For All Adult-Learners
Get a taste of the fall offerings of the President’s College at the University of Hartford with Showcase 2010, September 19, 2010. The President’s College is a non-credit program of short courses and programs in the arts, humanities, and technology for adult learners. Showcase 2010 is a day-long introduction with lectures by professors who will be teaching longer course offerings this fall, plus panel discussions, and lunch. For more information visit www.hartford.edu/presidentscollege.
Hartford Treasures On View Thru Sept. 30th
Hartford Public Library has a terrific exhibition from its historic Hartford Collection on view in the library’s ArtWalk Gallery, and in the Hartford History Center itself, an exhibition of the drawings of artists Richard Welling who passed away just last year. Welling chronicled Hartford’s buildings with pen-and-ink drawings for more than 40 years. Both exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information visit www.hplct.org/hhc.
Don’t miss two special farmers markets and farm-to-table dinners
Connecticut Landmarks and Hill-Stead Museum, two of our partner organizations, host farmers markets on Sundays throughout the season and farm-to-table dinners. Ct Landmarks hosts theirs at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry (the largest farmers market in the state visited by over 70,000 people each season) and Hill-Stead’s is at their site in Farmington. Ct Landmarks presents Dinner at the Homestead (also at the Nathan Hale Homestead) on September 11, 2010 and Hill-Stead’ presents Dinner on the Hill the following weekend, September 19, 2010. Both farm dinners are outstanding–no reason to choose–eat well two weekends in a row and go to both! To order tickets, click on the links or for more information on the farmers markets (free) visit www.ctlandmarks.org or www.hillstead.org.
CELEBRATE THE STATE’S 375th
The state’s historic museums are celebrating Connecticut’s 375th anniversary! Special tours are offered September 25 & 26 at the Henry Whitfield Museum in Guilford (the state’s oldest stone house). Learn about the Housatonic Valley iron industry at the Sloane-Stanley Museum in Kent on September 18 at 1 p.m.. Visit the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury on October 10, 2 p.m., to learn about Crandall’s neighbors and on November 7, enjoy “Tea with Prudence and Sarah. For more information visit CCT’s web site.
Governor M. Jodi Rell kicked off the state’s official celebration of the 375th anniversary of the founding of Connecticut on February 17, 2010 with Executive Order No. 37 establishing a “375 Commission.” Though we’re facing hard times, she noted we need this celebration now. The Web site www.ct375.com is your go-to source of celebration information and anniversary mugs, hats, t-shirts and more!
Bruce Fraser. The End of a Life. The End of an Era.
By Walter Woodward, State Historian
For the last 30 years, virtually every history program of substance produced in Connecticut could have carried the credit line, “Brought to you in part by Bruce Fraser.” His June 13 death after a hard-fought battle with cancer leaves an unfillable void in the history community. It also marks the end of an era.
Bruce became executive director of the Connecticut Humanities Council in 1982, when both the organization and the concept of government support for the humanities were in their infancy. With boundless energy, rapier wit, a zealot’s passion for history, and an athlete’s stamina for the block and tackle of politics, Bruce transformed the little bastion of heritage funding that was the CHC into an organization recognized nationwide for the strength of its funding and the quality of its programs. In 1995, he secured one of the first state appropriations to any humanities council. Under his leadership, CHC support for Connecticut cultural activities grew to more than $2 million annually sustaining many organizations through difficult times and helping to improve institutions and their offerings at all times.
A Ph. D. in history from Columbia University, Bruce passionately believed in creating history that people enjoyed but that was also subject to the rigorous analysis of academic scholarship. In this regard, he led by example. His multi-year project The Connecticut Experience, a 19-part history series for public television, received four regional Emmys. His exhibit on Connecticut’s history at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford is a permanent reminder of history’s importance for citizens and legislators alike. Bruce’s final project, the Encyclopedia of Connecticut History Online, scheduled to launch in 2012, will be a remarkable marriage of technology and history, making the state’s past instantly available to all its citizens.
Under Fraser’s leadership, the CHC’s extraordinary performance was awarded on 10 different occasions by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Four times, Connecticut received the Schwartz prize for producing the “best state council initiative in the nation” from the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
Bruce’s death came at a time when economic imperatives put the question of public funding for the humanities under unprecedented scrutiny. The CHC he built will of course continue its important work, though it may be that the era of generous state support for history Bruce was instrumental in creating is passing. Our community will miss his unique ability to make the case for supporting history so compelling.
I will miss the brilliance and the humor of a man I deeply admired.
August 7: The Life and Times of Nathan Hale
On Saturday, August 7th, 10 am to 4:30 pm, Connecticut Landmarks invites you to a symposium on the life and times of Connecticut State Hero, Nathan Hale. Walter Woodward, Connecticut State Historian, will be the keynote speaker; other presentations are by Richard E. Mooney, Kevin M. Sweeney and M. William Phelps. Bruce M. Stave will moderate a panel discussion. The event will conclude with a reception and special tour of the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and evokes a sense of Connecticut’s legendary patriotic and agrarian heritage. The house, built in 1776, belonged to the parents and family of Nathan Hale and is located on the only site he ever called home.
LOCATION:
The morning portion of the symposium will take place at the First Congregational Church of Coventry, 1171 Main Street, followed by the tour and reception of the Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South Street, Coventry.
