Weir Farm National Historical Park

Weir Farm National Historic Site, the only National Park Service site dedicated to American painting, was home to three generations of American artists. Julian Alden Weir, a leading figure in American art and the development of American Impressionism, acquired the property in 1882. Weir’s original 238-acres of rolling, rocky Connecticut countryside in Branchville was established as a gentleman’s farm and summer retreat. The farm become a source of artistic inspiration and experimentation for Weir and the numerous artists that came to visit Weir and his family; including Childe Hassam, Albert Pinkham Ryder, John Twachtman, and John Singer Sargent. Surrounded by reassuring rural scenes, which were favorite subjects for American Impressionists, Weir created numerous works here including; Idle Hours, Upland Pasture, the Truants, and The Laundry, Branchville.

After Weir, his daughter, painter Dorothy Weir Young and her husband, sculptor Mahonri Young, continued the artistic legacy. Here, Mahonri Young worked on his masterworks; the This is the Place Monument located outside of Salt Lake City and Brigham Young located at the U.S. Capitol. The Young’s also entertained fellow artists at the farm, much as Weir had, including the last generation of artists, New England painters Sperry and Doris Andrews.

Sperry and Doris Andrews acquired part of the property in 1958, and began a twenty-two year process to preserve Weir’s farm. Today, the 60-acre park, which includes the Weir House, Weir and Young Studios, barns, gardens, and Weir Pond, is one of the nation’s finest remaining landscapes of American art.