Westport, CT - In the mid-19th Century, Morris Ketchum, financier and railroad magnate, was one of the richest men in Connecticut. His estate, called "Hokanum", at its largest, comprised 600 acres in the center of Westport including several properties in the area stretching from Greens Farms to the Merritt and from Weston Road to North Avenue or beyond. His home -- a Gothic manor -- was a stately home in the grandest sense. Come see what the neighborhood looked like 150 years ago!
On Sunday, March 6, from 2 to 3 pm, Courtney Long, Ph.D. candidate in the History of Art and Architecture Department at the University of Pittsburgh, will examine the little-known painting by Karl Gildemeister of Morris Ketchum’s former home in Westport, CT. “Hokanum”, as the painting is called, represents a portrait of the no-longer-standing house belonging to one of Westport’s prominent early families. The painting also captures an early moment in the construction of American country houses in New England. Long will discuss the history of Ketchum’s estate and situate it in the context of a budding national identity fashioned through newly published ideas to help landowners cultivate their properties and construct their homes. Audience members will be both fascinated and enlightened by Long's lecture.