Our Museum & History
Our Mission
The mission of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is to preserve, interpret, and champion Noah Webster’s legacy and birthplace, as well as the evolving history of West Hartford, the town that nurtured him.
Our History
The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society (NWH & WHHS) is located in the restored 18th-century birthplace and childhood home of Noah Webster, the author of the first American dictionary and “Blue-Backed Speller”, a teacher, lawyer and early abolitionist. The home was restored by the Noah Webster Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) organization, and opened to the public as a museum in the late 1960s. In 1970, the West Hartford Historical Society merged with the Foundation. Today, the museum building includes the historic house, the Jodik Education Center with a working reproduction open hearth, two exhibition galleries, a newly renovated Visitor Reception Center (VRC), and the Hamilton Gallery. The VRC includes a museum shop and a long-term exhibit on Noah Webster. The museum holdings also include a diverse collection of decorative arts, manuscripts, books, and ephemeral artifacts related to Noah Webster as well as to the local community.
The Noah Webster House continues Noah’s commitment to education, serving thousands of school children and general visitors from around the world each year.
The museum also offers a broad range of family and adult programs throughout the year. Click here for our upcoming programs.
