The Mulford Farmhouse at 10 James Lane in East Hampton village, restored inside to show how it looked during the American Revolution, has a short run of fall open days left. The East Hampton Historical Society is opening the house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, Saturday, Oct. 24, Sunday, Oct. 25, Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1. Admission is $12 for non-members and free for society members, and the calendar on the society's website lists no farmhouse open days after Nov. 1.

The house reopened to the public on July 4 after a comprehensive interior restoration timed to the country's 250th anniversary. The fall weekends listed above are the remaining farmhouse dates currently on the schedule.

What the restoration shows

The society describes Mulford Farm as one of the most significant intact English Colonial farmsteads in the country, and the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farmhouse was originally built in 1680 and has been left largely unchanged since 1750. Most of its framing and wood beams have never been disturbed, which lets historians trace the changes made to the building over the centuries.

Members of the Mulford family owned the house, with a couple of exceptions, from 1712 until the Historical Society acquired it in 1948. The rooms are now furnished with period artifacts and arranged to tell the story of the Revolution as it played out in East Hampton.

That story has two sides, and the tour covers both. Colonel David Mulford helped lead the cause for American independence in town. He was also among the largest slaveholders on the South Fork. Visitors learn about the enslaved people, including Acca, Daniel, Jack and Rose, who kept the farm running during the war years.

The barn, the garden and an app

The farmhouse is not the only thing to see on the property. The Mulford Barn, built in 1721, is one of the most intact early 18th century English plan barns in New York State. When the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation evaluated it in 1990, it was rated the second most important 18th century barn in the state.

Also on the grounds is Rachel's Garden, a recreated 18th century dooryard garden designed, planted and maintained by members of the Garden Club of East Hampton. It holds the kinds of plants colonists grew for medicine, cooking, dyeing and housekeeping.

Visitors can also bring the grounds to life with 1776AR, a free augmented reality app for iPhone and Android funded by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. Narrated by Village and Town Historian Hugh King, the program follows Colonel Mulford's role in the lead up to the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and the British occupation of the region that followed. Six engraved stones around the farm act as QR codes, and each one opens a new episode. The society says the app works best on phones three years old or newer and recommends headphones. Because the app runs outdoors, it works even on days when the farmhouse itself is closed.

More history on the fall calendar

The farmhouse opening is part of a wider semiquincentennial program at the society. Earlier this year it launched Spirit of 76, a monthly podcast of three minute episodes following how the events of 1776 unfolded in East Hampton, month by month. The episodes were researched, written and narrated by Colin Kelley, a recent East Hampton High School graduate, and recorded in the East Hampton Library's podcast studio. The project was conceived by Hugh King, and the episodes are posted on the society's website.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the society and Preservation Long Island will host a guided tour of the Dominy Shops Museum at 73 North Main Street, led by preservationist Bob Hefner. The tour goes through the 18th century woodworking shops of the Dominy family of craftsmen, looks at original Dominy pieces from the society's collection and covers the site's recent restoration. The group then walks to the Hook Windmill, which Nathaniel Dominy V built in 1806. Admission is $20 and registration is through the society's event page.

Both remaining dates of the Goody Garlick walking tour, which retraces East Hampton's 1658 witchcraft accusation with Hugh King and historical reenactors, are already sold out.

Later in the season, the society's 38th annual House and Garden Tour benefit takes place Saturday, Nov. 28, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., with a cocktail party the evening before. Tour tickets are $125 per person when bought before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and the society notes the tour regularly sells out.

How to visit

The Mulford Farmstead is at 10 James Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937. Farmhouse hours on the remaining open days are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 18, 24, 25 and 31 and Nov. 1. Tickets are $12 for non-members and free for members, and can be reserved through each date's page on the society's calendar at easthamptonhistory.org. The grounds and the 1776AR program are open to walk even when the house is closed. For private tours, the society can be reached at [email protected].

Sources