Did you know that nearly 55,000 people from Connecticut joined the Union Army during the Civil War? Look closely at a variety of images and posters to explore the ways in which people of Connecticut were recruited to be soldiers for the Union Army.
Explore a day in the life of soldiers, battlefield nurses, and women working on the homefront during the Civil War. Through close-looking at a variety of primary sources, including letters, diary entries, and newspapers, children will explore the variety of roles and responsibilities of women during the Civil War.
Every other week, we get together to chat about short stories. Anyone can join in, no commitment required!
This week’s selection is “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Using historic valentines from the CMCH collection as inspiration, create one-of-a-kind cards to give to your loved ones!
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we’ve got you covered. This behind-the-scenes tour of our collection will highlight objects associated with love and romance. Some of these stories are romantic, and some are a little risqué – so adults only please!
Have you ever turned to a book for consolation? Treasured the escape of a novel? Found comfort in a poem, self-help book, or simply from reading the newspaper?
Please join us for a virtual presentation by Historian Mary Mahoney on bibliotherapy, or the use of books as medicine. This talk will offer an exploration of the varied ways readers, doctors, and librarians have imagined books as medicine in the past.
Visit the CMCH for a special tour of Making Connecticut followed by a related craft! Through close-looking and hands-on activities, explore how clothing was made throughout history. Families will have the opportunity to card wool, “work” in a textile factory, and more!
In April 2021, Canning released Killing Season: A Paramedic’s Dispatches From the Front Line of the Opioid Epidemic. A paramedic on the streets of Hartford for over 25 years, Canning has seen the impact of prescription painkillers, heroin, and the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl firsthand.
Uncover the stories of some Connecticut tradespeople and their tools! Kids will use historic tools to try out some popular trades from long ago and decorate their own toy toolbox to take home. Then, families can explore the exhibit Albert’s Odd Jobs: Making a Living in the 1800s to learn more about jobs throughout history.
This program offers a virtual tour of items from our collection representing a spectrum of the Black experience in CT. You’ll learn about a Harlem Renaissance writer, Ann Petry, who carefully preserved artifacts chronicling the black community of Saybrook. Examine daguerreotypes by Augustus Washington, who abandoned a successful Hartford photography business to build a new nation in Africa.
