Noah Webster House

Hours: Mondays, Thursdays through Sunday--1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Summer hours: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays--11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays--1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Fee: adults $5; seniors and AAA members $4; children 6-12; children under 6 free

Birthplace of Noah Webster, this beautifully restored colonial home offers an entertaining and educational opportunity for literary tourists of all ages. Early editions of Webster's works, including his Dictionary of American Language and the Blue-backed Spellers, are on display. The home's furnishings include Webster's china, glassware, a desk, and two clocks. Docents dressed in period costumes lead tours and answer questions.

Many literary tourists enjoy exploring the parlor garden and participating in eighteenth century activities such as flax breaking and wool carding. Special tours can be scheduled for school groups and birthday parties.

December is a special time at the home, which is decorated for Christmas in eighteenth century style. A holiday open house kicks off the season.

Noah Webster (1758-1843)

Born on October 16, 1758 in Hartford, Connecticut, Noah Webster played an important role in the facilitation of American literature. Because of his determination and skill, we have a uniform way to spell and pronounce American words and we have a systematic way to register copyright.

Webster attended Yale College, then went on to study law. He spent a large portion of his career teaching school. In 1789 Webster married Rebecca Greenleaf; they had eight children.

While teaching in Goshen, New York, Webster became frustrated with the British textbooks that did not contain words that were used in the New World such as squash and hickory. So, in 1783, he wrote A Grammatical Institute of the English Language, a textbook he could use when teaching his students. The name was soon shortened to the "Blue-backed Speller" because of the color of the cover. The textbook included some new words and changed the spelling of others such as colour and theatre.

Webster continued to work with words and help establish what he called an "American language." In 1806, he published the first major dictionary devoted to English as used in North America, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language.

He and his family moved in Amherst, Massachusetts 1812. During the ten years that he lived there, he worked on the Dictionary of the American Language and helped found the Amherst Academy and Amherst College. A statue in honor of Webster stands on the Amherst College campus near the Frost Library. Webster also served as state representative for Amherst.

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