News & Updates

1956 St. Patrick’s Day parade

St. Patrick’s Day – Today in History: March 17

March 17, 2023 • New Haven, Popular Culture

On March 17, 1842, the New Haven Hibernian Provident Society, founded in 1841, sponsored the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade held in New Haven.

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Hartford Street Railway Company Electricians, ca. 1907. Electrifying the railroad created new jobs

A Revolution in Horse Power: The Hartford & Wethersfield Horse Railroad Goes Electric

In 1888, Hartford commuters and city-goers zipped down Wethersfield Avenue in a horseless trolley car for the first time.

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Photograph of a brown two story house with an attic and two chimneys. There is a white fence in front of the house

The Welcoming Warmth of Kent’s Seven Hearths

For over 272 years, Kent’s Seven Hearths has lived many lives—from trading post to school to artist’s home to historical society.

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Clare Boothe Luce Changed Perceptions about Women in Business and Politics

Clare Boothe Luce became the first woman to represent Connecticut in the US House of Representatives and later became an ambassador to Italy.

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Artwork of a ship close to shore with people in rowboats. There is a large flag protruding from the mast of the ship. There is text at the bottom of the image.

Connecticut’s French Connections

From Huguenots to French Canadian mill workers to modern immigration, Connecticut has always been a place shaped, in part, by a steady French influence.

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Page from a book with colorful illustrations of animals in a human town situation

The Road to Busytown: Richard Scarry’s Life in Fairfield County

Inspired by Connecticut communities, Richard Scarry invented and illustrated some of the most beloved characters and communities in children’s literature.

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The Trailblazing Bessye Bennett

In 1974, Connecticut finally admitted its first African American female lawyer, Bessye Bennett.

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Ella Grasso at the Danbury Fair, ca. 1975-80

America’s First Woman Governor: Ella Grasso, 1919-1981

Born to Italian immigrant parents in Windsor Locks, Grasso held state and federal offices at a time when women politicians were rare.

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Fields and pastures, Sharon

Turnpikes and Transportation in Sharon

March 7, 2023 • Sharon, Transportation

The town of Sharon, like many early communities in the colony, required basic road and bridge infrastructure in order to maintain a thriving community.

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Food Needed to Win the War Comes from Washington

During World War I, the Town of Washington instituted a number of programs to increase food production and preservation to feed Allied armies and the European people,

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Large ornate building

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Captures the Gilded Age in Norwalk

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion provides a glimpse into the opulence of the Gilded Age when railroad tycoons built summer homes along the New England shoreline.

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Lyman Allyn Art Museum

The Lyman Allyn Opens – Today in History: March 2

On March 2, 1932, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, founded by Harriet Upson Allyn in New London, had its grand opening.

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Gwen Reed, circa 1950's

Actress Gwen Reed Best Remembered for Dedication to Childhood Literacy

Gwen Reed was an actress and educational advocate who grew up in Hartford in the early 20th century.

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William Gillette’s Last Performance – Today in History: February 27

On February 27, 1936, William Gillette made his last appearance on any Connecticut stage at the Bushnell Memorial auditorium in Hartford.

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Race Restrictive Covenants in Property Deeds

Race Restrictive Covenants in Property Deeds

February 24, 2023 • Immigration, Law, West Hartford

“No persons of any race except the white race shall use or occupy any building on any lot…” Language such as this still appears in Hartford-area housing covenants today.

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The Socially Dynamic Drumlin of Foss Hill

February 23, 2023 • Education, Environment, Middletown

The changing nature of Foss Hill (on the campus of Wesleyan University) tells the story of evolving cultural influences that altered the landscapes of universities across the country.

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Black and white photograph of a group of men sitting or standing in front of a brick building

Southington Cutlery Company: From Silverware to Hardware

Initially known for table cutlery, the Southington Cutlery Company began operations in a two-story brick factory in downtown Southington in 1867.

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The Sea in their Blood: The Portuguese in New London County

Many Portuguese immigrants came to the US as mariners serving aboard ships, some remained to build new lives and communities in Connecticut.

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Picture of George W. Bush as a baby

Connecticut’s Only US President – Who Knew?

43rd President George W. Bush was born in New Haven at the Grace-New Haven Community Hospital on July 6, 1946.

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Detail of Bethany area from Map of Connecticut, from actual survey by Moses Warren, 1811

Bethany: Small-town Perseverance in the Face of Growing Industrialization

One contribution the town of Bethany makes to historical scholarship comes from a look at its evolution from a parish and agricultural settlement to a thriving residential community.

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Discovering the Mysterious Identity of the “Kent Limner”

It took over a century to solve the mystery of Ammi Phillips’ identity—one of the most prolific folk portraitists in 19th century America.

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James Lindsey Smith Takes the Underground Railroad to Connecticut

James Lindsey Smith was one of many slaves who found freedom through the Underground Railroad network that included many stops in Connecticut.

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Detail of A Map of the Fortified Country of Man’s Heart

The Open and Fortified Country of the Human Heart: A Victorian Lady’s View of Love

A pair of 19th-century prints provides a virtual road map to the human heart, illustrating contemporary male and female attitudes towards courtship and love.

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Cornwall Bridge Furnace, Cornwall

Two Cornwall Firms Part of Famed Salisbury Iron District

February 13, 2023 • Cornwall, Business and Industry, Salisbury

As part of what is today called the Salisbury Iron District, Cornwall manufactured iron that was nationally recognized for its quality and durability.

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Patent drawing of an ironing board improvement

Sarah Boone: First Connecticut Black Woman to Receive Patent

In1892, Sarah Boone of New Haven became the first Black woman in Connecticut to be awarded a patent—for an improvement in the use of an ironing board.

