Osborne Homestead Museum

Adjacent to the rolling hills and open meadows of Osbornedale State Park, Osborne Homestead Museum encompasses the house and grounds of the former Frances Osborne Kellogg Estate. Originally constructed in the mid-1800’s, the house was enlarged and completely remodeled in the Colonial Revival style during the 1920’s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its restored interior now displays the original contents of the estate, which constitutes a significant collection of antiques and fine arts. The Museum’s grounds are landscaped with formal flower gardens, ornamental shrubs, and flowering trees, providing visitors with an endless pageant of color from spring through autumn. The Osborne Homestead Museum is a member of the esteemed Connecticut Historic Gardens, a group of fifteen distinctive historic houses dedicated to bringing awareness to the state's unique history and garden designs. The museum is also one of the fourteen sites along the prestigious Connecticut Women's Heritage Trail, a collection of museums and institutions that highlight the role of women in the state's history.

pond water reflecting fall trees (Flickr@Nd-Onyeaso)

Activities

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

An alcohol ban is in place at Osbornedale State Park and the Osborne Homestead Museum—alcohol is prohibited
If planning a group trip to the Museum, please contact the Museum directly
The Museum, Historic Gardens and Environmental Center make up the Kellogg Estate, which is within the Osbornedale State Park

PLACES TO VISIT

HISTORY

The Osborne Homestead Museum celebrates the life of Frances Osborne Kellogg, an accomplished businesswoman and conservationist who was dedicated to preserving land for future generations.

MUSEUM TOURS

The regular tour season runs from May through October. During the tour, visitors learn about the history of the Osborne family, Frances Osborne Kellogg’s role in local and state history, her impact in agriculture, the arts, the environment, and industrialization, and life in the Naugatuck Valley in the early 1900s.

Guided tours led by knowledgeable staff.
Collection of fine art, antiques and furnishings.
Special tours for families and young visitors.
An outdoor Kellogg Estate audio tour is available for smartphones. Disclaimer: For the audio tours, you will be directed to a website other than the official DEEP website. While we have verified the links, please be aware that privacy policies and terms and conditions may vary from those of the State of Connecticut's portal.
Group tours available. Call 203-734-2513 to register.
Donations are appreciated.

PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS

Special programs and hands-on activities bring history to life for visitors of all ages.

Exhibits highlighting treasures and unique objects from the collections.
Lectures on local history, antiques, and gardens.
Historic hikes on the surrounding grounds.
Festive annual holiday museum tours.
Garden tours and more on Connecticut’s Historic Gardens’ Day held on the fourth Sunday in June.

The Kellogg Estate is landscaped with formal flower gardens, ornamental shrubs, and flowering trees, providing an endless pageant of color from spring through autumn.

The Osborne Homestead Museum gardens are open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Main Gardens

Front Formal Garden This Colonial Revival style garden dates back to 1911 and has five main flower beds filled with various annuals and perennials. Knockout rose trees and annuals are among the colorful flowers that fill the four rectangular beds, which surround a circular bed containing ornamental kale and annuals. Daylilies, Siberian and bearded irises, peonies, yucca, and globe thistle are among the potpourri of perennials along the perimeter.

Rose Garden The rose garden contains four rectangular beds that are planted with knockout rose bushes, and perennial salvia surrounded by a boxwood border. The perimeter beds consist of hybrid tea roses, astilbes, turtleheads, foxglove and ferns that add to the garden's lush and vibrant beauty.

Rock Garden Tucked behind the rose garden is a lovely rock garden, featuring dwarf conifers and perennials. Annuals add splashes of color throughout the year. Iris, lavender, bleeding heart, and rose campion are among the perennials in this garden.

Butterfly Garden The butterfly garden contains a variety of plants that attract and feed butterflies. The bold colors of this garden attract many visitors and other pollinators in addition to butterflies. Visit this garden and see how you can landscape your yard to attract wildlife. Some of the plants in this garden include yarrow, beebalm, columbine, butterfly weed, and black-eyed Susans, dogbane, spicebush, and coneflower.

Bloom Times

Each visit to the Kellogg gardens will reward you with a new, colorful display of flowers. You can time your visit to see your favorite blooms and blossoms or to see some new ones.

