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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240910T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240910T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20240515T152408Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240515T152408Z
UID:25553-1725969600-1725973200@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - “Anomalous Characters”: The Children of the Loyalists
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nDuring the American Revolution\, wartime loyalties and civilian violence prompted tens of thousands of former colonists to abandon their homes and relocate as refugees to other parts of the British Empire. To cite one\, contemporary refrain\, “The Tories with their brats and wives/Have fled to save their wretched lives.” As the guns quieted and the smoke cleared\, the bitter complaints of the unhappy absentees prolonged the settlement of revolutionary disputes for decades to come. \nWhat would become of the loyalists? Contradictory judicial rulings between Britain and the United States in the aftermath of independence meant adolescent participants in the loyalist exodus retained legal rights to membership within both polities. It was an accident of unsettled disagreements\, and an uneasy affront to the long-standing political ideologies which presumed total allegiance to a single national character\, and no others. Federal directions were slow to respond. Private citizens more often determined what was possible. \nIn this virtual presentation\, Shea Hendry\, a New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, will discuss this complex period and explore how individuals like William Birdseye Peters and Prudence Punderson\, both children of prominent Connecticut loyalists\, help to reveal the boundaries of the new national divide and its surprising pliancy among the many people who did not yet feel different. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the Speaker: Shea Hendry is a PhD student at the University of Cambridge. Her research is focused on the children of loyalist exiles in the “Age of Revolution\,” though she is broadly interested in refugee communities\, national identity\, and transnational exchange. She previously completed her MS in Library Science\, with a concentration in Archive Management\, and her MA in History at Simmons University in Boston\, Massachusetts. \nget free tickets\n  \nImage: Payment ordered by Secretary George Wyllys for confiscated estate\, Connecticut Comptroller’s Office papers\, 1771-1885. Ms 68809\, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. \n 
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-children-of-the-loyalists/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Requests-Regarding-Soldiers_Ms-68809_cropped.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Jennifer Busa":MAILTO:Jennifer_Busa@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241001T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241001T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20240708T163227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240708T163227Z
UID:25556-1727784000-1727787600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Bound Out: The Spiritual Lives of Freeborn Black Domestic Servants
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nBefore she made history in 1831 as the first United States-born woman of any race to publicly address a mixed audience of men and women\, Maria Wellington Miller Stewart was orphaned and served a term of indenture in a clergyman’s household. The freeborn mixed-race woman of African descent explained that although she “had the seeds of piety and virtue . . . sown in [her] mind\, her “soul thirsted for knowledge.” \nIn this virtual presentation\, Jaimie Crumley\, a New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, will discuss how what historians have described as the fragility of freedom was made evident through the indenture system in early nineteenth-century Connecticut. For freeborn Black children like Maria Wellington Miller Stewart\, indenture offered a far better life than chattel slavery. Nevertheless\, it normalized subservience to white people and prevented them from attaining an education. This presentation discusses how her childhood as a domestic servant in a clergyman’s household might have influenced Stewart’s later political thought. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the speaker: Jaimie D. Crumley is an Assistant Professor in the Divisions of Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City\, Utah. She is currently working on a book project called We Will Live: Black Christian Feminists in the Age of Revolutions. We Will Live is about Christian women of African descent’s contributions to the abolitionist movement in New England from 1770 until 1870. \nGet free tickets\n  \nImage: Yerrinton\, James Brown\, and William Lloyd Garrison. “The Liberator.” Newspaper. Boston\, Mass.: William Lloyd Garrison and Isaac Knapp\, Volume 3\, Number 8\, February 3\, 1833\, page 31. Digital Commonwealth\, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/mc87rp03x (accessed April 24\, 2024).
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-spiritual-lives/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/liberator-Feb-23-1833-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Jennifer Busa":MAILTO:Jennifer_Busa@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241008T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241008T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20240617T175648Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240617T175648Z
UID:25682-1728388800-1728392400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Authors and Entrepreneurs: Black Self-Publishers in New England
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nBryan Sinche\, Professor of English and department chair at the University of Hartford\, is the author of the new book Published by the Author: Self-Publication in Nineteenth-Century African American Literature. The book focuses on 19th century writers who used self-publication to bypass white gatekeepers and editors and share unique stories that address the social\, political\, and economic realities of Black life in the United States. \nJoin us for a virtual presentation\, as Bryan discusses how self-publishers created and sold their books and highlights the stories of two New England self-publishers\, including Hartford’s own James Mars. \nQuestions? Contact Public Programs Coordinator\, Jen Busa via email at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the Speaker:  Bryan Sinche is Professor of English and department chair at the University of Hartford. To purchase Bryan’s new book\, Published by the Author: Self-Publication in Nineteenth-Century African American Literature\, click here. \nCredit: James Mars\, Winsted\, photographed by Thomas M. V. Doughty\, ca 1870. 1993.6.0\, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History collection. \nTICKETS\nThis virtual event is free! Click the button below to register. \nGET FREE TICKETS
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-black-self-publishers/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Black History,online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1993_6_0-James-Mars-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Jennifer Busa":MAILTO:Jennifer_Busa@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241112T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241112T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20240916T163534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T163534Z
UID:25883-1731412800-1731416400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - The Connecticut Yankee Occupation of St. Augustine\, FL\, 1862-1865