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Poster with a blue and red swirl

Alexander Calder and Making Art Political

In addition to his famous works of art, Alexander Calder lent his talents and reputation to support political campaigns in the 1960s and 70s.

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Detail from the bird's-eye map Bristol, Conn. Looking North-East, 1889

Joel T. Case and the Victorianization of Bristol’s Federal Hill

February 8, 2023 • Bristol, Historic Preservation

The Victorian designs of inventor and architect Joel T. Case make substantial contributions to the landscape of the Federal Hill area in Bristol.

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The Blizzard of 1978

Blizzard Halts Mail Delivery – Today in History: February 7

February 7, 2023 • Environment, Weather

On February 7, 1978, the US Postal Service was unable to deliver mail to many Connecticut residents for the first time in almost 40 years.

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Charles Ethan Porter, Fruit: Apples, Grapes, Peaches, and Pears

Charles Ethan Porter, Portrait of a 19th-Century African American Painter

Charles Ethan Porter was a prolific still life painter in the 19th and early 20th century.

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Dr. Mary Moody sitting on her front porch

Dr. Mary B. Moody Challenges Victorian Mores About Women in Medicine

New Haven resident Dr. Mary Moody the first female graduate of the medical school at the University of Buffalo, and the first female member of the American Association of Anatomists.

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Image of Soldiers Memorial, Company B, 29th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers

Connecticut’s Black Civil War Regiment

“If you win freedom and citizenship, we shall share your freedom and citizenship.” With these words, abolitionist Frederick Douglass reminded African American soldiers from Connecticut that they fought for the hopes of many.

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Segregation Picket line-Noah Webster School, Hartford

Black History Resources

February 1, 2023 • The State

Resources to learn more about Connecticut’s contributions to the narrative of Black history in America.

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Rocky shore in front of a white lighthouse and several white buildings.

New London Harbor Lighthouse: Connecticut’s First Official Lighthouse

New London Harbor Lighthouse, originally opened in 1761 and rebuilt in 1801, is Connecticut’s oldest surviving and tallest lighthouse.

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Apostle of Peace: Elihu Burritt’s Quest for Universal Brotherhood

Elihu Burritt, a blacksmith by trade, became an advocate for peace around the world throughout the 19th century.

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Yale Daily News

Oldest College Daily – Today in History: January 28

On January 28, 1878, the first edition of the Yale News proclaimed, “The innovation which we begin by this morning’s issue is justified by the dullness of the times, and by the demand for news among us.”

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Airmen returning home, Bradley Field, Windsor Locks

Bradley Airport’s Military Origins

In 1941, the United States government anxiously pursued opportunities to establish an air base in Connecticut to bolster defenses along the East Coast.

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Phoenix Life Insurance Building, Hartford

The Phoenix Building, Hartford

January 26, 2023 • Architecture, Hartford

The Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Building is a significant example of the modernist architectural style that was prevalent in urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 1960s.

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Oakwood Acres temporary housing

The Debate Over Who Could Occupy World War II Public Housing in West Hartford

In the 1940s, African American war workers eligible for government-funded housing found access restricted to some properties despite vacancies.

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Total eclipse of the sun, Willimantic vicinity, January 24, 1925

A Total Eclipse of the Sun – Today in History: January 24

On January 24, 1925, Connecticut residents witnessed a full solar eclipse.

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Music Vale Seminary, Salem

Music Vale Seminary in Salem Credited as Being First in US

In the mid-19th century, Orramel Whittlesey founded a music conservatory in Salem, Connecticut.

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The Van Vleck Observatory: A Reflection of Environmental Conditions

January 20, 2023 • Architecture, Environment, Middletown, Science

Designers of the Van Vleck Observatory overcame numerous environmental and geographical challenges to help Wesleyan University make an impact on the world’s understanding of the universe.

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Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut

From the State Historian: Discovering the Explorer Hiram Bingham III

Of all the Connecticans who have left their mark in distant places, perhaps none made a more lasting—or more controversial—impression than this explorer.

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Civic Center Collapse

Civic Center Roof Collapses – Today in History: January 18

On January 18, 1978, at about 4:20 in the morning, the Hartford Civic Center roof collapsed.

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Boot Blacks and the Struggle to Survive in Hartford

January 17, 2023 • Everyday Life, Hartford, Work

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, young boys who shined shoes (sometimes 70 hours per week) were the primary breadwinners for many struggling families.

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Martin Luther King

Dr. King’s Dream Had Roots in Connecticut

In the summer of 1944, a young Martin Luther King Jr. worked at the Simsbury tobacco farm of Cullman Brothers, Inc.

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The Fundamental Orders

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The Fundamental Orders, inspired by Thomas Hooker’s sermon of May 31, 1638, provided the framework for the government of the Connecticut colony from 1639 to 1662.

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“Appalling Calamity”: Loss of the Steamboat Lexington – Today in History: January 13, 1840

On January 13, 1840, over 150 people perished on Long Island Sound when the steamboat Lexington caught fire.

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Detail of number 15 the Derby Silver Company from the birds-eye map Birmingham, Conn

The Derby Silver Company

January 12, 2023 • Business and Industry, Shelton

The Derby Silver Company was founded in 1872 and began operations on Shelton’s Canal Street one year later.

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Timothy Dwight

Timothy Dwight Dies – Today in History: January 11

On January 11, 1817, Timothy Dwight (theologian, educator, poet, and eighth president of Yale) died in New Haven, Connecticut.

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Man sitting on a donkey in front of a fence

Yukitaka Osaki and Gillette Castle: One of Hadlyme’s First Japanese Immigrants

For over four decades, Japanese-born Yukitaka Osaki worked for Gillette, becoming a recognizable neighbor in the Hadlyme community.

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