Founder of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center; dedicated city preservationist

The grand-niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe is best known for her successful effort to preserve both the Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe houses at Nook Farm. Katharine organized the Friends of Hartford and raised $100,000 after learning that the Mark Twain House was about to be torn down and an automobile showroom built in its place.

Katharine spent much of early life living in Europe. She earned an A.M. from Radcliffe College at the age of 47 and eventually bought and moved into the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Hartford. That same year she became involved with a campaign to preserve her neighbor's home: The Mark Twain House.

In 1931 the Mark Twain Library and Memorial Commission was chartered by the Connecticut Legislature. Katharine then bought up other properties on Forest Street and set up a trust fund to insure the houses' future care. She served the community as a member of the Hartford City Planning Commission and numerous other associations and clubs.