Upcoming Stowe House Events
Tea With Harriet 2026-27
A monthly talk and storytelling event about different aspects of Harriet Beecher Stowe, her life, family, or her literature.
Tea and home-baked goodies are provided by Cathi Belcher. You can reserve your seat online. Tentative topics are listed below and are subject to change. Teas take place in Stowe's former kitchen at 63 Federal Street, Brunswick, Maine.
November 17, 2026: Harriet, Women’s Rights, and the Right to Vote
Meet Harriet’s half-sister, Isabella Beecher Hooker, a Women’s Right’s activist who ran in the same circles as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Victoria Woodhull. In this election-month talk, we’ll explore what Harriet thought of equal rights for women and a woman’s right to vote.
December 8, 2026: Harriet’s Gingerbread Tea
Come celebrate the holidays the way Stowe did in Brunswick with her family. Listen to letters they wrote to Calvin, back in Cincinnati, and see the unveiling of this year’s gingerbread house creation.
January 19, 2027: Little Foxes: Harriet Beecher Stowe Life Hacks to Start the New Year (based on her book)
Like little foxes in the henhouse that can wreak havoc, Stowe tells us in her book Little Foxes about the little things in our households, that without proper management, can make life harder than it needs to be.
February 23, 2027: The Little Known Titles of Harriet Beecher Stowe
We’ve all heard of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but did you know that Stowe wrote 30+ other books? We will talk about some of the lesser known ones and what they were about.
March 23, 2027: The Vision at First Parish Church
On a Communion Sunday in March 1951 at Brunswick’s First Parish Church, Harriet Beecher Stowe had a vision that sent her running back home to start writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
April 13, 2027: Stowe Family Letters
Thanks to the voluminous correspondence of the day, surviving letters have a major source of information about the life and times of the Beechers and Stowes. We’ll read through some of the more interesting ones to discover what was going on in the family and the country at the time.
May 11, 2027: Oakholme—the Hartford House Folly
Harriet was frugal by necessity for much of her life until the sales of Uncle Tom’s Cabin made her rich. What she did with some of that money was to build a mansion in Hartford, Connecticut, called Oakholme. It didn’t take her long to realize that this was a big mistake!
June 14, 2027: Harriet Beecher Stowe's Birthday Tea
Come celebrate Harriet’s birthday on its actual day, complete with birthday cake. We’ll talk about an event she attended in Cincinnati, The Lane Debates, that had a big impact on her life before coming to Brunswick.
July 13, 2027: What Independence Day Meant in 1850
The Fourth of July was a very big celebration back in Harriet’s day, when Independence Day meant more than just cookouts, picnics, and time off from work. We will talk about this, and also Frederick Douglass’ famous Independence Day speech.
August 2027: NO TEA
September 21, 2027: “Back to School” Harriet Beecher Stowe and Education
As the new semester gets underway, we will talk about education and the differences between schooling for girls and boys in Harriet’s day. Her sister Catharine was an educational reformer, and we’ll talk about her educational philosophy, the schools she started, and Harriet’s involvement with them.
October 19, 2027: The Stowe Kids of Harriet and Calvin
In addition to several miscarriages, Harriet and Calvin had seven children. We’ll learn some interesting facts about each one and a few of her descendents.
November 16, 2027: John Andrew Jackson, Fugitive Slave
In November 1850 Harriet let in a fugitive slave from South Carolina, named John Andrew Jackson. We’ll talk about what we know about this extraordinary man, the courage it took for a woman alone with her children to have a man stay overnight in their home, and the conviction it took considering the fines and imprisonment that could have followed had she been caught.
December 14, 2027: Harriet and the Holidays
Everything you wanted to know about Harriet Beecher Stowe but were afraid to ask! We’ll discuss some little known facts about her life, but come prepared with LOTS of questions! This year’s latest historical gingerbread house will be unveiled!
Book Group
Navigating Race is a community book group that reads and discusses fiction and nonfiction exploring race, racism, identity, history, and lived experience. Through thoughtful, respectful conversation, participants consider different perspectives, deepen their understanding, and reflect on how race shapes individuals, communities, and society. Readers of all backgrounds are welcome. We meet monthly at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and tea and refreshments are provided. Limited to 15 participants. Email cbelcher@bowdoin.edu for information and availability.
October 24, 2026: A Plausible Man: The True Story of the Escaped Slave Who Inspired "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" by Susanna Ashtob
November 7, 2026: Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery by Siddartha Kara
December 5, 2026: Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
March 6, 2027: Charles W. Chesnutt Stories by Charles W. Chesnutt
April 3, 2027: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
May 1, 2027: Beloved by Toni Morrison
June 5, 2027: Never Caught by Erica Dunbar Armstrong plus wrap up of group.