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nFrom 1862-1865 the 7th\, 10th\, and 17th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry regiments occupied the “Ancient City” of St. Augustine\, Florida during the American Civil War. Their experiences with African Americans changed throughout the course of the war\, as government policy turned from a conciliatory approach to more stern measures. During this time\, Connecticut soldiers contended with the boredom of occupation duty\, the problem of feeding and sheltering African American refugees\, and the constant threat of guerrilla violence in the surrounding countryside. \nIn this virtual presentation\, Dr. Eric Paul Totten\, a New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, will discuss the eclectic experiences of the Connecticut Yankees in and around the Ancient City during the American Civil War.  Dr. Totten’s presentation will highlight a few interesting finds from the Connecticut Museum collection. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. Questions? Contact Public Programs Coordinator\, Jen Busa via email at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the Speaker:  Dr. Eric Paul Totten completed his Ph. D. in 2020 at the University of Arkansas where he is currently an Instructor in the Department of History. He is the author of[] [/] “Civil-Military Communities in Conflict: The 1862 Occupation of St. Augustine\, Florida\, and the Politics of Emancipation\,” in G. David Schieffler and Matthew Smith eds. Hundreds of Little Wars: Community\, Conflict\, and the Real Civil War which will be published by LSU Press in 2025. \nImage: Joseph Roswell Hawley\, 1861-1865\, carte-de-visite by Prescott & Gage. 1910.5.1\, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History collection. \nTICKETS\nThis virtual event is free! Click the button below to register. \nget free tickets
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-connecticut-yankee-occupation/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Black History,Lunch and Learn,online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1910_5_1-Joseph-Hawley_cropped.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Jennifer Busa":MAILTO:Jennifer_Busa@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241203T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241203T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20241017T153703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241122T205236Z
UID:26023-1733227200-1733230800@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - The Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut\, 1933–42
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nAs a flagship program of the New Deal\, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of several federal agencies that turned to the natural and built environment to promote sociocultural homogenization between the First and Second World Wars. \nIn this virtual presentation\, Dr. James Fortuna will investigate the CCC’s role as an agent of national transformation and considers the links between the New Deal’s treatment of the American landscape and its promotion of a new\, more pluralistic national identity.  Dr. Fortuna will also highlight some of his findings within the special collections of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History throughout his time in residence as a 2024 NERFC fellow. \nIn assessing a few specific case studies from around the Nutmeg State\, it will become clear that the Corps acted as a key vehicle of the unifying message that drove the New Deal and its many so-called ‘alphabet agencies’ from the depths of economic depression to a state of preparedness as the country headed toward global war. Accordingly\, this talk considers the Corps’ role in the New Deal’s construction of popular historical consciousness and draws attention to the frequent interactions between a diverse range of urban-born enrollees and rural populations before concluding with a timely discussion of the legacy and ultimate fate of these structures. How\, if at all\, should they be preserved? Whose responsibility is it to decide? What value might they hold in the twenty-first century United States? \nIn previous publications\, Dr. Fortuna has argued that this agency played a more significant socio-cultural role than many historians have realized. His current book project\, tentatively entitled The Civilian Conservation Corps in New England\, 1933–42\, will expand on this idea by tracing the Corps’ impact on everyday Americans from Mystic to Maine. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link.  Questions? Contact Public Programs Coordinator\, Jen Busa via email at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the Speaker:  Dr. James Fortuna teaches American history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He is a historian of the American experience with an interest in transatlantic and transpacific people\, places\, and spaces. His research focuses primarily on the twentieth century and is situated at the intersection of cultural and diplomatic history. \nImage: A young man’s opportunity for work\, play\, study & health / Bender; made by Illinois WPA Art Project\, Chicago. United States\, 1941. [Chicago: Illinois WPA Art Project] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/92513367/. \nTICKETS\nThis virtual event is free! Click the button below to register. \nGET FREE TICKETS
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-the-civilian-conservation-corps/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Lunch and Learn,online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CCC-image-for-Lunch-and-Learn-Dec-3_J-Fortuna-_cropped-D-.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Jennifer Busa":MAILTO:Jennifer_Busa@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250106T143351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250106T143351Z
UID:26220-1739275200-1739278800@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Connecticut’s Local Leaders: Creating the State and Economy in the Early Republic
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nLocal leaders have long been studied as managers of daily affairs in their communities\, yet this presentation offers a narrative in which they attain national significance. In this virtual talk\, Elliot Warren illustrates how local magistrates in the 1780s and 1790s influenced the development of political economy—how the state interacts with markets—because of their role in overseeing local economies. As authorities acting in relative isolation from state and federal authorities\, local leaders had ample leeway to shape economic development in the early republic’s most valuable cities and towns. \nElliot’s talk will focus on how local leaders in Connecticut were integral to the development of an ‘American’ political economy. Through the lens of four distinct themes—security\, money\, representation\, and commerce—the talk will highlight the role Connecticut’s local leaders played on a grand scale. The 1780s and 1790s were times of great crisis\, from money scarcity to economic depression and the threat of invasion\, yet the state and federal governments were unable to face these challenges alone. Local leaders were essential participants in the defense of the nation from without and within. Working to protect and promote their communities\, leaders of Connecticut’s towns and cities contributed to the growth of a strong central state\, forever changing the way the American state interacts with the economy. \nElliot Warren\, a New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, conducted research at the Connecticut Museum in the fall of 2024. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. Questions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the speaker:  Elliot Warren is a PhD candidate at the College of William & Mary and the recipient of a short-term fellowship from the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium. His dissertation\, from which this talk is adapted\, compares local governments in southern New England and Virginia to better understand the role local leaders played in the creation of the American state. Elliot is originally from New Jersey and received his BA from the George Washington University in 2018 and his MA from William & Mary in 2019. His work has been supported by the Library Company\, the Massachusetts Historical Society\, the Order of Americans of Armorial Ancestry\, and the National Society of Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims. \nImage: Re-enactment of First Town Meeting in Meriden\, 1906. Photograph. 1980.80.16\, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. \nTICKETS\nThis virtual event is free! Click the button below to register. \nget free tickets