April crocuses, forsythia, Japanese Andromeda, scilla, snowdrops, witch-hazel
May azaleas, bleeding heart, crabapple trees, daffodils, dogwoods, lilacs, magnolias, perennial salvia, Quince, rhododendrons, wisteria, wood hyacinths
June annuals, astilbes, bleeding heart, columbine, coneflower, coreopsis, cotoneaster, crane's bill, daisies, false blue indigo, foxglove, helenium, irises, Joe pye weed, kalimeris, lavender, meadowsweet, peonies, perennial salvia, potentilla, rose campion, roses, valerian, wisteria, wood betony
July annuals, astilbes, beebalm, coneflower, coreopsis, cosmos, crane's-bill, daisies, daylilies, globe thistle, helenium, hydrangeas, Joe pye weed, kalimeris, meadowsweet, perennial salvia, phlox, rose campion, rose of Sharon, sweet pepperbush, wood betony, yucca
August annuals, asters, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, coneflower, coreopsis, crane's bill, daisies, daylilies, helenium, kalimeris, perennial salvia, Russian sage, turtleheads

Stay tuned for a 3-D tour of the Museum.

History of the Osborne Family

Frances Osborne Kellogg

Frances Eliza Osborne was the last of four children born to the Major and Mrs. Wilbur Fisk Osborne, and the only one to survive childhood. She was born in the house at 500 Hawthorne Avenue in 1876, and lived there until her death in 1956. At age 16, she lost the vision in one eye due to an accident. As a result, she never completed her public school education. At age 31, Frances decided to assume her father’s business responsibilities after his sudden death in 1907.

In an era when women were denied leadership opportunities in the business world, she succeeded through pure determination and an excellent business sense. Her achievements included becoming president of Union Fabric Company, vice president of Connecticut Clasp Co., and treasurer of the F. Kelly Company. She was also a founding partner of Steels and Busks Ltd. of Leicester, England.

Around 1910, Frances organized a major renovation of her home. Much of the Colonial Revival remodeling was supervised by architect Henry Killham Murphy. Around this time, she met Waldo Stewart Kellogg, a New York architect with a degree from Cornell University. In 1919, they married and together they made Osbornedale Farm second to none in the New England dairy industry.

The Famous Osbornedale Farm

Waldo and Frances soon developed a renewed interest in the Osborne family's dairy herd. The couple took charge of the operation of the Osbornedale Dairy Farm and with the acquisition of a prize bull, began to improve the herd through selective breeding. The resulting herd soon became famous, taking many prizes at exhibitions and fairs throughout New England, New York, and Canada. After her husband's death, Frances continued running the farm and ensured its reputation for quality cattle. She bred the famous "Osbornedale Ivanhoe" which led her to become one of the top breeders in the dairy industry. To this day, "Osborne" is synonymous with "excellence" in the world of Holstein-Friesian bloodlines.

Serving the Community

Following the death of her husband in 1928, Frances Osborne Kellogg remained dedicated to her business and civic responsibilities. Some of her civic roles include President of the Women's Club of Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton, Founder of the Derby Choral Club, and President of the Board of Directors of Derby Neck Library. Most of these responsibilities she continued to fulfill until a few weeks before her death at the age of 80. Throughout her life, she accepted adversity as a challenge. "All my life has been a series of hurdles. I no sooner get over one than there is another ahead . . . with the bars set a little higher."

Before her death, Frances deeded her 350-acre property to the State of Connecticut in order to form a state park. Today, Osbornedale State Park, with its variety of wildlife and habitats, serves as a wonderful legacy to Frances and the Osborne family. The Kellogg Environmental Center offers workshops, exhibits, and lectures for the general public. DEEP's Osborne Homestead Museum, fully furnished with the Osborne's collections of books, antiques and decorative arts, tells the story of this remarkable woman.

Seasonal Opportunities

The Kellogg Environmental Center and Osborne Homestead Museum offer a wide range of seasonal volunteer opportunities.

Museum Programs Be a tour guide, greeter, or decorator for special events and the winter holiday season.
Wildlife Monitoring Be a citizen scientist for conservation projects, such as Monarch Larva Monitoring, Pollinator Monitoring, and Project FeederWatch.
Trails Maintenance Get involved in low to moderate level trail work on the Kellogg Estate and Osbornedale State Park.
Education Programs Assist and present various environmental education programs at the Kellogg Environmental Center.

Apply to be a Volunteer

If you are over the age of 16 and would like to be a volunteer with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the Kellogg Environmental Center and Osborne Homestead Museum, please fill out the application found on the Volunteer Opportunity website and mail to the Kellogg Environmental Center, PO Box 435, Derby, CT 06418 or email Susan Robinson. For further information about volunteer opportunities, please contact the Kellogg Environmental Center at (203) 734-2513.

Internships

For currently enrolled college students, we offer semester-long internships in a variety of areas, such as environmental education, museum education, science education, and museum collections management. Internship projects could include assisting with nature programs, developing curriculum units, designing small exhibits, assisting with the museum's collections, and developing museum education programs. Although internships are unpaid, you must complete an application found on the College Internship Program website and most interns are able to receive credit through their schools and universities. If you are interested in being an intern, please contact the Kellogg Environmental Center at (203) 734-2513 or e-mail Susan Quincy.