Accessing the Collections

The Stowe Center Collections are open to the public and welcome all visitors. Access is confirmed by prearranged Research Appointments Monday through Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The collections are non-circulating.

For more information about the Collections or to schedule a Research Appointment, call 860.522.9258 ext. 313 or email the Collections Manager.

Plan Your Visit

The Reading Room is located in the Katharine S. Day House, next door to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 77 Forest Street, Hartford, CT 06105. Please see Directions and Parking.

All researchers are required to register upon their first visit and show one form of photo identification. Lockers are available for all bags, cases, jackets, or valuables that you bring into the Reading Room. Once registered staff will explain the catalogs, assist with filling out call sheets and finding the materials you need.

Laptop and tablet computers are welcome in the Reading Room. Electrical outlets and a wireless network are also available.

Digital photography without flash is allowed for research purposes. Please read our Noncommercial Photography Policy.

Rights & Reproductions

Digital photographs or images from the collections are available, unless restricted, for a fee based on the type of the image and its intended use. After selecting an image, contact the Collections Manager to start the Image Use Agreement.

Photocopies are available for research purposes, unless copyright or physical condition restricts, for a fee.

Research Guides and Finding Aids

Manuscript Collection Summary
Harriet Beecher Stowe papers in the HBSC Collection
Women’s History Materials
African Diaspora Materials

Stowe Center Library printed materials are included in FindIt, Connecticut’s Statewide Library Catalog.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture is an archive of Uncle Tom’s Cabin-related material that includes the Stowe Center collections, from first editions of Stowe’s novel to souvenirs for the home and theater production posters. The site is hosted by the University of Virginia.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin in The National Era is an archive of Stowe’s ground-breaking novel in serialized form, with transcriptions, scholar essays, and historic context.

Click here for Other Repositories of Stowe Manuscripts.

School Group Interest Form

School Group Interest Form 2023

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.