Samuel Huntington’s Birthday Norwich, CT

July 25, 2010
Join the Norwich Historical Society for the 279th birthday of the first president of the Congress Assembled of the United States. The event begins on the Norwichtown Green and proceeds to historic Norwichtown Cemetery for the laying of the presidential wreath on the Huntington tomb. Please call the Historical Society for additional information at 860.886.1776. Event Begins @ 1:30

All the Comforts of Home: William Gillette’s 1890 Victorian Drawing Room Comedy

Live Theater at the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum and Gillette Castle State Park

Saturday and Sunday afternoons, July 24 through July 31, 2010

1:00pm outdoors at the park, 67 River Road. Free. Bring a blanket or chair if you'd like. 2:00pm indoors AC at the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum 264 Town Street Free with $5 admission to museum

This is the second summer season for the East Haddam Stage Company’s 30-minute production of William Gillette’s 1890 Victorian Drawing Room Comedy, All the Comforts of Home. Adapted and directed by EHSCO’s Artistic Director Kandie Carle.

All the Comforts of Home is a fast-paced comedy set in the London home of well-to-do
banker, Mr. Pettibone, played by Westbrook actor Don Shirer. The merriment begins when he intercepts a letter he thinks is intended for his wife, Rosabelle, played by Farmington actress Virginia Wolf.

Hilarious complications revolve around mistaken identities, miss-communication and one ne’er-do-well nephew, Alfred Hastings played by Hartford actor Kenneth Lundquist Jr. Love triangles, squares and circles ensue with the addition of New Britain actress Rayah Martin in not one or two, but THREE roles as fickle Alfred’s love interest. Throw innthe mysterious Mr. Smythe and you have a raucous good time!

Who gets whom in the end? And just where does Mr. Bender stand with Miss Fifi Oritanski? Come join in the fun and see for yourself!

This production is presented by the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum with funding support from the CT Humanities Council. For more information, please visit www.EHSCO.org

The Life and Times of Nathan Hale

Hale's Birthplace, Coventry. Lithograph, E.C. Kellogg

Join us for the Nathan Hale SymposiumThe Life and Times of Nathan Hale Saturday, August 7th, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Connecticut Landmarks will present a symposium on the life and times of Connecticut State Hero, Nathan Hale. Walter Woodward, Connecticut State Historian, will be the keynote speaker of the symposium which will include presentations by Richard E. Mooney, Kevin M. Sweeney and M. William Phelps. Bruce M. Stave will moderate a panel discussion. The event will conclude with a reception and special tour of the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and evokes a sense of Connecticut's legendary patriotic and agrarian heritage. The house, built in 1776, belonged to the parents and family of Nathan Hale and is located on the only site he ever called home.

Symposium Location
First Congregational Church of Coventry
1171 Main Street
Coventry, CT 06238

Tour and Reception
Nathan Hale Homestead
2299 South Street
Coventry, CT 06238

Call today for reservations! 860.247.8996 x 23The registration fee is $50 each, or $40 for CTL members, which includes lunch.
Or, click here for a Symposium Brochure to mail in registration.


Details of Hale statue in bronze and Clay, Bela Lyon Pratt

Schedule
9:30 am - Registration & Coffee
10:00 am - The Hon. Rob Simmons, Welcoming Remarks
10:15 am - Walter W. Woodward Lecture
10:45 am - Richard E. Mooney Lecture
11:15 am - M. William Phelps Lecture
11:45 am - Panel Discussion
12:30 pm - Lunch (included)
1:15 pm - Kevin M. Sweeney Lecture
2:00 pm - Travel to Hale Homestead
2:30 pm - 18th-Century Military & Farming Demonstrations, Tours & Reception
4:30 pm - Symposium Ends

The Lectures:
The Burning Issue About Nathan Hale
by Walter W. Woodward
The Connecticut State Historian will be the keynote speaker of the symposium. Woodward is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Connecticut and author of Prospero's America: John Winthrop, Jr., Alchemy, and the Creation of New England Culture, 1606-1676.

