Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

Harriet Beecher Stowe's presence in the 19th-century Hartford drew others to live in what was then the nation's preeminent literary community. Since 1968, visitors from all over the world come to Hartford to walk in the footsteps of the woman whose words changed the world.

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe change the world with Uncle Tom's Cabin, her ground-breaking and best-selling anti-slavery novel. Stowe recognized slavery's injustices and was compelled to speak out. As a woman of the 19th century, Stowe had no right to vote or no hold office, yet she gave public voice to her convictions, turned the tide of public opinion and became the most influential American woman of the 19th century.

The Stowe Center's programs and activities are energized by Stowe's example. As a 21st-century museum and program center, the Stowe Center connects Stowe's issues to the contemporary face of race relations, class and gender issues, economic justice and education equity.

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