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-connecticuts-local-leaders/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Lunch and Learn,online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1980.80.16-Reenactment-of-first-Town-Meeting-in-Meriden-1906.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Jennifer Busa":MAILTO:Jennifer_Busa@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250325T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250325T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250206T171504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250206T171504Z
UID:26268-1742904000-1742907600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - 'One Tory and One Scalp': Violence on the American Revolution's Northern Front
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nIn 1777\, during the American Revolutionary War\, Jane McCrea was killed by Native allies of the British. She was quickly elevated by the Patriot press as an American martyr\, making her the most famous civilian casualty of the war. Yet examining the surrounding events in primary sources\, including those in the collection of Connecticut Museum of Culture and History\, reveals a complex history that stretched back long before\, to warfare among the Haudenosaunee\, Wabanaki\, British\, and French. \nJoin us for a virtual presentation in which Dr. Blake Grindon\, New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, will discuss her recent research findings. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Click ‘Get Tickets’ below to receive the Zoom link. Questions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nAbout the speaker: Dr. Blake Grindon is at work on a book about the death of Jane McCrea. She received her PhD from Princeton University and is currently the Patrick Henry Postdoctoral Fellow in the History Department at Johns Hopkins University and NERFC fellow for 2024-25. Her work has appeared in the William and Mary Quarterly and has received support from the Clements Library\, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society\, the Winterthur Museum\, the John Carter Brown Library\, and the Omohundro Institute. \nImage: Dr. Blake Grindon \nTICKETS\nThis virtual event is free! Click the button below to register. \nGET FREE TICKETS
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-violence-on-the-american-revolutions-northern-front/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Lunch and Learn,online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/BlakeGrindon_smaller-headshot-e1738772750949.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250416T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250416T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250305T161156Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250305T161156Z
UID:26390-1744804800-1744808400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - The Precious Birthright: Black Leaders and the Fight to Vote in Antebellum Rhode Island
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a virtual presentation as historian CJ Martin discusses his new book\, The Precious Birthright: Black Leaders and the Fight to Vote in Antebellum Rhode Island\, published by the University of Massachusetts Press. \nIn 1842\, Black Rhode Islanders secured a stunning victory rarely seen in antebellum America – they won the right to vote. Amid heightened public discourse around shifting ideas of race\, citizenship\, and political rights\, they methodically deconstructed the arguments against their enfranchisement and chose the perfect moments in which to act forcefully. At the head of this movement was a cohort of prominent business and community members that formed an early example of a Black leadership class in the US\, including voting rights activist Alfred Niger\, who was born in Old Saybrook\, Connecticut. \nCJ Martin argues that Black leaders employed a unique combination of agitation and accommodation to ensure the success of this movement. By focusing on Black leadership\, Martin relates this history through the people who lived it\, and by investigating their tactics\, he deepens the story of how race played a crucial role in American citizenship. The Precious Birthright provides new insight into the larger story of Black freedom. Martin will also put this win into perspective with what was happening in Connecticut at this time. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Register below to get the Zoom link. \nREGISTER\nAbout the Speaker: CJ Martin is a historian who focuses on Black history\, with a focus on the abolitionist movement and the politics of anti-slavery. He received his PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a faculty member at the College of the Holy Cross. His work has appeared in journals such as Rhode Island History and Commonplace. \nTo purchase a copy of CJ Martin’s book\, The Precious Birthright: Black Leaders and the fight to vote in Antebellum Rhode Island\, please click here. Use code UMASS20 for 20% off.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-the-precious-birthright/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250506T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250506T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250225T203312Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T203312Z
UID:26303-1746532800-1746536400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Kuang Qizhao\, the Chinese\, and Mark Twain
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nPlease join us for a virtual presentation by Sam Wong and Evelyn Wong as they discuss the life of Kuang Qizhao\, the official translator for the Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) in Hartford\, Connecticut. \nThe CEM was the first time that the Chinese sent students abroad. Kuang was worked for the mission from 1874-83 and was a neighbor of Mark Twain’s. Reflecting his prominence in the neighborhood\, according to The New Haven Register\, if one wanted to visit with Kuang\, he needed to get “the social endorsement” of Mark Twain or Joseph Twichell\, Twain’s best friend. \nThis talk will discuss Kuang’s time in Hartford and his interactions with his neighbors—interactions which enabled him to formulate new ideas about how to modernize China.  At the same time\, Kuang astounded Americans by publishing A Dictionary of English Phrases\, surprising many Americans that a Chinese person\, a person from an “inferior” race\, could compile a dictionary to teach them their own language. \nEnglish scholars now recognize that Twain’s literature was influenced by the Chinese in Hartford\, and Kuang may have had an instrumental impact. Building on that scholarship\, this talk will provide specific examples of how Kuang and the Chinese may have influenced Twain\, particularly in Twain’s overlooked play called Ah Sin\, and then in his more famous books\, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.   \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nTICKETS\nThis virtual event is free! Click the button below to register. \nget free tickets\n  \nAbout the speakers: Sam Wong is the great great grandson of Kuang Qizhao. He has been conducting research on Kuang since 2010 and has co-authored three articles on the subject.  Sam Wong is Executive Director of China Renewable Energy Investment. He previously worked in investment banking at Kidder\, Peabody\, Bear Stearns\, Societe Generale\, and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Wong has a B.A. from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the Yale School of Organization and Management. Evelyn Wong is the great great great granddaughter of Kuang Qizhao. She has authored and presented several articles on Kuang.  Evelyn Wong assisted in translating the book\, Searching for My Ideal China: An Illustrated Biography of Yung Wing\, the Father of Chinese Students Abroad. She co-presented at the book launch ceremony in Zhuhai\, China. She is a student at Singapore International School in Hong Kong. \n  \nImage: Kwong Ki Chiu\, The Dictionary of English Phrases. New York: A.S. Barnes\, 1881.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-kuang-qizhao/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Lunch and Learn,online programming