Nathan and Me: What I Learned from Nathan Hale
by Richard E. Mooney
Mooney is the former Executive Editor of the Hartford Courant, correspondent and member of the editorial board of the New York Times and curator of Nathan Hale: Yale, 1773, an exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the hero's birth (www.library.yale.edu/mssa/exhibits/hale/).

Hale, His Life & Legacy: Separating Fact From Fiction
by M. William Phelps
Phelps is an investigative journalist and author of the recent biography, Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America's First Spy.

The Hales' Homestead: Material Life in Colonial Connecticut
by Kevin M. Sweeney
Sweeney is a Professor of American Studies and History at Amherst College and author of Captors And Captives: The 1704 French And Indian Raid on Deerfield.

Panel Moderator:
Bruce M. Stave is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and Director, Oral History, at the University of Connecticut. Stave is a resident of Coventry and author of Mills and Meadows: A Pictorial History of Northeast Connecticut.

Murder at Darling Hill [Stonington, CT]

November Second Sunday
Murder at Darling Hill

Was Justice Served? You decide.

Sunday 8 November, 2pm
Stoneridge Retirement Community Auditorium
186 Jerry Brown Road, Mystic
Judith duPont has written an historical account that reads like murder-mystery fiction. But the facts are these: in the evening hours of 19 April, 1874, 17 year-old Irvin Langworthy was murdered in his home on Darling Hill in Stonington (near where present Route 1 ascends what is now know as Lord's Hill). An attempt was also made to kill his older brother, Courtland, who was found in his bed in a pool of blood. Suspicion almost immediately fell upon hired farm-hand Bill Libby, but there were some who suspected the Langworthy family.

The brutal murder led to sensational newspaper coverage in the New London Evening Telegram, the Mystic Press and the New York Times. The case was tried in New London County Courthouse and Libby was given a life sentence. But was he guilty? Join us as we look more deeply into this case and we learn more about the community as we see how they reacted to the ongoing saga.

Buy a copy of the book, $15, at the Shaw Mansion, at the Stonington Historical Society, or at Bank Square Books in Mystic; or borrow a copy from your local library and read it before Judith's presentation so you'll be able to judge all of the evidence. (Stoneridge residents can obtain copies of the book from Jack Kurrus.)

Free for members, Stoneridge residents and their guests
$5 for others Free Parking is available.

Founded in 1870, the New London County Historical Society is the oldest historical organization in eastern Connecticut. The Shaw Mansion, located near the intersection of Bank and Tilley Streets in New London, has been our home since 1907.
Edward Baker Executive Director 860.443.1209

“The Ackleys in East Haddam ”

UPCOMING EVENTS AT
THE EAST HADDAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY

“The Ackleys in East Haddam ”
Wednesday, October 14, 7:30pm
a PowerPoint presentation

by Anita Ballek and Cat MacKinnon

--- at the Museum ---
Refreshments will be served!

Wednesday, November 11, 7:30pm

19th Annual Lecture

"Mysteries of East Haddam "

Lecture by Dr. Karl Stofko

--- at the Museum ---

Refreshments will be served!

Wednesday, December 9, 6-9pm

Christmas Potluck Supper!

EVERYONE WELCOME

--- at the Museum ---

http://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Haddam-CT/East-Haddam-Historical-Society-Museum/129350800501

East Haddam Barns: A Pictorial Survey

East Haddam Barns: A Pictorial Survey By George Fellner The pastoral character of East Haddam is enhanced by a plethora of barn subject material. This is the fifth annual photo/essay presentation performed by local architect George Fellner and sponsored by the East Haddam Historical Society and Museum.

Using his camera and lenses, Mr. Fellner searches for unique and stimulating representations of the built and natural environment,celebrating the history, architecture, and landscape of this quintessential Connecticut town. In this program, he reviews the basic history of barns, barn typology, and construction integrated with a series of visual case studies. The selected images portray a range of barn types, including old as well as recently constructed manifestations of the barn theme. As in previous programs, the intent is to evoke an appreciation of the past and to realize the relevance of the past within the context of the present!

East Haddam Historical Society & Museum
264 Town Street, East Haddam, CT
Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 7:30pm
Refreshments will be served!

Fairfield County Loyalist Documents & Ghostly Encounters

Connecticut Ancestry Society, Inc. Fall Program.

Fairfield County Loyalist Documents and Ghostly Encounters with Paul J. Bunnell, UE


Sunday, October 26, 2008 from 2:00 PM to 4:00
New Cannan Historical Society, 13 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT

The Revolutionary War was the first Civil War in this region, pitting brother against brother, and father against son. Paul began his own genealogy not expecting it would lead him to a soldier in the company of Benedict Arnold. He has since become a leading expert in the field of Loyalist studies and is the founder and editor of the Loyalist Quarterly, the only U.S. Loyalist newsletter devoted to that history.

This lecture is centered around the Loyalist ship, Union, and its passengers, many from Fairfield County who fled from New York City in 1783 for Saint John, Nova Scotia (New Brunswick) and their settlement at Kingston, New Brunswick. Paul will also discuss other families from the area and the type of documents you will find during research. His encounter with his Loyalist ancestors ghost in 1985 and the documents, photos and physic experiences that followed will shock you in what some
research can uncover.

Admission is free. However, please RSVP to Connecticut Ancestry Society with the number of attendees at (203) 778-4794 or via rlocke@ralii.com to ensure available seating. More information about Connecticut Ancestry Society can be found on our website.

"Thunder in the Valley"

The Moodus Drum & Fife Corps will host it's Annual "Thunder in the Valley" annual Ancient Muster on Saturday the 18th of October 2008 with a fife and drum parade being held at 12 noon. The Muster will be held at the old Grange Hall on Town Street, East Haddam Ct. (intersection of Rt 151 and East Haddam-Colchester Turnpike). Each year twenty Fife and Drum Corps come to East Haddam to particiapte in this evnet! Groups come from New England, New York and New Jersey. There will be a picinic dinner availble with tickers for sale at event. The public is invited.

For mapping use this address: 499 Town Street, East Haddam Ct 06423. Camping is available.

The Moodus corps strives to maintain a tempo that is considerable slower than that used by most corps today and is representative of the values instilled by the cadre of Moodus drummers that have gone before. It is this magic sound that has brought the Moodus Drum and Fife Corps a long and honored history of playing before several U.S. presidents, numerous commemorative events, and musters from Maine to Michigan.

2008 Avery Memorial Association Reunion at Mashantucket Pequot Museum

The Avery Memorial Association
will hold its annual meeting/reunion Saturday,July 19Th at Mashantucket Pequot Museum, 110 Pequot Trail,Mashantucket.

Registration starts at 10:00 A.M., with the meeting program between 10:30 A.M.- 12:30 P.M.

At 12:30 P.M., will be a buffet lunch and from 2:00- 4:00 P.M., the Pequot Museum Director will be giving the attendees a thirty minute Power Point presentation and talk/Q&A about the relationship with the Avery's and Pequot Tribe. Admission is separate from the reunion but attendees can get a reduced group rate of admission.

Activities are also planned for the Avery's the day before and after the reunion in the local area. Those at this late date should check on last minute reservation availability for Saturday luncheon with Mrs. Brustolon listed below or Mrs. Lantiere also listed below.

The Avery Memorial Association is a Groton,Connecticut; based organization that operates multiple historic sites. Membership consists of active Members descendants of descendants of Christopher Avery and a Friends category. Stephanie Lantiere is president and she can be reached at sglantiere@aol.com with general questions about the organization. Reunion reservations and membership queries should be made to Betty Brustolon, membership secretary, at 860-536-7236. Among notable Christopher Avery descendants are United States Vice Presidents Schuyler Colfax and Nelson Rockefeller. More info: www.averymemorialassociation.com

New Wing Opeing at the East Haddam Society Museum

You are invited to attend THE GRAND OPENING of the
EAST HADDAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM, NEW WING
264 Town Street, East Haddam, Conn.

featuring THE HEINZ WARNEKE EXHIBIT
on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 11am

Free Admission All Day!
This wing was built to accept a priceless gift--weighing 3600 pounds and standing 17 feet high--from East Haddam resident Joseph Clark. Mr. Clark, about to retire as Technical Director of the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC, felt that the "tympanum" (plaster model of the South Portal of Washington's National Cathedral, consisting of The Last Supper and The Road to Emmaus) by sculptor Heinz Warneke should be given to the EHHS for residents and visitors to enjoy. The work was created here in the Wickham Road studio of sculptor Warneke, where it resided for fifty years. Joseph Clark purchased Warneke's property from Warneke's daughter, Priscilla Waters Norton, whose son, Jonathan Waters, is also a sculptor. All three will be present for the opening of the New Wing and Heinz Warneke Exhibit.

President Charles Farrow, Vice President Mary Ellen Klinck, Museum Director George Drenga, the trustees and I would be honored by your presence. The curator for "Heinz Warneke, 1895-1983: East Haddam's Modernist Sculptor" is Laura Macaluso of Milford; her graphic artist is Jonathan Hunt of Manchester. The exhibit is made possible by a matching grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.

Light refreshments will be served.

Please join us for this landmark occasion!

For reservations, please email asortland@snet.net or call 860-873-2832
Thank you!

--Bob Cumming, Executive Director

To locate the EHHS Museum From Route 9:
Take exit 7 off of Route 9. Go left at the blinker and right at the first traffic light (Route 82). After passing Goodspeed Opera House remain on Route 82 toward Gillette Castle. At the "T" with Route 151, go right for about one mile and see the EHHS sign on the left.

History of the Valley Railroad

A Cooperative Meeting of the Historical Societies
from Chester, Deep River, and East Haddam.

--- Held at the Chester Historical Society ---
9 West Main Street, Chester
(just east of the Chester Library)

Max Miller, Railroad Historian from Haddam
will present a program on the history of the Valley Railroad,
which served East Haddam with a stop at the far side of the bridge.

Free Admission! Refreshments Will Be Served!

Sunday, May 18, 2008, 3pm

More info: info@chesterhistoricalsociety.org

“The Village Smithy Speaks”

East Haddam Historical Society & Museum
264 Town Street, PO Box 27
East Haddam CT 06423-0027


“The Village Smithy Speaks”
Presented by Dick Everett

Wednesday, May 14, 7:30pm

--- At the EHHS Museum ---
Free Admission for Members / $5.00 for Non-Members
Refreshments will be served!

"The Settlement of the Oblong" of CT and NY

Connecticut Ancestry Society, Inc. Annual Meeting & Seminar

"The Settlement of the Oblong" How the boundary between New York and Connecticut was determined with Harlan Jessup at the Keeler Tavern Museum on Sunday, May 18, 2008 beginning at 2:00 PM

Everyone Invited & Welcome Free, but RSVP requested. Sponsored and refreshments provided by Ridgefield Historical Society & The Keeler Tavern Museum

Following a brief 15-minute annual business meeting, "Connecticut Ancestry" editor, Harlan Jessup, will uncover some of the mystery surrounding the settlement of the Oblong.

Who settled this narrow strip of "Equivalent Lands" which compensated New York for that part of Fairfield County which projects toward the Hudson River? North and South Salem were settled largely by Ridgefield
families, but further north there were only squatters who had no clear title to the lands. And not all the legitimate settlers came directly from Connecticut.

