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May 2013
New Exhibit:
This Won't Hurt a Bit! A History of Pain Relief
April 26 - September 28, 2013
For more information, visit our Exhibits page.
Ongoing Exhibit:
Making Connecticut
Ongoing
Visit our Exhibit page to learn about our other ongoing exhibits.
New Exhibit Opens:
Behind the Wheel
May 23 - September 28, 2013
For more information, visit our Upcoming Exhibits page.
Family Program: Story & Crafts at the Museum
Tuesday, May 28 | 10:00 - 11:00 am
children FREE with adult admission | members FREE
Join us for story-time at the Connecticut Historical Society! Children will listen to a story, make a simple craft to take home, and have time to explore our hands-on exhibits. This program is recommended for children ages 5 and under; all children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
June 2013
Free Admission to the Museum Galleries
Saturday, June 1 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Please note that free admission does not include the Research Center.
Special Event: Collectible Car Day
Saturday, June 1 │ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm │FREE
Classic originals, customs, hot rods and vintage vehicles of all kinds will fill the CHS lots on the first Saturday in June! Come see everything from a Model-T to a led sled when the Valley Collector Car Club, Inc. of Simsbury returns as our special guests for a Club Car Display that will complement our Behind the Wheel exhibit. A special presentation by auto historian Robert Staneslow, "Automobile Manufacturing in Connecticut and New England" at 11:00 am will showcase Connecticut's once-thriving auto industry. Rounding out a perfect day for families, kids can make their own bumper stickers and take them home. Rain date: June 22. For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jenny Steadman.
Connecticut Open House Day
Saturday, June 8 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Free admission to the museum galleries all day, including a free poetry reading at 2:00 pm (see below). Please note that free admission does not include the Research Center. Behind-the-Scenes tours are available for an additional fee (see below).
Behind-the-Scenes Tours: Putting History on the Map
Saturday, June 8 | 11:00 am & 1:00 pm | $5 members | $15 non-members
tickets available online
As the CHS concludes its ambitious project to digitize and catalog its large collection of maps, visitors will get a glimpse into the project, the new storage facilities, and some of the most significant pieces in the collection, including Abel Buel's first map of the United States, Dutch maps from the 1600s, and the earliest published maps of Connecticut.
Join us every Second Saturday of the month for a different sneak peek into non-public storage areas and see some of the Connecticut Historical Society collection not currently on exhibit. Tours last approximately 45 minutes and are appropriate for ages 12 and up. Tour price includes general admission. Space is limited. Don't be disappointed--buy tickets in advance! Tickets are available online until noon the day prior to the tour. For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jenny Steadman.
Poetry Reading: Connecticut Poems, Connecticut Poets: A Reading from
Garnet Poems
Saturday, June 8 │2:00 pm │FREE
"It was Whitman who told us that America was a poem in our eyes. This remains true, and is no more obvious than in these memorable poems, each of them rooted in the landscape and people of Connecticut. It's a sumptuous collection, full of surprises, and something all serious readers of poetry will enjoy."
--Jay Parini, author of
Why Poetry Matters
Listen to the work of local poets featured in Dennis Barone's collection
Garnet Poems: An Anthology of Connecticut Poetry Since 1776, who join their literary predecessors in celebrating the culture and geography of the Nutmeg State. Poets reading their work will include Dennis Barone (professor of English and American studies at the University of Saint Joseph), Doug Anderson (author of
The Moon Reflected Fire), Sophie Cabot Black (author of
The Misunderstanding of Nature), and Vivian Shipley (Connecticut State University Distinguished Professor and author of
All of Your Messages Have Been Erased).
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jenny Steadman. Buy
Garnet Poems through our online store.
Secrets of the Veeder House Tour
Saturday, June 22 | 11:00 am & 1:00 pm | FREE for members | $4-8 non-members
From the servants' quarters to the original elevator, this is a rare opportunity to explore the architecture and see some of the non-public details of the 1928 house that is now the Connecticut Historical Society. Tours last approximately 45 minutes and are appropriate for ages 12 and up. Tour price includes general admission. Space is limited. Don't be disappointed--buy tickets in advance! Tickets are available online until noon the day prior to the tour. For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jenny Steadman.
Book Talk: Bob Steele,
The Curse
Saturday, June 22 │ 2:00 pm │ FREE with general admission
Former Connecticut Congressman Bob Steele (son of late WTIC radio personality Bob Steele) will discuss his newly-published book The Curse: Big-Time Gambling's Seduction of a Small New England Town. Steel's novel begins with the Pequot War in 1637, then jumps 350 years as a Connecticut family becomes embroiled in a struggle to block a casino that threatens the family's town and ancestral home. The author will share his unique vantage point, first as a legislator for eastern Connecticut and later as a neighbor living on the edge of the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, which provided him with a keen appreciation of the political maneuverings that brought the casinos into being, as well as a first-hand view of their impact. Books will be available for signing and sale. For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jenny Steadman.
July 2013
Free Admission to the Museum Galleries
Saturday, July 6 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Please note that free admission does not include the Research Center.
Family Program: What can you see at the Connecticut Historical Society?
Saturday, July 6 | Drop-in between 10:00 am & 1:00 pm | FREE
Kids decorate their very own cardboard binoculars and then use them as they explore the CHS galleries and grounds. You never know what you will see when you visit the museum! All supplies are provided by the CHS. This program is recommended for children 8 and under.
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
Family Program: Story & Crafts at the Museum
10:00 - 11:00 am
$8 adults, $6 seniors, $4 students and youth 6-17 | FREE for members and children 5 and under | Please note that library passes are not accepted for this program
Join us for story-time at the Connecticut Historical Society all summer long! Children will listen to a story, make a simple craft to take home, and have time to explore our hands-on exhibits. This program is recommended for children ages 5 and under; all children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is not required.
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
Wednesday, July 10 and Thursday, July 11: Cars and Transportation
Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18: Flowers and Gardens (outdoors, weather permitting)
Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25: Colors and Exploration
Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1: Sports and Exercise
Wednesday, August 7 and Thursday, August 8: Cooking and Kitchens
Wednesday, August 14 and Thursday, August 15: Nature Walk and Collections (outdoors, weather permitting)
Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22: Numbers and Clocks
*The same program will be repeated twice each week.
Become a member and SAVE! Visit chs.org/membership to learn more.
Kids' Program: Passport to Connecticut History Summer Series
Wednesdays, 1:00 - 3:00 pm | $12 for non-members, $8 for members
Please note that library passes are not accepted for this program
Spend the summer exploring Connecticut's history at the Connecticut Historical Society! Weekly themes encourage kids, ages 7-10, to learn about our state by participating in interactive exhibit experiences, examining reproduction artifacts, making arts and craft projects to take home, and having fun! Kids will receive a Connecticut history passport and will stamp a new page after finishing each program. This is a drop-off program, although adults are welcome to stay! Pre-registration is not required.
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
Wednesday, July 10: What is a Museum?
Wednesday, July 17: Building a Connecticut Community
Wednesday, July 24: My Family History
Wednesday, July 31: Native Americans in Early Connecticut
Wednesday, August 7: Daily Life in Colonial Connecticut
Wednesday, August 14: Toys and Games in Connecticut History
Wednesday, August 21: Moving to Connecticut: Immigration!
Become a member and SAVE! Visit chs.org/membership to learn more.
August 2013
Free Admission to the Museum Galleries
Saturday, August 3 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Please note that free admission does not include the Research Center.
Family Program: Ouch! Decorate your own Bandages
Saturday, August 3 | Drop-in between 10:00 am & 1:00 pm | FREE
Kids will explore the
This Won't Hurt a Bit! A History of Pain Relief exhibit and make their own set of fashion fabric adhesive bandages. All supplies are provided by the CHS. This program is recommended for children ages 4 and up.
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
Family Program: Story & Crafts at the Museum
10:00 - 11:00 am
$8 adults, $6 seniors, $4 students and youth 6-17 | FREE for members
and children 5 and under | Please note that library passes are not
accepted for this program
Join us for story-time at the Connecticut Historical Society all
summer long! Children will listen to a story, make a simple craft to
take home, and have time to explore our hands-on exhibits. This program
is recommended for children ages 5 and under; all children must be
accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is not required.
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
Wednesday, August 7 and Thursday, August 8: Cooking and Kitchens
Wednesday, August 14 and Thursday, August 15: Nature Walk and Collections (outdoors, weather permitting)
Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22: Numbers and Clocks
*The same program will be repeated twice each week.
Become a member and SAVE! Visit chs.org/membership to learn more.
Kids' Program: Passport to Connecticut History Summer Series
Wednesdays, 1:00 - 3:00 pm | $12 for non-members, $8 for members
Please note that library passes are not accepted for this program
Spend the summer exploring Connecticut's history at the Connecticut
Historical Society! Weekly themes encourage kids, ages 7-10, to learn
about our state by participating in interactive exhibit experiences,
examining reproduction artifacts, making arts and craft projects to take
home, and having fun! Kids will receive a Connecticut history passport
and will stamp a new page after finishing each program. This is a
drop-off program, although adults are welcome to stay! Pre-registration
is not required.
For more information, call (860) 236-5621 x222 or email Erin Strogoff.
Wednesday, August 7: Daily Life in Colonial Connecticut
Wednesday, August 14: Toys and Games in Connecticut History
Wednesday, August 21: Moving to Connecticut: Immigration!
Become a member and SAVE! Visit chs.org/membership to learn more.
In the Community
See what else we're doing around Connecticut! Visit our In the Community page.