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Kuang-Qizhao-e1739889823823.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250603T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250603T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250502T191155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T191155Z
UID:26533-1748952000-1748955600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - The Windsor Locks Canal: Yankee Enterprise and Irish Muscle
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nJoin us for a virtual presentation as J. Christopher Kervick discusses his compelling new book\, The Windsor Locks Canal: Yankee Enterprise and Irish Muscle.  It is the story of human enterprise\, ambition\, invention\, raw manpower\, and the clash of cultures. \nThis uniquely American accomplishment could not have happened without the unlikely convergence of three social and economic groups\, including the wealthy merchants who conceived and promoted the canal\, the brilliant young civil engineers who designed it\, and the over four hundred Irish immigrant laborers who toiled from dawn to dusk in often lethal conditions to forge a better life in America. The synergy of these distinct forces created the backbone of Connecticut’s first planned\, water-powered industrial center\, one that remains profitable to this day. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGet Tickets\nAbout the Speaker:  J. Christopher Kervick is an instructor of local history at Mitchell College in New London\, Connecticut. He recently completed three terms as First Selectman of his hometown of Windsor Locks\, Connecticut\, and\, prior to that\, served as a Connecticut Judge of Probate. His boyhood home was just three hundred yards west of the Windsor Locks Canal (originally known as the Enfield Falls Canal). In 2001\, the State of Connecticut hired him to conduct a title search of the entire canal. The title search sparked his fascination with the story behind the canal\, especially the plight of the over four hundred unidentified Irish immigrant laborers who built the canal\, some of whom lost their lives in the effort. \nTo purchase a copy of J. Christopher Kervick’s new book\, The Windsor Locks Canal: Yankee Enterprise and Irish Muscle\, click here
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-the-windsor-locks-canal/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Hardcover-Front-e1746192966754.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250909T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250909T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250513T191348Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T191348Z
UID:26536-1757419200-1757422800@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Lineage: The Power and Promise of Genealogy in Early America
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nGenealogy is everywhere– online\, on screens\, and through organizations and conferences and more.  But technologies aside\, genealogy was everywhere in the 18th century\, too. \nJoin us for a virtual presentation as historian Karin Wulf discusses her new book\, Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in 18th Century British America. Karin will discuss how meaningful genealogy was for diverse early Americans\, in part because genealogy was foundational in law\, politics\, and religion. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGet Tickets\nAbout the Speaker: Karin Wulf is the Beatrice and Julio Mario Santo Domingo Director and Librarian at the John Carter Brown Library and Professor of History at Brown University.  A historian of early America\, what she refers to as “Vast Early America\,” she writes for public and academic audiences about early American history\, the worlds of scholarship and scholarly publishing\, and why footnotes can save democracy (really).  Karin is the author or editor of prize-winning scholarship on gender\, family\, and politics. Her book Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in 18th Century British America was published by Oxford University Press in June. \nTo purchase a copy of Karin Wulf’s new book\, Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in 18th Century British America\, click here
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-lineage/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cover-2-e1746198428581.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250923T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250923T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250513T191842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T191842Z
UID:26543-1758628800-1758632400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Silent Presence: The French in New England
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nJeanne Douillard\, an independent scholar\, has probed the history of the French in New England for over twenty-five years.  One question she has addressed is why the French have had such a silent presence in New England. Jeanne believes the past is important. To her way of thinking\, history shapes people\, shapes cultures. She believes\, “We are the heirs of our ancestor’s journeys. Their experiences matter. We carry them with us even if their story is lost to us.” \nIn this virtual presentation Jeanne brings a unique\, fresh look to the story of “un petit people.” It is an approach which combines history and story\, attempting in its essence\, to get at the heart of a people. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGet Tickets\nAbout the speaker: Jeanne Douillard’s passion for the history of the French in the Americas led her to delve deeply into the quagmire of conflicting historiographies. English\, French and American historians of the past offered up irreconcilable views of La Nouvelle France [New France] and its people. She was intrigued. Jeanne authored I Remember… Je Me Souviens… in 2016. Jeanne is also one of the major contributors to the book Building a Better Life: The French-Canadians in Western Massachusetts\, published by the Republican newspaper in Springfield\, MA. Jeane also contributed a narrative poem\, “Not So Much the Same Place\,” to Heliotrope: French Heritage Women Create\, an anthology of women writers of French heritage. \nTo purchase Jeanne’s book\, I Remember…Je Me Souviens...\, email her directly: silentpresence1@gmail.com \nTo purchase Building a Better life The French-Canadians in Western Massachusetts click here \nTo purchase Heliotrope: French Heritage Women Create click here
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-silent-presence/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/final-final.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250714T163802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250714T163802Z
UID:26742-1759838400-1759842000@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - The ‘Great Temperance Times’ in Nineteenth-Century Black Connecticut
