Nathan Hale Homestead
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Nathan Hale Homestead
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| Location | Coventry, Connecticut |
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| Coordinates | 41°45′54″N 72°20′47″W / 41.7651°N 72.3464°WCoordinates: 41°45′54″N 72°20′47″W / 41.7651°N 72.3464°W |
| Built | 1777 |
| NRHP reference # | 70000698 |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 1970 |
The Nathan Hale Homestead is a historic home located at 2299 South Street in Coventry, Connecticut. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and was also known as Deacon Richard Hale House.
Connecticut Landmarks operates the house a late 18th-century historic house museum.
Nathan Hale was a spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. A graduate of Yale, he taught school for two years, first in East Haddam, then in New London.
After being captured by the British, Hale reportedly gave a speech stating that his only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country.
After he was hanged, his body was not returned and was never found. There is a monument to him in a cemetery in his hometown of Coventry, Connecticut.
Nathan Hale is Connecticut's state hero.
Despite the name of the property, Nathan Hale never lived in the house that is named for him. As a child, he did live in a home that was located in the same spot. This house was razed by his parents in order to create a larger living space for the family.
News of Nathan's death came when his family grew concerned for his well-being. His brother traveled from Coventry to Old Saybrook to meet with the army and inquire about Nathan's whereabouts. He was informed that Nathan had been killed and was given a trunk of his belongings. This trunk is in the house.
After the Hale family, the house was sold to a series of other families who used it as a private residence, and the story of Nathan Hale became forgotten as just another story of a fallen soldier. However, a Connecticut lawyer named George Dudley Seymour became fascinated by the story while living in New Haven and was instrumental in the effort to recognize Hale's efforts. After championing the cause of erecting a statue of Nathan Hale at Yale University, Seymour learned that the farm in Coventry, which had been owned by Nathan's father, the Reverend Deacon Richard Hale, was for sale and in disrepair. He purchased the property in 1914 and restored the house to its original dignity, furnishing it with Connecticut antiques and artifacts, including Nathan's trunk.
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