Noah Webster House Gets $100K In State Budget Funding

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The Noah Webster House in West Hartford will receive $100,000 from the state to fund preservation efforts, officials announced this week.

The funding is authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act, and the house's Executive Director Jennifer DiCola Matos said it will be "transformational."

"The $100,000 line item in the state budget for the Noah Webster House will be transformational for our museum," DiCola Matos said in a statement. "Not-for-profit organizations like ours have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award authorized under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will go a long way to help the museum get back on its feet."

A National Historic Landmark, the Noah Webster House is the birthplace and childhood home of Noah Webster — a teacher, lawyer and early abolitionist who created the first American dictionary.

Its programming is designed to help the community learn about Webster's legacy, as well as West Hartford's history and contributions to society. The house is open from Monday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m.

The West Hartford Legislative Delegation — made up of state Reps. Tammy Exum, Kate Farrar and Jillian Gilchrest, as well as state Sen. Derek Slap — described the landmark as vital to the town, and said the funding will help it continue to educate the public.

"The Noah Webster House is not only important to the town of West Hartford but is a historic landmark and a place of importance to the entire state of CT," Exum said. "It's imperative that it be preserved and welcoming, so that both visitors and residents alike can learn more about the man who created the first dictionary and where he lived."