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nAt first glance\, alcohol and racial equality might seem unrelated—but for Black activists\, the temperance movement was a powerful vehicle for social change. This virtual talk by Mackenzie Tor\, New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, will highlight the often-overlooked story of Black temperance activism in 19th-century Connecticut by following the state’s African American reformers as they navigated the era of slavery and freedom. In the process\, it reveals how they used temperance as a strategy for civic inclusion. Through their words and organizing efforts\, from newspaper columns to church halls\, abstaining from the bottle became a radical tool for political belonging in the hands of Connecticut’s Black communities. \nIn this virtual talk\, Mackenzie will also include research findings from her recent visit to the Connecticut Museum’s Waterman Research Center. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET TICKETS\nAbout the speaker:  Mackenzie Tor is a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Missouri with research interests in the history of reform movements\, African American intellectual history\, and American political culture. Her dissertation\, “Spirited Struggles: The Black Temperance Movement in Nineteenth-Century America\,” uses Black anti-alcohol advocacy as a lens for understanding the ways race and racism shaped the temperance movement during the long nineteenth century. Her research has been supported by organizations such as the McNeil Center for Early American Studies\, the American Antiquarian Society\, the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy\, and the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium. \nImage: “Connecticut State Temperance Convention\,” Colored American\, September 25\, 1841.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-the-great-temperance-times-in-nineteenth-century-black-connecticut/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LL-Tor-Oct-2025_-image-e1750434173515.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251028T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251028T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250714T164004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250714T164004Z
UID:26745-1761652800-1761656400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Connecticut Soldiers and the Incident on the Massachusetts\, April 1865
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nIt was April 23\, 1865. Robert E. Lee had surrendered. Abraham Lincoln was dead. Assassin John Wilkes Booth and accomplice David Herold had crossed the Potomac River to safety. The Black Diamond\, hoping to prevent that crossing and catch the perpetrators\, was anchored with the Potomac Flotilla near Blackistone Lighthouse. All onboard the barge were unaware that they were too late. At the same time\, the Massachusetts was running downriver carrying U.S. soldiers back to their regiments. A tragedy occurred and by dawn\, the Black Diamond was on the bottom of the river; the Massachusetts was crippled\, and eighty-seven men were dead – many from regiments raised in Connecticut. \nJoin us for a virtual presentation as author Karen E. Stone unfolds the story of the Connecticut men\, their journey through the war\, and how this tragedy occurred. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET TICKETS\nAbout the speaker:  Karen Stone was born and raised in Connecticut and that is where she got her first museum job – when she was in middle school. She holds a degree in history from Gettysburg College and has a master’s degree from Penn State. She has worked in museums in Massachusetts\, Pennsylvania\, and New York\, and has been the Museum Division Manager for St. Mary’s County\, Maryland for 8 years. \nTo purchase a copy of Karen Stone’s book\, Shipwreck on the Potomac – Disaster in Pursuit of Lincoln’s Killer\, Click here. \nImage: Karen Stone on the banks of the Potomac River\, near the site of the wreck. Photographed by Mancil Gray.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-connecticut-soldiers-and-the-incident-on-the-massachusetts-april-1865/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LL-Karen-Stone-banks-of-Potomac_Oct-28--e1750436516747.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251125T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251125T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250714T164139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250714T164139Z
UID:26748-1764072000-1764075600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Slavery\, Sin\, and Capital Punishment in Eighteenth-Century Connecticut
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nIn the early modern British Atlantic\, jurists\, members of the clergy\, and ordinary people shaped ideas about criminal culpability. In colonial New England\, communities debated whether offenders bore the bulk of responsibility for their misdeeds or if society shared some of the blame based on the covenant established by Mosaic law. In this virtual talk\, Arrannè Rispoli\, New England Research Fellowship Consortium grantee\, will consider how questions surrounding culpability were further complicated when enslaved Africans were the alleged actors in question. Arrannè will analyze how Anglo-Americans wrestled with the contradiction that people held in bondage could be both categorically unfree and willful agents whose conscious actions necessitated their corporal punishment. \nUsing Connecticut as a case study\, Arrannè analyzes how criminal courts in the region both drew inspiration from and contributed to broader trans-Atlantic discourses of mens rea\, or the precursor to today’s criminal culpability. He argues that mens rea provided the legal mechanism that enabled the prosecution of enslaved Africans for capital offenses without undermining the logic that undergirded forced servitude\, thus allowing colonial actors to justify the institution of slavery as an instrument of control for enslaved populations whom they came to believe were more likely than the general population to commit felonies like murder\, rape\, and arson. \nArrannè will discuss how this framework colonial courts used to determine criminal culpability helped cultivate a predictive model of criminality that constructed the archetype of Black criminality in the colonial imagination\, the antecedent to the racialized depictions of crime so pervasive in today’s media landscape. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET TICKETS\nAbout the speaker:  Arrannè Rispoli is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at UCLA\, where he is writing his dissertation titled “The Justice of Malicious Intent: Capital Punishment and The Origins of Black Criminality in Early New England.” His work has been supported by the Omohundro Institute\, the Rhode Island Historical Society\, the Folger Shakespeare Library\, the Massachusetts Historical Society\, and four institutions as part of the New England Research Fellowship Consortium\, including the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. \nImage: 1962 illustration of Hannah Occuish\, the youngest person executed in U.S. history and the last woman executed in Connecticut. Joe De Bona for The Hartford Courant\, November 1\, 1964\, p. 231. Via Newspapers.com.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-slavery-sin-and-capital-punishment-in-eighteenth-century-connecticut/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/HC-Nov-1-1964.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251209T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251209T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20250721T185023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T171644Z
UID:26843-1765281600-1765285200@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Living on the Edge in New England\, New Netherland\, and New Sweden
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nJoin us for a virtual presentation as Elizabeth Hines\, New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, explores imperial entanglement in seventeenth-century North America. \nSettlers in the Dutch colony of New Netherland and the English colony of Connecticut argued repeatedly about the borders between them. They finally settled their territorial boundaries with the Treaty of Hartford in 1650 and sent the treaty to Europe. This talk investigates why\, six years later\, the Netherlands decided to officially ratify the treaty. Elizabeth argues that they did so in order to annex the neighboring Swedish colony of New Sweden. The broader imperial context of the decision to ratify the treaty\, and the history of Dutch investment in the Swedish empire\, shows that we need to study the Dutch\, English\, and Swedish empires together to understand early American history. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nAbout the speaker: Elizabeth Hines is an Axson Johnson Institute for Statecraft and Diplomacy Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. She received a PhD in history from the University of Chicago in 2024. Her work has been supported by institutions including the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium\, the American Historical Association\, and the Omohundro Institute\, and she has held fellowships at the British Library\, the New Netherland Institute\, and the Huntington Library. \nImage: Dutch map of North America\, Digital Public Library of America.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-living-on-the-edge-new-netherlands/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/dutch-new-netherland_-scaled-e1762881329311.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20251113T203325Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260105T152711Z
