Progress on the new Old State House exhibition continues at a brisk pace, with the components of the visitor experience taking shape. Kate Steinway, Deputy Director of Interpretation and Project Manager for the Old State House visitor experience said, “After doing an extensive audience survey in 2003, we found that people want museums to help them strengthen their connection to the world around them, especially by understanding the present with an appreciation for the influence of the past. So we thought, why not build on that evidence? Since people are especially interested in history that helps them understand who they are in relation to the world around them and the past, we ended up selecting “history is all around us” as the key organizing theme, focusing on the history of the Old State House, Hartford, and the importance of history in all our lives.”

The introductory area, History is All Around Us, explores how people are shaped by personal history, family traditions, experiences, and memories, and also by the people and events, both famous and not, of the past. “Here visitors will not only learn about how everyday objects like street names, phrases we use, songs, family tales, or even license plates are informed by history,” explains Rebecca Furer, Head of School and Youth Programs at the CHS Museum and a member of the exhibit team, “but also how we each use history in our daily lives, connecting us to the past and helping us each make better sense of our world.”

With the Old State House at the traditional “center” of the city, the second theme, Where We Live Is History, will look at how history is present both in the historic landmark and throughout the city that surrounds it. “Here, visitors will discover the evidence of the past in our communities and the built environment,” explained James Jensen, Lead Exhibit Developer and also member of the exhibit team. “We’ll have a large scale interactive about what it takes to build a city, and then a closer look at the urban planning initiatives that shaped Hartford between 1940 and 1970.”

“The third area of the exhibit will examine how human needs stay the same but how objects change and reflect the time and place they were created,” said Jensen. “In What We Use Is History, there will be a variety of objects arranged thematically in windows, like windows into history.” These objects will be drawn from both the CHS Museum and Museum of Connecticut History collections.

The final section, What We Do Is History, “will show how everyone is part of making history, and how each person can make an impact – small or large – on the present and future by taking action,” said Andrea Rapacz, Project Manager for the Interpretation Department and another member of the exhibit team. “This area is also arranged thematically and we will look at some of the ways the people of Hartford have responded to challenges and contributed over time.”

The new exhibition represents only some of the changes taking place at the Old State House. A self-guided audio tour of the building will also be in place, thanks in large part to a $75,000 grant recently received from the Aetna Foundation. “Today’s museum visitors are accustomed to a multi-media environment which can entertain and educate,” explained Steinway. “We want to meet our visitors’ expectations by presenting a state-of-the-art experience throughout the building.”

The historic rooms (City Council, Senate, Steward’s Museum, and the Court) and the grounds will be included on the audio tour, helping to explain the OSH’s rich political, social, and economic history through sound effects, music, and character voices to help the site’s historic importance come alive. “The site of the Old State House has witnessed unprecedented change all around it, but its story, and the story of the city that grew up around it has more than local interest. As a typical American story, the interpretation of the historic rooms and the new exhibition should have something interesting to share with visitors from all over,” added Steinway.

The Old State House will remain open through construction, which will begin in the fall. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, with discounted parking available at the Constitution Plaza South Garage. Guided tours are available every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. For more information, call (860) 522-6766 or log on to www.ctosh.org.

June 2005