You might have noticed on our home page that we have a picture of the homestead in springtime flanked by seas of daffodils.  The daffodils have become an annual joy for us at the Denison Homestead.  Here is the story behind all those waves of yellow:

In the fall of 2002, hundreds of daffodils were planted on the Denison Homestead grounds by family and friends to honor the memory of Nancy Ryon Richartz (see below) who died in February of that year. Nancy and her family lived for many years in the daffodil house in Stonington, CT, surrounded in the spring by these sunny, cheerful flowers which reflected her nature and her love of gardens. She was active in the Mystic Garden Club and many other community activites.

The Denison Homestead seemed an appropriate place to plant the daffodils since Ann Borodell Denison, the founder of the Denison Society, also loved flowers and nature. Ann was a founding member of the Mystic Garden Club and it is her land on which the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center is located. The Mystic Garden Club still stores their belongings in the Denison Barn across the road from the Homestead.

As people drive by the lovely daffodils in bloom each spring, they are reminded of Nancy and her legacy of community service.

Nancy Ryon Richartz