UID:27298-1767700800-1767704400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:POSTPONED! Lunch and Learn - A Silent Revolution: The Mysterious Demise of Slavery in Revolutionary Connecticut
DESCRIPTION:UPDATE 1/5/2026: Event Postponed!\nDue to unforeseen circumstance\, this virtual program will be postponed to a later date. Thank you to all our registrants and those interested in attending. Please stay tuned for updates\, and we hope to see you in the future! \nVirtual Presentation! \nSlavery in Connecticut did not end completely until well into the nineteenth century. During the American Revolution\, enslaved people themselves dealt the largest blow to bondage and ushered in the first significant free Black population in Connecticut’s history. \nPlease join us as New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, William Morgan\, discusses his research findings from his recent trip to the Connecticut Museum Waterman Research Center.  He will explore how our collections demonstrate that Black people\, not legislation\, crippled slavery at its peak in the 1770s and 80s by making opportunities of the conflict with Britain. Black people made a silent revolution of their own\, quietly forging spaces of freedom where none had existed before. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nAbout the Speaker William Morgan is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at Indiana University\, Bloomington. He is writing a dissertation about the origins and legacy of emancipation and abolition in Revolutionary New England. \nImage: Photo courtesy of William Morgan
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-demise-of-slavery/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/LL-william.morgan-headshot-_Jan-6-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260108T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260108T190000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20251113T203154Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T203154Z
UID:27301-1767895200-1767898800@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Book Talk! \nCoffee is among the most common goods traded and consumed worldwide\, and so omnipresent its popularity is often taken for granted. But even everyday habits have a history. When and why coffee became part of North American daily life is at the center of the recently published book\, Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States\, by Michelle Craig McDonald. \nUsing a wide range of archival\, quantitative\, and material evidence\, Michelle Craig McDonald follows coffee from the slavery-based plantations of the Caribbean and South America\, through the balance sheets of Atlantic world merchants\, into the coffeehouses\, stores\, and homes of colonial North Americans\, and ultimately to the growing import/export businesses of the early nineteenth-century United States that rebranded this exotic good as an American staple. The result is a sweeping history that explores how coffee shaped the lives of enslaved laborers and farmers\, merchants and retailers\, consumers and advertisers. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nAbout the Speaker: Michelle Craig McDonald is the Director of the Library & Museum for the American Philosophical Society\, and her research focuses on trade and consumer behavior in North America and the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th centuries. Her most recent book\, Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States\, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in May 2025\, based on research supported by the Fulbright Foundation\, the National Endowment for the Humanities\, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies\, the Library Company of Philadelphia\, and the Winterthur Library and Museum. In addition to her doctorate from the University of Michigan\, she holds an M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College\, Annapolis\, and M.A. in Museum Studies from George Washington University\, a B.A. in History from the University of California\, Los Angeles\, and was the Harvard-Newcomen Postdoctoral Fellow in Business History at the Harvard Business School \nTo purchase the book:  Coffee Nation – Penn Press
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/coffee-nation/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Evening-Virtual-McDonald-book-cover-Jan-8-2026-e1762195645784.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20251113T203007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T184320Z
UID:27304-1769515200-1769518800@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Faith Trumbull Huntington: An Eighteenth-Century Woman Encounters War
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation! \nFaith Trumbull Huntington (1742/43-1775) was an extremely well-educated young colonial woman from Lebanon\, CT. Obsessively pious as well as artistically gifted\, she was the eldest daughter of merchant\, and future wartime governor\, Jonathan Trumbull. Trumbull’s investment in her education paid off as she married wealthy merchant Jedediah Huntington (1743-1818) from Norwich\, CT. \nIn this virtual talk\, Maggie Meahl will explore Faith’s education\, including her exceptional needlework\, marriage\, and early death\, and analyze it in the context of the Revolutionary War era merchant class. Please note that depression and suicide will be discussed in this presentation. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nAbout the Speaker:  Maggie Meahl is an independent researcher with an MAT in History from Salem State University. She has been published in numerous magazines and journals. She is currently writing a book on the rise and fall of the Huntington merchant family of Norwich\, CT. Maggie’s article on Norwich\, CT as a military supply depot during 1776 is scheduled to be published in the Connecticut History Review’s “1776 in Connecticut” edition. \nImage: Overmantel\, made by Faith Trumbull\, 1761\, Embroidery\, 1925.1.3\, Connecticut Museum collection
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-faith-trumbull-huntington/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1925_1_3dt3-Faith-Trumbull-Overmantel.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260210T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260210T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20251113T203548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260112T180155Z
UID:27308-1770724800-1770728400@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - The People and the Law in Revolutionary Massachusetts
