FRIENDS OF TOPSMEAD STATE FOREST

Friends of Topsmead State Forest

Discover a hidden treasure in the Litchfield hills of Connecticut

Quick Links

Covid-19 Guidelines for State Forests
Topsmead Visitor Information and Trail Map
CT Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection

Volunteer Opportunities: Gardens, Bird Tours, Educational Programming, and more!
Tree Renewal Fund
Memorial Tree Program

If you enjoy our newsletter and Topsmead, please consider becoming a member or making a donation. We rely on these funds for our projects and programs.

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In 1917, Edith Morton Chase received a gift from her father, 16 acres of pristine woods in the Litchfield hills. Today, Topsmead is a 510 acre state forest, gifted from Ms. Chase in 1972 to the citizens of Connecticut to enjoy and preserve. Her legacy includes diverse landscapes, including bike and nature trails, formal gardens, unique bird habitats, and a meticulously crafted English Tudor style cottage well appointed with her international collection of art and antiques. ...more

Our Mission

Friends of Topsmead State Forest (FTSF) is a volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to work with the State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) to provide programs and activities to promote, preserve, protect, and maintain the history, heritage and environmental integrity of Topsmead, thereby supporting the wishes of Edith Morton Chase as put forth in her will.

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This documentary film chronicles the history of Topsmead, the summer estate of Edith Morton Chase, through archival photographs and beautiful film footage. The 20 minute film also features interviews with Topsmead historian Jerry Geci, and with Robert Orintas, the son of Miss Edith's chauffeur, who for several decades spent his summers there.

Topsmead Events
Scroll down for a listing of all our events!

2021 Chase Cottage Tours

Please note that masks are required. Tours are offered Saturday and Sunday the 2nd and 4th weekends of June, July, August, September concluding Columbus Day weekend in October. Tours of the downstairs rooms begin at noon and are offered on the hour and half-hour until the last tour at 4:30pm.
First come, first served.To ensure physical distancing, each tour is limited to 6 masked people. Thank you for understanding and taking these precautions this year.

Lectures on the Lawn

Our popular nature and Topsmead history Lecture Series returns! The events are free and take place outside on the lawn behind Chase Cottage unless otherwise indicated. Bring a blanket or lawn chair for comfort. Please check back here updates.

by Margaret Hunt

Edith Chase's Library Cottage Garden

June is Bustin Out All Over! 2021

“June is bustin’ out all over!” to steal a line from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel! And is June ever bustin’ out at Topsmead! The gardens are fairly leapin’ out of the ground, and the hay fields are reachin’ towards the sky to protect their bob-o-link family nests. And as we emerge from the tight restrictions of the pandemic, activities at Topsmead are rampin’ up.

A very special happening on Memorial Day Weekend provided the energy for June to begin bustin’ out. The Ballet Theatre Company from West Hartford was on the grounds at the back of the cottage and in the gardens as they filmed scenes for their rendition of the ballet Snow White. I found out that Topsmead is the perfect setting for a ballet production because Lucia Chase, Miss Edith’s first cousin, was not only a ballet dancer herself, but she also the founder of what came to be the American Ballet Theater. -more Musings-

Topsmead State Forest FACEBOOK connection

Keep Topsmead in mind when shopping on Amazon. Click HERE to set "Friends of Topsmead State Forest" as your default AmazonSmile charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases to Topsmead.