Touring the Stowe home, one can see the evidence of Mrs. Stowe's homemaking skills. The tour finishes by moving from the Stowe house to the neighboring Katharine S. Day House on the corner. Ms. Day was the grandniece of Mrs. Stowe and benefactor of the Stowe Center. The first floor of the Day House offers changing exhibits, and the upper stories house the Stowe-Day Library, a major research collection focusing on cultural and family history, social reform, women's studies, and decorative arts. The library also houses the complete collection of all of Mrs. Stowe's published works, as well as her journals, letters and personal papers.
Researchers are welcome by appointment.
I didn't have time to delve into the library's collection on this trip, but I'll make a point of spending some time there on my next trip to Hartford. My overall impression from my visit to the Stowe house, is that I had spent an intimate hour with a fascinating lady, who had throughout her life found and conquered challenges. But she found the institution of slavery so morally repugnant that she had to simply do something about it. Uncle Tom, her fictional depiction of slavery, was translated into two dozen of languages and became one of the most successful novels of all time. The upsurge of sympathy and action from a world of sympathetic readers was unprecedented.