaches watercolor classes at the Morrill Homestead and at AVA Gallery in Lebanon. She is a member of the Vermont Watercolor Society and exhibits her paintings at the Matt Brown Fine Art Gallery in Lyme, N.H.

$40

Online: Register & Pay Securely Online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Strafford Saddlery.

Morrill Homestead Printmaking Class with Tracy Gillespie

Saturday, August 12, 9 a.m. – noon

Come make block prints inspired by the gardens and architecture of the Morrill Homestead. We’ll start off with a brief tour of the grounds, and then we’ll meet in the education center to work on making art from what we discover. In this class you will learn basic design, carving, and printing techniques in a relaxed, supportive, and
playful atmosphere. You will come away with a completed print, suitable for framing, embellishing and/or mailing as a card.

$45 All materials are included.

Online: Register & Pay Securely Online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Strafford Saddlery.

“The Morrill Acts and HBCU’s: Libraries and Literacy”

A presentation by Julius C. Jefferson

Commemorating the 140th anniversary of Justin Morrill’s gift of a library to Strafford

Sunday, August 13, 4 p.m.

This presentation will address the 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant legislation introduced by Justin Morrill. Morrill advocated for federal funding to provide public colleges and universities in the United States. However, when President Lincoln signed the 1862 Land-Grant Act, African Americans were yet to be included as humans and full citizens.

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The second Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1890 provided the creation of institutions that would support state education for African Americans. The result of the 1890 Morrill Act are 19 Land-Grant Historically Black Colleges and University’s (HBCU’s) that have been the bedrock to building educated, sustainable rural Black communities.

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At the center of these HBCU’s were dedicated libraries and librarians; known as culture keepers, who preserved African American culture and traditions and provided access to information to support a research agenda.

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This presentation will focus on the role libraries and librarians had in developing and sustaining HBCU’s Land-Grant colleges.

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Julius Jefferson, recent President of the American Library Association, is a section head of the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress and was appointed by President Biden to the National Museum and Library Services Board.

$10 in-person or $5 via Zoom

Registration required.

Online: Register & Pay Securely Online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by ECFiber and supported by the Vermont Humanities.

Basket Making Workshop with Dona Nazarenko

Saturday August 19, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Come learn the art of basketry with Dona Nazarenko of Country Spirit Baskets. The Traditional Bread and Biscuit Basket has many uses for storage and organizing or can be a valuable catch-all for every table.

Option of adding colors if you would like.

$55 All materials included.

Please register by August 15.

Online: Register & Pay Securely Online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Kate Cassidy at Four Seasons – Sotheby’s Realty.

Walk with a Naturalist

Saturday, September 9, 10 a.m.-noon

Come join local naturalist Micki Colbeck for a fairly easy walk around the Homestead. We’ll look at mosses, ferns, lichens, and flowers that have all been hiding in plain sight. Bring a magnifying loop if you have one, but it’s not necessary. Kids are welcome, but please leave dogs behind.

Online: Register & Pay Securely Online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by E.C. Brown’s Nursery.

UVM Archaeology Presentation

Sunday, September 17, 4p.m. A Free Event!

Archeologists from UVM’s Consulting Archaeology Program will share what they found and learned from last summer’s dig on the grounds of the Homestead. This excavation yielded some surprising results!

Please preregister:

Online: Register online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Hotel Coolidge.

19th Century Apple & Cheese Harvest Festival

Sunday, September 24, 1-4 p.m.

AWARD WINNER! “Top Ten Fall Events” —Vermont Chamber of Commerce

Bring the whole family to a harvest festival at the Homestead. Listen to live toe-tapping fiddle and accordion music. Meet farm animals—the kind that Justin Morrill would have had on his small 19th-century farm. Make your own cider in an antique press, taste heirloom apples, fine artisan cheeses, Vermont ice cream, and homemade apple pie. Play period games, and hike the lookout trail. Also includes wagon rides, gardens, basket-making demo, exhibits, an icehouse, and a historic Gothic Revival home.

$5 adults – under 15 free Please pay when you arrive.

No preregistration necessary.

Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: director@morrillhomestead.org

Sponsored by Huntington Farm.

Putting the Garden to Bed

Saturday, October 14, 9 a.m. – noon A Free event!
Morrill Homestead Gardens & Grounds

Assist our Master Gardeners with the annual autumn “putting the garden to bed” day at the Justin Morrill State Historic Site in Strafford, Vermont. Tasks include cutting back perennials and pulling annuals, raking, mulching, weeding, bringing old plants to the compost area—generally cleaning up the kitchen garden and ornamental garden beds and preparing them for the winter and the next growing season. (Master Gardeners can earn outreach hours with us.) All Welcome.

What is provided:
Basic garden tools will be on hand. Snacks and beverages will be available throughout the morning.

Rain or shine

All Welcome. Event is free. Please preregister:

Online: Register free online
Phone: 802-765-4288
Email: nostring@together.net