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nConflict over the law played a defining role in shaping the political landscape of Revolutionary Massachusetts. The state’s Revolutionary period was bookended by upheaval centered around the courts: the rebellion against the Coercive Acts began in 1774 with a series of court closings in western Massachusetts\, and Shays’s Rebellion commenced in a similar manner\, with attempted court closings in the same part of the state. In the interim\, Massachusetts Patriots struggled to work out what the American Revolution meant for the law. Should the English common law inheritance be upheld\, or did the Revolution signal an opportunity to reshape the legal system in the image of the people? \nThis talk by New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, Tristan New\, examines how this struggle to define the relationship between popular rule and the law informed the state’s politics during the Revolutionary era. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nAbout the speaker: Tristan New is a PhD Candidate in American History at Boston University\, where his research focuses on the political and constitutional dimensions of the American Revolution. His dissertation\, “The People\, the Courts\, and the Contested Revolution in Massachusetts\, 1772-1788\,” examines how conflict over the law shaped the course of the American Revolution in Massachusetts. His research has been supported by institutions including the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium and the Boston University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences\, and he has presented his work at forums including the David Center for the American Revolution and the International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. \nImage: Note of Hand\, John Bliss Justice of the Peace Records\, 1784-1786\, MS 34746\, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History collection.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-the-people-and-the-law/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LL-Tristan-New-Feb-10_MS-34746-e1768241248468.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260115T145834Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T145834Z
UID:27513-1771934400-1771938000@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Rescheduled! Lunch and Learn - A Silent Revolution: The Mysterious Demise of Slavery in Revolutionary Connecticut
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!  Rescheduled from January 6\, 2026 \nSlavery in Connecticut did not end completely until well into the nineteenth century. During the American Revolution\, enslaved people themselves dealt the largest blow to bondage and ushered in the first significant free Black population in Connecticut’s history. \nPlease join us as New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grantee\, William Morgan\, discusses his research findings from his recent trip to the Connecticut Museum Waterman Research Center.  He will explore how our collections demonstrate that Black people\, not legislation\, crippled slavery at its peak in the 1770s and 80s by making opportunities of the conflict with Britain. Black people made a silent revolution of their own\, quietly forging spaces of freedom where none had existed before. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nAbout the Speaker William Morgan is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at Indiana University\, Bloomington. He is writing a dissertation about the origins and legacy of emancipation and abolition in Revolutionary New England. \nImage: Photo courtesy of William Morgan
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/rescheduled-lunch-and-learn-a-silent-revolution-the-mysterious-demise-of-slavery-in-revolutionary-connecticut/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/LL-william.morgan-headshot-_Jan-6-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260205T174006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T160145Z
UID:27418-1773144000-1773147600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Songs of Colonial & Revolutionary America
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\n“The history of America\,” writes Mariana Whitmer of the Society for American Music\, “is reflected in our music\, and in the songs we have sung.”    \nThe songs of Colonial and Revolutionary America rallied and unified Colonists and Revolutionary soldiers; protested grievances\, proclaimed values\, and impelled action; boosted morale and celebrated victories — and were even used as weapons!    \nJoin us as we listen to songs from the Colonial and Revolutionary period. Music historian\, Robert Cohen\, will help us understand the role music played during this period\, and why one chaplain in the Revolutionary army stated that “one good song is worth a dozen addresses or proclamations.”  \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link.  Questions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\nAbout the speaker:  Robert Cohen has taught and lectured on American folk & popular music and Jewish music for over a quarter-century\, including at the Fifth Avenue New York Public Library and the New England Conservatory of Music\, New School University and the 92nd St. Y in New York\, the Jewish Theological Seminary and Boston College’s Center for Christian-Jewish Learning\, the Afro-American Historical & Cultural Museum in Philadelphia\, and the Mandell Jewish Community Center of Greater Hartford.  He has produced and hosted over 100 radio programs and wrote the NPR documentary\, “One People\, Many Voices:  American-Jewish Music Comes of Age\,” and he produced the compilation CD\, Open the Gates!  New American-Jewish Music for Prayer.  \nImage: Plate IV. A View of the South Part of Lexington\, 1775\, etched by Amos Doolittle\, print\, 1844.10.4\, Connecticut Museum collection.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-songs-colonial-revolutionary/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1844_10_4-Amos-Doolittle-Plate-IV-e1764784894684.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260302T184419Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T161434Z
UID:27782-1775563200-1775566800@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:CANCELLED! Lunch and Learn - Revolutionary Women Writers
DESCRIPTION:UPDATE 4/2/2026: Program cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. Please stay tuned for the rescheduled date! \nVirtual Presentation! \nDuring the Revolution\, Connecticut women left a trove of written materials – letters\, diaries\, recipes\, journals\, poems\, and account books. Through them\, we can see their cares and interests and how the Revolution affected their daily lives – sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes profound. Yet all of them used writing to create meaning and connection in a deeply unsettled time. \nPlease join us as Dr. Marie McDaniel contextualizes several written materials from the Connecticut Museum’s American Revolution collection.  Dr. McDaniel was the 2025 Project Scholar for the American Revolution Papers Digitization Project at the Connecticut Museum. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nThank you to our series sponsors Camille and Gregory F. Servididio! \nAbout the speaker: Dr. Marie McDaniel is the chair of the History Department at Southern Connecticut State University and a historian of Early American religious and gender history. Her first monograph We Shall Not Differ in Heaven: Community in Colonial Philadelphia is forthcoming with Palgrave Macmillan Press. Her current monograph is on ministers who were accused of sexual indiscretions in the colonial period. Prof. McDaniel lives in New Haven with her husband\, two kids\, and two cats. \nImage: Prudence Punderson (Rossiter)\, Chapbook/journal with drawings\, ca. 1770\, Punderson Family Papers\, 1751-1889\, MS Punderson\, Box 1\, Folder 7\, Connecticut Museum collection.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-revolutionary-women-writers/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/MS-Stack-Punderson_Prudence-Journal-page-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260319T181223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260501T164603Z
UID:27793-1777982400-1777986000@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:POSTPONED! Lunch and Learn - Lydia Sigourney: Unsung Mother of American Literature