FEE: $50 per person, or $40 for CTL members, which includes lunch. Registration is required. To register call 860.247.8996 ext. 23, or email jamie.fontaine@ctlandmarks.org.
PROGRAM:
The Burning Issue About Nathan Hale
by Walter W. Woodward, Connecticut State Historian
Woodward is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Connecticut and author of Prospero’s America: John Winthrop, Jr., Alchemy, and the Creation of New England Culture, 1606-1676.
Nathan and Me: What I Learned from Nathan Hale
by Richard E. Mooney
Mooney is the former Executive Editor of The Hartford Courant, correspondent and member of the editorial board of The New York Times and curator of “Nathan Hale: Yale, 1773,” an exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the hero’s birth ( www.library.yale.edu/mssa/exhibits/hale/).
Hale, His Life & Legacy: Separating Fact From Fiction
by M. William Phelps
Phelps is an investigative journalist and author of the recent biography, Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy.
The Hales’ Homestead: Material Life in Colonial Connecticut
by Kevin M. Sweeney
Sweeney is a Professor of American Studies and History at Amherst College and author of Captors And Captives: The 1704 French And Indian Raid on Deerfield.
Panel Moderator:
Bruce M. Stave is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and Director, Oral History, at the University of Connecticut. Stave is a resident of Coventry and author of Mills and Meadows: A Pictorial History of Northeast Connecticut.
WINTER ISSUE WINS AWARD
Our Winter 2009/2010 Built It/Razed It III issue on Modern Architecture received a 2010 Award of Merit from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. The award ceremony took place in the Capitol’s Hall of Flags on April 7, 2010. The issue was supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism. We thank CCT, Mary Donohue for her leadership on that issue, the editorial team, and all of our authors who helped make the issue a winner! And, of course, we thank the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation! The issue is available for order under here.
TWAIN2010 Celebration Continues
This year marks the 175th anniversary of Mark Twain’s birth, the 125th anniversary of the publication of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the 100th anniversary of the author’s death. Events across the state will mark the triple convergence. Here are events we know about, please double check information with the hosting organization.
Mark Twain House, Hartford
Mark Twain Library, Redding
For a listing of events in Hartford and nationally: www.twain2010.org
Through January 2011
Exhibit: Legacy. Mark Twain House
Legacy examines how Twain’s persona, and the public’s perception of him and his works, has both changed and remained constant over the years. Visitors are encouraged to record their own thoughts about Twain and his current relevance in guest books that will become part of the museum’s archives.
Through July
Exhibit: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Mark Twain House
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer will feature popular culture artifacts related to Tom Sawyer, and include fun family-friendly activities.
Ongoing
The Nook Farm Book Club – Free. Meets the first Thursday of every month, reading works by or about Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as exemplary books on subjects that captivated them. Reception at 5 p.m.; discussion at 5:30 p.m. Presented in collaboration with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center with support from the Connecticut Humanities Council. To register, call Kate Rounds at (860) 522-9258 ext. 317. All books are available at the the museum gift shops.
JULY
Saturday, July 24, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford
Twain’s Companions and Cohorts Tour
A tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery, a landmark example of Gilded Age funerary splendor, tells the tales of Samuel Clemens’ contemporaries, friends and foes, many of whom are interred there. Led by Steve Courtney of the Mark Twain House & Museum, biographer of Clemens’ close friend, the Rev. Joseph Twichell. Presented in association with the Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation.
Tickets are $5.00. Further information is available at Cedar Hill Cemetery & Foundation, 860-956-3311
AUGUST
Monday, August 9
Exhibit Opening: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Mark Twain House & Museum
On view through January 2011
Commonly recognized as one of the greatest American novels, this epic journey of Huck and his friend Jim along the Mississippi River is one of the most enduring images of escape. Explore this often controversial work and its impact on our culture through rare artifacts and children’s programming.
OCTOBER
Saturday, October 16. Immanuel Congregational Church, Hartford
Mark Twain concert featuring VOCE
Fall into the melodic sounds of VOCE, a singing group that combines excellence in music with service to the community. The concert will feature a Mark Twain theme. Details to be announced.
New Chair of Editorial Board
Dr. Matthew Warshauer, associate professor of history at Central Connecticut State University has been appointed the new chair of CT Explored’s editorial board. The Editorial Board is an advisory group that reviews articles, makes recommendations for stories, and helps keep the magazine connected to the museum and academic community. Warshauer was the editor of our sister publication, the academic journal Connecticut History, published by The Association for the Study of Connecticut History. Matt has been an enthusiastic member of CT Explored’s editorial board for years. He succeeds Cynthia Cormier of Hill-Stead Museum who chaired the editorial board from the publication’s inception. Cindy remains a member of the editorial team, the group that plans the magazine’s content.
Also, William Hosley, independent historian, and Jose Cruz, associate professor of political science and U.S. Latino studies at SUNY Albany, have recently rotated off the editorial board, and Katherine Kane, director of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, has joined. We welcome Katherine and thank Cindy, Bill, and Jose for their service to and support of the magazine!
LISTEN TO US ON WNPR
Colin McEnroe Show: Gregg Pugliese and Elizabeth Normen talk about the Spring 2010 Hard Times issue and Peter Paul company.
And
Hear Mary Donohue and Elizabeth Normen talk about the Berlin Turnpike and the Winter 2009/2010 issue on Colin McEnroe’s show on WNPR.
