About Us
The Home of Colonel Daniel Putnam
Putnam Elms is located on land purchased in 1740 by Godfrey Malbone of Newport, RI. He owned 3,240 acres that was quit claimed to his two sons. He also built Old Trinity Church located nearby on Church Street.
In 1791 Daniel Putnam purchased 158 acres of the estate when he married Malbone's niece Catharine Hutchinson. They raised eight children on the farm. Daniel died in 1831 and his family moved to Hartford.
Changes to the home in the 1800's
The house was rented for some years until his son-in-law James Brown moved in with his family about 1844. When James's son John Murdock Brown married Eliza Putnam Day in 1869 he built the south wing of the house to live in and gave the older section to John and his family. After John and his son James died Eliza sold the property to family member Emily Malbone Morgan in 1906. She opened the house as a vacation home for working women.
Historical Site for visitors to see
When she died in 1937 the property was left to family members Julia Morgan Firth and Emily Malbone Morgan Hooker for life and then to her grandnieces Catharine Putnam Hooker and Katherine Crosby, and the remainder to the Colonel Daniel Putnam Association as a memorial to her mother. Julia Morgan Firth quit-claimed the property to the C.D.P.A. in 1938.
As of 2020, we are a Blue Star Family Organization.
Special announcement
The CDPA has received the Connecticut Humanities Grant
About Connecticut Humanities
CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
Second Continental Light Dragoons
A day of living history was presented in honor of Col. Daniel Putnam's Revolutionary War service including a demonstrations of arms, sword drill and firing as in the revolution in British encampments in Connecticut. This ceremony was in June 2022.
putnam elms selected for caps
Collections Assessment for Preservation Program
Putnam Elms selected to participate in Collections Assessment for Preservation Program
Putnam Elms announces that it is one of 98 institutions in the United States selected to participate in the Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program.
CAP helps museums improve the care of their collections by providing support for a general conservation assessment of the museum’s collections and buildings. The museum will work with a team of preservation professionals to identify preventive conservation priorities. The final assessment report will help the museum prioritize its collections care efforts in the coming years.
The CAP program is administered by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
blue star families included in 2020
Blue Star Museum
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.