Everyone is Welcome at Casey Farm

Our annual Pride Day at the Casey Farm Market is on September 20, 2025. Casey Farm is one of thirty-nine sites open to the public that is owned and operated by Historic New England. As the leading voice for the region’s history for more than 100 years, Historic New England is committed to sharing history with truth and accuracy. Using research, art, storytelling, and technology, our historic sites increasingly become catalysts for new conversations, recognizing historically marginalized communities and creating a more complete record of all the region’s stories.

You can find concrete evidence of this commitment at Casey Farm every time you take a tour or read content about the farm, and by spending time with the Rhode Island Slave History Medallion or the garden sculpture Three Sisters: RainKeep. Just as people of color, women, working class people, and other marginalized groups have always been a part of this place, queer people have no doubt been here in the past and contributed to the farm’s success. None of these stories have yet come to light at Casey Farm from the days when most queer people were not free to be open about themselves. Today, the organization’s and the farm’s staff includes people who identify as LGBTQ+ and allies making it a welcoming place for everyone. Casey Farm is open for guided tours, hiking, and offers a virtual tour. We would love to rent the farm to couples for farm-fancy and queer-friendly weddings!

Other Historic New England sites are centered around well-documented stories of queer New Englanders, and we encourage you to read about them and visit them in person or virtually:

Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum in South Berwick, Maine, revolves around the author’s decades-long relationship with Annie Fields. Next season, plan to attend the annual Pride Picnic or the Pride Tours. Even if you can’t make it to Maine in person, you can take a virtual tour linked from the property’s page.

Henry Davis Sleeper’s experiences as a gay man in the early twentieth century at Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts are at the heart of the site’s interpretation. Unrequited love for his neighbor and the desire to impress him with ever-evolving interior designs was one of the drivers that created this remarkable place. Pride Tours and events are offered regularly. See a 360 degree tour of the property online and learn more about him in the virtual exhibition The Importance of Being Furnished.

At the Codman Estate, interior designer Ogden Codman, Jr. dictated the design of his family’s country house in Lincoln, Massachusetts and influenced the nation. One of the four bachelors featured in the virtual exhibition The Importance of Being Furnished, his letters open a window into gay culture a century ago. Specialty tour Spinsters and Confirmed Bachelors: LGBTQ tour at the Codman Estate is taking place this season. The Codman Arts & Crafts Festival is a highlight in the events calendar in the spirit of Ogden Codman, Jr.

The 1762 Bowman House in Dresden, Maine is a rare survivor. In 1965, after decades of being empty, the house was saved by designer, historic preservationist, and entrepreneur Bill Waters and his partner, Cyrus Pinkham. The interior is a recreation of Bowman’s world, including objects original to the house and family pieces collected by Waters over his fifty years of stewardship. Learn more about Bowman House tours which are available through mid-October.

Become part of the conversation at the annual Historic New England Summit, this year to be held at the historic Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, or attend virtually, on November 13 and 14. The annual Summit presents two days of exciting conversations that explore how twenty-first-century challenges and opportunities are transforming the fields of historic preservation, architecture, urban planning, conservation, arts and culture, museum studies, collections management, public history, and education. The program includes keynote presentations by regional and national leaders, panel discussions, provocations, networking opportunities, and more. The 2025 Historic New England Summit is your opportunity to gain inspiration from and connect with cutting-edge thought leaders in civic action, authenticity and access, culture building, climate resiliency, and preservation as transformation. Join the continuing conversation on some of today’s most complex and pressing challenges in these fields and beyond. Share your ideas, collaborate on solutions, and discover new perspectives to strengthen the livability and vitality of our communities.

At any time, see a more complete look at upcoming LBGTQIA+ events offered at Historic New England sites, and find out how you can support our organization and get invitations to more events through membership.