About Us

The Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park, Inc is an all-volunteer organization formed in 1992 to help preserve and restore Eolia, the former estate of Edward and Mary Harkness . The Harkness property was bequeathed to the people of the State of Connecticut in 1950. Half of the former estate became a State Park in 1952. The other half became Camp Harkness, a State facility dedicated to provision of recreational opportunities to all CT citizens with disabilities.

Our Mission

The Friends of Harkness is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Harkness Estate and to the provisions of Mrs. Harkness’ will, in which she bequeathed the property to the State of Connecticut for the well-being of its citizens.

Harkness Memorial State Park is managed and maintained by DEEP, the CT Department of Energy and the Environment. The Friends of Harkness (FOH) work in partnership with park management and staff. The Friend’s efforts have been focused in many areas.


  • Fundraising for private/public long-term capital projects and partnership in project management
  • Maintenance of Harkness’s renowned gardens and grounds
  • Establishment of educational programs including in-season tours and periodic lectures
  • Promotion of the Park through publications and media contacts as well as commissioned videos highlighting Harkness history


At the legislative level, the Friends advocate to secure staff and funding sufficient to ensure that Harkness will be enjoyed by this and succeeding generations.


The Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park Inc., with over 600 members, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations to FOH are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please join with the Friends in our group’s mission to restore, preserve, promote and protect Connecticut’s most beautiful and unique State Park.

History of the Friends

The Friends of Harkness began in 1991 with three members building to a peak membership of 1200+ by 1995. The formation of the Friends group was a community grass roots response to the alarming deterioration of the locally beloved former Harkness estate. Upon Mary Harkness’s death in 1950, the property was donated to the State in pristine condition. The first Park Supervisor at Harkness Memorial was Edward and Mary’s Estate Manager, Celeste LaMere. Until his forced retirement in the early Seventies, the gardens were beautifully maintained to Beatrix Farrand’s historic garden plans and the buildings adequately protected. With the first supervisor’s departure came a rapid decline of the gardens and also the estate’s historic structures. Hurricane Gloria in 1985 severely damaged the Mansion’s roof. Water infiltrated the building and compromised every surface. The Mansion was allowed to degrade; the original perennial plantings in the gardens were replaced with annuals for ease of maintenance; heirloom plants were lost through neglect or ignorance.

The community at large determined to save the property, pressure State Government at all levels to fund restoration, and ensure the estate’s future preservation. Friends determined that the quickest route to success in this effort would be to engage the attention of a larger statewide audience. The Friends settled upon an “Adopt a Bed” restoration of the East Garden to garner that attention. The Friends believed that if park goers saw just one garden as it used to be, they would be better able to visualize Harkness’s glorious past and help agitate to restore the entire estate. Donors contributed $5 per square foot; $25,000 was raised; the garden was cleared and replanted to historic plan; garden infrastructure was repaired.

The Friend’s strategy worked. Statewide visitors were dazzled by the restored East Garden. Local legislators lent assistance; busloads of Friends members stormed the Capitol. After fits and starts, $3.8 million in bonding money was released for the Mansion’s restoration.


This first major success was only the beginning of our group’s efforts at Harkness and our slow march toward the goal of total estate restoration.

Organizational Goals

  • President’s Goals

    • Continue to work cooperatively with DEEP officials to find a way for FOH to lease buildings on site ( Greenhouse, Estate manager’s cottage, Enders house) in order to use FOH funds to continue restoration work
    • Within the confines of COVID restrictions continue to provide monthly programs/lectures for members meetings throughout the “season”
    • Within the confine of COVID restrictions continue small scale public events
    • Restore/increase heirloom orchard started 25 years ago by FOH
    • Design and install new entrance landscape and gates
    • Install signboards at significant locations throughout the park to educate the public about the buildings and gardens, since in-person tours are restricted due to COVID guidelines.
    • Install a Reference Garden near the Greenhouse to identify plants from the formal gardens.

  • Greenhouse Restoration and Private-Public Partnership

    The historic Lord and Burnham greenhouse that once provided the seedlings for the Harkness gardens, and later provided flowers for the State Capitol building as well as other state and Parks’ facilities, fell into disrepair many years ago.


    Working with park staff in the early 1990’s, Friends volunteers were able to work throughout the winter in a section of the compromised Greenhouse to propagate the historic strain of Harkness heliotrope for the East Garden. Heliotrope, Harkness’s signature plant and Mary Harkness’ s favorite flower, was grown as bedding plants and trained as topiaries.


    For over 20 years, the Friends have raised funds to underwrite 50% of the cost of restoring the Greenhouse in equal partnership with the CT State Parks Division of DEEP. Park staff have accrued their matching 50% contribution with revenues earned by them through the Mansion Wedding Rental Program. The restoration is to be completed in four phases. Phase 1, the restoration of the Potting Shed or Head-house and the Greenhouse mechanical systems was completed in 2009. Phase 2, the restoration of the complex’s three central glass houses was completed in November 2013. The overall cost of these two phases was approximately $1.4 million.


    Phases 3 and 4 will involve restoration of the East and West wings of the complex respectively. The East Wing houses the historic grapery whose vines have been sustained on the estate since 1930. Also in this wing, are an orchid room and a tiled fishpond in which carp were wintered each year. When restored, the three- room West Wing will become the primary production center for propagation of heirloom perennials and annuals for the gardens. If sufficient funds were raised quickly, the Friend’s preference would be to complete Phases 3 and 4 concurrently.

Major Accomplishments

In order to assure that the Mansion remain in proper repair, that all gardens be correctly planted, and that monies be generated for future projects such as the rehabilitation of the historic Lord and Burnham Greenhouse complex, revenues needed to be raised and retained on site. The Friends agreed to donate substantial labor to support the Park if all proceeds from the Wedding Rental Program launched in 1998 by Park staff were used exclusively for Harkness, including to match money raised by the Friends for Greenhouse restoration.


Since its inception, the Friends has donated approximately 12,500 hours of labor per year (worth $350,000 per annum), raised and donated $500,000 in matching funds for Phases 1 and 2 of the greenhouse project, sponsored educational and musical programming, restored and replanted the Harkness Apple Orchard, hosted major public events such as Annual Harkness Family Day,, underwritten publicity, contributed furnishings for the Mansion, ironwork for the gardens, masonry materials for the Boxwood Garden restoration, and equipment for the grounds, There is no place at the Park that the Friends’ members have not touched in some fashion.


The Friends organization was instrumental in smoothing the way for the acquisition of the 150- acre former Verkades Nursery property directly across the street from Harkness. This acquisition doubled the size of the Park.


Very critically, the Friends of Harkness spearheaded a successful effort through our local state representatives to secure legislation that establishes, in statute, protected non-lapsing accounts into which money accrued by rentals may reside for use by the parks that raise those rental funds.


The ability to retain earned revenue in a Harkness dedicated maintenance account has been fundamental to the rehabilitative progress made at the Park.

Board of Directors

Officers

John Steffian

President

Vincent Messino

Vice President

Anne Fitzgerald Clark

Secretary

Jeanne Shelburne

Treasurer

At-Large Members

Gail Brookover

Louis Clark

Randy Fahey

Susan MacDonald

Matthew Maginniss

Joanne Malahias

Joan Prentice

Annemarie Sheehan

John Steffian

Phil Tankard

Renee Vogt

Kristen Widham