DESCRIPTION:UPDATE 5/1: This virtual lecture has been postponed due to circumstances beyond our control\, please stay tuned for updates on a new date. Thank you! \nVirtual Presentation!\nWho was Lydia Sigourney? Why is she not more well known among generations of Hartford residents and other readers? Come learn more about how Hartford’s own Lydia Sigourney helped transform American culture in the early 19th-century. \nUsing items from the Connecticut Museum’s collection\, Professors Mary Louise Kete and Elizabeth Petrino will introduce you to Sigourney’s central role as an American poet\, educator\, and rights activist and to the Lydia Sigourney Digital Archive Project. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nThis program is generously supported by Camille and Gregory F. Servodidio. \nAbout the speakers: \nMary Louise Kete is Chair of the English Department at the University of Vermont where she also teaches and studies 19th-century American literature and culture. She and Elizabeth Petrino have co-edited Lydia Sigourney: Critical Essays and Cultural Views (U of Massachusetts Press\, 2018) and a special issue on Sigourney for the journal ESQ. Her publications focus on the contributions of American women to the major cultural movements of the long 19th-century. \nElizabeth Petrino is Director of Liberal Studies in the Associate Degree Program at Fairfield Bellarmine and Professor of English at Fairfield University\, Fairfield\, CT. She and Mary Louise Kete have co-edited Lydia Sigourney: Critical Essays and Cultural Views (U of Massachusetts Press\, 2018). Her articles on Sigourney explore a range of topics including gift book culture\, correspondence\, deaf education\, and the environment and have appeared in Studies in American Humor\, Legacy\, ESQ\, and ISLE. \nCurrently\, Mary Louise and Elizabeth are working on developing a Sigourney digital archive. \nImage:  Lydia Sigourney\, Painted by Francis Alexander\, 1828. 2005.125.1 Connecticut Museum collection.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-lydia-sigourney-unsung-mother-of-american-literature/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LL-May_-5_2005_125_1-Lydia-Signourney-cropped-e1772565047351.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260305T193512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T163214Z
UID:27789-1779192000-1779195600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - A Sucker Whig in Connecticut’s Court: Abraham Lincoln Comes to New England
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nAbraham Lincoln traveled to New England only twice. In 1848\, he was an unknown “Sucker Whig” from the western frontier. In 1860\, he was a political celebrity from the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. \nThis virtual presentation by David J. Kent takes you along for the ride as we discover how Lincoln became the man we came to know\, and how Connecticut helped Lincoln become president.  David’s most recent book\, Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours\, was published in March 2026. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nThis program series is generously supported by Camille and Gregory F. Servodidio. \nAbout the speaker:  David J. Kent is an Abraham Lincoln historian\, former scientist\, avid world traveler\, and multi-book author\, the most recent being Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours. David is the Immediate Past President of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia\, on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Abraham Lincoln Institute\, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Lincoln Forum. He is a frequent speaker on Abraham Lincoln topics and served as Master of Ceremonies for the Lincoln Memorial Centennial program in 2022. David has won numerous awards both for his scientific work and as an Abraham Lincoln historian. His books include Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America\, both of which were finalists for several book awards\, as well as Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity\, a worldwide bestseller translated into several languages. \nImage: David J. Kent at the Lincoln Memorial Centennial\, 2022. Photograph by Bruce Guthrie. \nTo purchase David’s new book\, Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours\, go to: David J. Kent – Abraham Lincoln Historian\, Former Scientist\, World Traveler
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-a-sucker-whig/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Lincoln-Memorial-22-May-2022_Bruce-Guthrie-e1772563267332.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260609T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260609T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260217T154819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T143315Z
UID:27705-1781006400-1781010000@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - Mary Barlow: Hartford’s World War II Heroine
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nThe Connecticut Museum recently opened a new exhibition\, Drawn Here\,  that explores the migration history and culture of Hartford’s North End through a series of original graphic novels developed by local students and professional artists. \nJoin us for a virtual presentation as Orice Jenkins discusses one heroic resident of the North End. \nMary Jewel Barlow was one of only three members of the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion who died in service during World War II\, and one of only four women buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. Though erased from popular memory for decades\, her legacy connects directly to Hartford’s historic Clay Arsenal neighborhood and to one of Connecticut’s most prominent Black families. Genealogical research reveals Barlow not as a fictionalized figure from a movie\, but as a real young woman whose sacrifice deserves recognition. \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGet Free Tickets\n  \nThank you to our series sponsors Camille and Gregory F. Servididio! \nAbout the speaker:  Orice Jenkins is an independent scholar\, multi-genre troubadour\, and award-winning author\, originally from Hartford\, Connecticut. His work spans music\, genealogy\, and public education\, focused on uncovering forgotten stories and keeping cultural traditions alive. Jenkins’ research has been featured in The Washington Post\, National Parks Magazine\, PBS’ Finding Your Roots\, and the Journal of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. \nImage: Photograph by Edward LaRose
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-mary-barlow/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Orice-Jenkins-scaled-e1771004989728.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260623T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260623T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T230745
CREATED:20260409T184346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260409T192529Z
UID:28004-1782216000-1782219600@www.connecticutmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Lunch and Learn - From Winchester to War: The Story of Lewis Hazzard of the 29th Connecticut
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Presentation!\nJoin us as Sandra Taitt Eaddy\, a genealogist and historian\, shares her research on Lewis Hazzard\, a Civil War soldier who enlisted in the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment. With roots tracing from Rhode Island to Winchester\, Connecticut\, his life tells a story of family\, service\, and sacrifice during a defining moment in our history.  \nSandra will explore his family background\, enlistment and service\, and the circumstances surrounding his death during the war. Along the way\, she will show how genealogical and historical research can bring the lives of ordinary people\, and their extraordinary contributions into clearer view.  \nThis virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. \nQuestions? Contact Jen Busa\, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org. \nGET FREE TICKETS\n  \nThank you to our series sponsors Camille and Gregory F. Servididio! \nAbout the speaker: Sandra Taitt-Eaddy has been a dedicated genealogist and family historian for more than twenty years. She specializes in the colonial era\, including the slavery period. She is a full-time professional researcher and educator known for solving complex genealogical challenges.
URL:https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/event/lunch-and-learn-from-winchester-to-war/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:online programming,Special Event
ORGANIZER;CN="Connecticut Museum of Culture and History":MAILTO:ask_us@chs.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR