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

Denison-Gallup wedding reenactment, Mystic, CT, August 21, 2010

August 21, 2010: Denison-Gallup wedding reenactment and Denison Society annual meeting. Denison-Gallup wedding reenactment of Mercy Gallup to William Denison and Denison Society Annual Meeting.

10 AM – Business meeting of Denison Society in DPNC building, Noon– Joint Gallup and Denison Societies catered lunch under a tent in our meadow or side lawn. Afternoon– Reenactment of Mercy Gallup marrying William Denison, Tours of Homestead, Reservations will be required to rent enough chairs, tent size, order food etc.

William and George were brothers and grandsons of Captain George. William married Mercy Gallup on May 10, 1710. George married Lucy Gallup on June 4, 1717. Mercy and Lucy were sisters. George built the Homestead as a gift for his new wife .

We are located at 120 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic, CT 06355.
Our mailing address is PO Box 42, Mystic, CT 06355.
Phone:1-860-536-9248
Fax:1-860-536-9248
Email:membership@denisonsociety.org

Directions
From I-95, take Exit 90 (the Mystic Seaport and Aquarium exit). Turn north onto Route 27. Go 0.4 miles and turn right onto Jerry Browne Road. Continue 1 mile to the stop sign. Turn Right onto Pequotsepos Road. The museum is half a mile down the road, on the right-hand side. Watch for the brown signs pointing the way to the Denison Homestead.

Parking is available at either the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center lot across the road (on your left before you get to the Museum), or in a lot/field just beyond the Museum on the right.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: If you are traveling from a distance and will need a hotel, motel, or B&B, you should make reservations well in advance since this area is one of the top ten tourist destinations in the nation. Reasonably priced rooms are at a premium. For information on places to stay in the area please contact the Mystic Chamber of Commerce either at their website or by calling (860) 576-9578.

CPGC Annual Meeting at the Connecticut State Library, Van Block Building

Connecticut Professional Genealogist Council, Inc.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 10:00 a.m.
Annual Meeting and Luncheon
75 Van Block Avenue, Hartford, CT

Topic: Connecticut State Library Holdings at the Van Block Building

All are welcome including guests! Please bring something for our usual potluck lunch. There is places for folks to eat in a lunch room of sorts, and a microwave.

Speaker: Mel Smith will discuss new changes regarding this facility and new materials that are now stored here. Tour is being arranged.

The Van Block Facility is a limited access facility open for events or by appointment only.

See Directions Below at CSL website.

Most meetings are held in Hartford the first Tuesday of the month except for Jan. July & Aug.
---

Deborah Tajmajer, CPGC Email List Distributor
AncestorConnect@aol.com

Internship opportunities at the Lebanon Historical Society Museum and Visitor Center

Internship opportunities at the Lebanon Historical Society Museum and Visitor Center
The Lebanon Historical Society is a small town not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of all aspects of the history of Lebanon, CT from its earliest inhabitants to the present day, with special emphasis on Lebanon92s role in the American Revolution. The Society owns and operates a modern museum and visitor center with exhibit galleries, collections storage facilities, a genealogical library and archives and education and program space. In addition, the Society maintains and provides access to three historic structures: the William Beaumont birthplace a Broom Shop and a smoke house. In 2010, the library building that Civil War governor, William Buckingham, donated to the Congregation Church will be moved to the historical society property.

Located on the historic Lebanon Green, the Society is part of the Lebanon History Consortium. This affiliation of humanities sites around the Green (Governor Jonathan Trumbull House & Wadsworth Stable [DAR], the War Office [SAR], Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. House [Town of Lebanon], First Congregational
Church, Jonathan Trumbull Public Library, and LHS) work together to develop public programming. The Consortium also works with the town to promote Lebanon’s Revolutionary War past.

The Historical Society has a paid staff of four including a professional museum director, collections manager, administrative assistant and museum assistant. Regular staff also includes a volunteer librarian and volunteer genealogist. A volunteer Board of Trustees and core group of other volunteer
s carry out many important tasks. However, as with most small non-profits there are far more tasks to be accomplished than people to complete them. Therefore, LHS has a well-established tradition of welcoming interns who have, over the years been valued contributors to our research, exhibits and programs.

As the 2009-10 academic year begins, the Lebanon Historical Society hopes to attract a new group of collegiate interns. Students majoring in history,education, general humanities, geography, anthropology or museum studies might find that we offer engaging and challenging opportunities. However, we have also provided successful internships for students in less obvious disciplines including graphic arts and computer science. Interns are generally incorporated into on-going projects that have been identified as institutional priorities. However, if someone has a specific project of personal interest to suggest, LHS staff are happy to discuss how we can work together.

Visit our website site at www.historyofLebanon.org. Interested students can reach us at 860-642-6579 from 9:00 to 5:00 weekdays or email us at museum@historyofLebanon.org

Donna Baron, Director
Lebanon Historical Society Museum located on the Historic Lebanon Green
856 Trumbull Highway, Lebanon, CT 06249

Connecticut at War

Connecticut at War


Friday, November 13, 2009 – Saturday, November 14, 2009

Connecticut State Library

Governor William A. O’Neill State Armory

Manchester Community College

The Association for the Study of Connecticut History, Connecticut Militia Heritage Committee, Connecticut State Library, and Manchester Community College are pleased to present a one and one- half day conference on the experiences of Connecticut people with wars, spanning more than 350 years. The meeting is being held at the Connecticut State Library and Governor William A. O’Neill State Armory on Friday, November 13, 2009 and Manchester Community College on Saturday, November 14, 2009.

The conference will begin on Friday, November 13 with an opening program featuring Tom Callinan, Connecticut’s “1st Official State Troubadour” and Kevin Johnson with his moving portrayal of a former slave, “Jordan Freeman: The Fight to Set a People Free.” It will be followed by tours, a keynote by David Corrigan on the 100th anniversary of the Governor William A. O’Neill State Armory, a plenary session on the Connecticut National Guard in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and a reception at the Officers’ Club of Connecticut.

Researchers will be discussing a variety of war related topics from the 17th to the 21st centuries on the Saturday portion of the program at Manchester Community College. The presentations will reflect several perspectives, including those of academic scholars, graduate students, historical society personnel, independent historians, and participants. The program features sessions on 17th century warfare, the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, Cold War, and 21st century conflicts. Some papers are autobiographical or biographical in focus, while others concern home front activities, wartime dissent, citizen soldiers, and veterans.

This conference is far reaching and expands beyond the bounds of anything previously attempted by any of the sponsoring organizations. It contains programs of interest to all Connecticut history enthusiasts and provides a unique opportunity for those interested in any aspect of wartime activity in this State to meet and discuss their common interests.

Conferences of this scope and magnitude are the result of the hard work of many people. Special thanks, however, are due to Connecticut State Librarian Kendall Wiggin, George W. Ripley III, chair of the Connecticut Militia Heritage Committee, and Manchester Community College and MCC President Dr. Gena Glickman for hosting and supporting this conference.

We are also extremely grateful to the Connecticut Humanities Council for its continued support of this and other ASCH programs.
Guocun Yang President, ASCH

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.

Venture Smith Day: Connecticut Freedom Trail Event

The 12th annual Venture Smith Day Festivities will be held at Venture’s gravesite in First Church Cemetery, 499 Town Street (RT. 151), East Haddam on Saturday, September 6th starting at 1 pm until approximately 4 pm as part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail events. The program will include the reading of a Proclamation, wreath placement ceremony, as well as the annual photo shoot of Venture’s family of descendants. East Haddam Municipal Historian, Karl P. Stofko, will be commenting on his recent research on Venture Smith, an African-American slave who purchased his freedom in 1765, as well as the situations concerning Marget Smith’s gravestone and the fate of Venture’s home site at Haddam Neck. The featured speaker will be Dr. Nancy Steenburg, professor of history at UCONN Avery Point Campus at Groton. She will talk about Venture’s life as a slave and freeman in Stonington.

Please bring a comfortable chair or blanket. In the event of inclement weather we will move into the church. There will be plenty of time to renew old friendships, talk with our speakers and Venture’s descendants and partake of light refreshments. All are invited.

A brief biography of Venture Smith: Born Broteer about 1729, the eldest son of King Saungm Furro of the tribe of Dukandarra in Guinea, West Africa, Venture was captured about 1736 in his seventh year and sold for “4 gallons of rum and some calico” at Anamabo on Africa’s Gold Coast to Robinson Mumford, the steward of a Rhode Island slave ship. He was renamed Venture, having been purchased by Mumford’s own private venture. He grew up as a slave on Fishers Island, New York, which was being leased by the Mumford family at that time. About 1750 he married Meg, another Mumford slave, by whom he had four children. After a failed escape attempt in 1754, Venture was sold to Thomas Stanton of Stonington Point, Connecticut. In 1760 he was purchased for the last time by Colonel Oliver Smith, also of Southington. Colonel Smith allowed Venture to purchase his freedom in 1765 and in return Venture took the name Smith as his surname.

Venture then lived and work on Long Island to raise the necessary money to purchase the freedom of his wife and children. During these years he labored at cutting wood, farming, fishing, and spent seven months on a whaling voyage. In 1774 Venture sold all his land on Long Island and in Stonington and moved his family to East Haddam. He then began purchasing land on Haddam Neck along the Salmon River Cove from Abel Bingham and others. By his industry his farm grew to 134 acres with three houses; twenty boats, canoes and sailing vessels; two fishing businesses and a commercial orchard. His entrepreneurial ventures included river trafficking, lumberjacking, carpentry and farming. All of this was accomplished without the ability to either read or write.

In 1798 Venture dictated his autobiography to teacher Elisha Niles, which was then published in pamphlet form by Charles Holt, editor of the New London Bee. It has been reprinted many times since then. It is the only slave narrative of the 18th century that recounts life in Africa. His life story has been an inspiration to many, both black and white, over the years. Venture died on September 19, 1805, a highly respected man by all in the Haddams. He was survived by his wife, two sons, Cuff and Solomon, and seven grandchildren. Several of his descendants still live in Connecticut.

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.