The Keeler Tavern Museum is located at 132 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut. Please RSVP with the number of attendees to the Ridgefield Historical Society at (203) 438-5821 or ridgefieldhistory@sbcglobal.net

Visit us at http://www.connecticutancestry.org for more details.

Also, check out an Irish Genealogical Workshop being held at the Bridgeport (CT) Public Library on Saturday, May 17th beginning at 10:30am. Details at http://www.connecticutancestry.org
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CT Vital Records Access

Date: March 4, 2008, TUESDAY, 10 a.m.
Host: Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council, Inc. Meeting
Speaker: Elizabeth Frugale, State Registrar of Vital Statistics and Member of Town Clerk Certification Committee
Topic: CT Vital Record Access
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: Emanuel Lutheran Church, 311 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut

From CPGC website: "You do not have to be a member to attend any part of the meetings. Come and join us for genealogical education, sharing and fun. All meetings begin promptly at 10:00 am and include a business meeting and our featured program. We strive to end our meetings by 12:30, and some members have lunch together at nearby restaurants or bring lunch with them to the State Library (there is a cafeteria across the street at the Connecticut Education Association building, and meals are also available at the Legislative Office Building, across Capitol Avenue). Other events are listed here for your convenience,http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctpgc/schedule.html but CPGC does not take any responsibility for errors or omissions."
-----------------------------------------
DirectionsEmanuel Lutheran Church is located on the corner of Capitol Avenue and Hungerford Street; directly across the street from the State Armory and Legislative Office Building. 860-525-0894. Some parking available at the church lot and on street. Directions are from the church's website:

From the West via Interstate 84:
As you approach downtown Hartford, take exit 48B (Capitol Avenue). Stay in the right-hand lane. At the end of the exit turn right at the stop light onto Capitol Avenue. Emanuel is on your left-hand side at the next traffic light. Turn left onto Hungerford Street and enter the church parking lot on your right.

From the East via Interstate 84:
Take Exit 48 (Asylum Avenue) and stay in the middle lane as you approach the traffic light. Take a right onto Asylum Avenue. At the next traffic light take a left onto Broad Street. Proceed to the traffic light and take a left onto Capitol Avenue. Emanuel will be on your right at the end of the first block. Turn right onto Hungerford Street and enter the church parking lot on your right.

From North and South via Interstate 91:
Take the "Capitol Area" exit off Interstate 91 (this will be the left lanes coming from the south). Follow exit to traffic circle (Pulaski Circle); follow half-way around and bear right onto Elm Street. At the stoplight, turn left onto Trinity Street (Capitol Building will be on your right). Bear right onto Capitol Avenue. Emanuel is two blocks up on your left. Turn left onto Hungerford Street and enter the church parking lot on your right.
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Free Irish Genealogy Seminar March 15

Irish Americans looking for their roots will have an opportunity to learn how to trace their family trees back to Europe at a genealogy lecture scheduled to take place in Bridgeport on Saturday, March 15, 2008. The presentations by three noted researchers will take place at Housatonic Community College 900 Lafayette Blvd in Bridgeport starting at noon.

Prof. Jonathan Shea, a foreign language professor at HCC, will lead off the sessions speaking about American sources needed to find information about the family on this side of the ocean, some of which will take the researcher back to the family's place of origin in Ireland. Among the sources to be discussed are local birth, marriage and death records, probate files, church registers and similar documentation generated on a local level as well as information laden records of the federal government such as decennial census returns, WWI draft registrations and ships passenger lists from Ellis Island and other ports of entry. Shea, a New Britain native, traces his paternal roots to the counties of Offaly and Mayo in Ireland and has done on site research in the National Archives in Dublin, local county records offices and Catholic parish archives in his counties of origin. Stated Shea" My family not only emigrated to the US but to the United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand so tracking down all the various branches of the family has taken me on a documentary journey to four continents"

Resources in Ireland will be discussed by Janet Pestey of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. Major records sources such as the nineteenth century Griffiths Valuation Lists and the surviving Irish census returns will be covered as well as information on national vital records indexes many of which are available at the Family History Center in Woodbridge and the resources to be found at Irish National Archives. Also included will be Civil Registration records which began in 1864, church records, tithe records estate records. Local sources and computer sites will also be discussed. The speaker is a retired educator and a frequent lecturer on the topic.

The third in the trio of experts is Daniel Lynch of Trumbull. Lynch will concentrate on internet sources researchers can use from the comfort of their own home to hunt for ancestors. As more and more records are digitized and becoming available on home computers, this facet of genealogical research is among the fastest growing aspects of genealogy. a pastime of millions Americans. Lynch is a 22 year veteran of the computer industry and served as a consultant to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation and was featured on ABC News Good Morning America as part of their genealogy series. The author of numerous genealogy articles, Lynch is a frequent lecturer on genealogy and technology.

The seminar is the result of a collaboration between Housatonic, The Connecticut Society of Genealogists, headquartered in East Hartford and the Connecticut Ancestry Society headquartered in Stamford.

----

Location: Housatonic Community College
Directions: Bridgeport, exit 27 from I-95, plenty of free parking.

Saving Connecticut’s barns -- Free

The South Windsor Historical Society will present a program on saving Connecticut’s barns Jan. 10. The program, which is free and open to the public will be held at Wood Memorial Library, 783 Main St., South Windsor, at 7 p.m.
Todd Levine, a representative of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, will talk about taking a “windshield survey” of local barns, a project involving taking a digital photo of a barn from a safe public place, recording basic information, and inputting it into the Connecticut Barn Website (www.connecticutbarns.org) for review. The data can then be retrieved by those interested in saving the history of important agricultural structures.
Mr. Levine notes, “Until recently historic barns in Connecticut have not been completely documented. Outbuildings and barns had rarely been included in the National Registry of Historic Places. In the last decade their historic significance was realized in evaluating an historic site. Barns are disappearing from the Connecticut landscape by slow decay or by being razed for new construction. With each barn lost we lose another piece of our rich agricultural history.”
“Every town in our historic state, including South Windsor, has barns and outbuildings that should be saved either by restoration or by a digital camera,” he adds.
Anna Fiori, historical society program chair, encourages South Windsor residents to participate in the project. She said, “If you have photos of South Windsor barns bring them to this meeting. We would enjoy seeing them and perhaps you will allow us to make copies for our archives.”
For more information about the historical society and its activities,
call 860-291-9958 or visit www.southwindsorhistory.tk

East Haddam Historical Society & Museum: Open House June 9, 2007

The East Haddam Historical Society & Museum will be open from 10:30am-4pm on Saturday, June 9 without charge to visitors. This is in honor of Connecticut Open House Day sponsored by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and includes the Ambassador Program ....

This is the third annual Connecticut Open House Day involving 200 other organizations and attractions throughout the state. The East Haddam Historical Society Museum features an exhibit and 35-minute film on William Gillette and Sherlock Holmes featuring Gillette protege Helen Hayes, created by Peter Loffredo of Connecticut Heritage Productions. Works of such famous local artists as Heinz Warneke and W. Langdon Kihn are a part of the museum's holdings, along with a photographic display of the mills of Moodus, Millington Green Post Office and General Store, Moodus Drum and Fife Corps memorabilia, miniatures of the Goodspeed Opera House and an 18th-century East Haddam dwelling and outbuildings, Indian artifacts dating to 1300 B.C. and an exhibit on the last of the New England whalers, Captain George Comer.

East Haddam is comprised of the areas known as Millington, Hadlyme, North Plains, Leesville, Johnsonville, Moodus, Little Haddam and East Haddam Landing. The EHHS, located on Route 82 (264 Town Street) will soon celebrate the opening of an important new wing presently awaiting a Certificate of Occupancy. Phone 860-873-3944; email ehhistsociety@snet.net.

Connecticut Open House Day: Sat. June 9, 2007

Join the party! On June 9th, art galleries and studios, museums, theaters, historic properties, tourist attractions and lodging facilities across the state will be opening their doors to Connecticut residents. Enjoy free or discounted admission and d other special incentives.

You will find the Connecticut Open House participants are listed at http://ctvisit.com/open_house_properties.htm describing what each property is offering. Search engine found at the CT Heritage site: http://www.ctheritage.org/

For example:
Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
778 Palisado Ave.(Rte. 159)
Windsor, CT
Phone: (860) 688-8717
http://www.ctdar.org
Free admission

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Nathan Hale Homestead
2299 South St.
Coventry, CT
Phone: (860) 742-6917
http://www.ctlandmarks.org/hale.php
Free admission (reg. $7)
--
Shaw Mansion
New London County Historical Society
11 Blinman St.
New London, CT
Phone: (860) 443-1209
http://www.newlondonhistory.org
Free Admission

Amasa Day House Memorial Day Family Fest and Open House

Bring a picnic and join us after the East Haddam parade (Monday, May 28, 2007) for a day of family fun on the beautiful Amasa Day House grounds. 11-00-3:00.One of the house’s of the Antiquirian and Landmark Society.

Free admission to the grounds and free tours of the 1816 Federal – style house, home Civil War Veteran Eugene Chafee, Amasa Day's son-in- law. Donations are kindly requested.Civil War Re-enactors! Join the drill and more. Living history at its best!

12:45 performance of the East Haddam stage company’s “They call me Lizzie… from Slavery to the White House.” Best known as dressmaker and confidant to Mary Todd Lincoln.

Purchase refreshments, victorian toys and much more.

Directions:
From Rte 9; Exit 7, Moodus, to Rte 82 East. Pass Goodspeed Opera House to Rte. 149. Museum is north 4.2 miles at the junction of Rtes 149 and 151.
From Rte 2: Exit 16, Moodus, right onto Rte 149 South. Museum is south 8 miles at the intersection of Rtes 149 and 151.

Amasa Day House
Plains Road
On the Green
Moodus, Connecticut 06469
(860) 247-8996 ext. 12
amasa.day@ctlandmarks.org
www.ctlandmarks.org/amasa.php.

"A Slave's Story": BBC Documentary about Venture Smith of East Haddam and Haddam Neck, CT

By Paul Murphy and Joe Bilton. World Premier Screening.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

This year's program is part of the Beecher House Center for the Study of Equal Rights, the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation, in hull England, and the University of Connecticut’s ongoing Project – Documenting Venture Smith. A Slave’s Story was filmed in Connecticut in 2006 during the Project’s excavation of Venture’s family gravesite in East Haddam and the development of an extraordinary DNA map of the family.

Venture Smith was born in West Africa (as Broteer Furro) c. 1727-29 and sold into slavery in 1739. After being transshipped to New England and after years of terrible struggle, Venture purchased freedom for himself his family and several other enslaved people. He then developed a far-flung trading enterprise and became a major landholder in Haddam Neck where he died a free man in 1805.

As he outlined in his 1798 Narrative, Venture’s was an epic saga of emancipation and achievement spanning two centuries and affirming the power of the human spirit.

Program and Buffet Brunch-Luncheon at the Torrington Country Club in Goshen, CT
$45. Checks payable to Beecher House Society, Inc.

Information or reservations: 860-489-1774 or beechers@optonline.net.
Beecher House Society, PO Box 124 Torrington, CT 06790
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Related Links about Venture Smith:
Story and photos: http://www.flogris.org/exhibitions/2006/06Venture.html
Click of Listen: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6096911
Tourism: http://www.visitconnecticut.com/freedom.htm
Town Library: http://www.rathbun.lioninc.org/collection.htm#family