Alan Laites, director of Jefferson House, said the house was originally known as the "Old People's Home," and was originally located on Jefferson Street in Hartford.
"It took until 1884 to get the money for the building, construct it, and it opened in 1884," Laites said. "Located on Jefferson Drive in Hartford, it was a department of Hartford Hospital, and from 1884 to 1965 it was located on Jefferson Street and in '65, to make room for the Hartford Hospital School of Nursing, the building was torn down."
Jefferson House was named after the street it originated on and the doors to the current location opened in July of 1980, according to Laites.
The events will have a late-1800s theme, honoring the time period in which the house was built. The events will be produced for patients and their families at no cost.
Aug. 12, the history of Hartford will be presented by the CT Landmark Society, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 19, at 2:30 p.m., Patty Carver will entertain with a "Leading Ladies of the 1800s" sketch.
"We've had Patty Carver [before]," Laites said. "She's good. When she was here last, I think she did Betsy Ross, and a whole bunch of different people. She dresses like them and she goes through a whole skit. I don't know what she's doing this time."
Horse and buggy rides will be offered, and will take passengers around Jefferson House and Cedar Mountain Commons. The rides will be offered from 1 to 5 p.m.
Kandi Carle will present fashion and society of the 1800s on Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m., wearing all the "latest" garb of the eras.
"Residents like that. It reminds them of another time," Laites said.
On Sept. 10 at 6 p.m., a Mark Twain impersonator will entertain outdoors, along with the Silk City Quartet.
Laites said on Sept. 23, the "main event" will take place with guest speaker Dr. David Crombie giving a speech titled "Age is Opportunity: 125 Years at Jefferson House."
A picnic for the staff will also take place in September.
A banner hanging outside the house reads "125 Years: Thousands of patients, one philosophy," and Laites said he thinks Jefferson House has done well in meeting the needs of the elderly over the years.
"Aging is a fact of life and we just meet the challenges," Laites said. "We take care of our elderly like we would like to be taken care of, that's been part of us for 125 years. That's not going to go away and we want to be able to continue to meet the challenges of an aging population."