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SPRING 2025: The Power of Words. Welcome to your bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, and programs from our partners.
Sponsored Posts
Histoury Presents: Historic Homes of Housatonic Valley Tour
Step inside several historic homes and see and learn about many more as we tour the Southbury area of the Housatonic Valley. Colonial farmhouses, Civil War-era homes of a mill village, summer cottages of Russian refugees, and a variety of other historic homes are all found in Southbury—the only town with this name in the country and a designated “Preserve America” community! Learn about architecture that has beautified the area for generations and the interesting individuals who have called it home.
Join us for this unique experience to see historic homes, inside and out, and immerse yourself in culture and history. This is a guided tour and participants will travel the tour itinerary in their own vehicle. This tour is offered one time only! Space is limited.
April 5th, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. | 4 hours (approx.)
Purchase tickets here www.histoury.org; 212-683-1961
What’s in a Name?
What’s in a name? When Juliet Capulet asked this question in Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, she meant that names are little more than petty obstacles. However, do names hold power? Do names affect memory? Consider these questions as Alexandra Maravel explores the story of the Isham-Terry House in Hartford, and why its name was more contentious than one would think.
Discover more Connecticut history by subscribing to Connecticut Explored!
Announcing Our Newest Partner
We are thrilled to welcome The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum as our newest Organizational Partner and celebrate the Museum’s exciting reopening this June!
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will reopen to the public on June 4, 2025, at 12 PM. The newly-enhanced institution will feature restored spaces and artifacts that will re-envision the visitor experience, while bringing an iconic, 19th century National Historic Landmark into the 21st century with new systems and technology. Many rooms have been enhanced, built, or transformed including a new state-of-the-art archival space and educational center in the historic Basement, among others.
Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Ave, Norwalk. lockwoodmathewsmansion.com; 203-838-9799
The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Coffee — A Connecticut Story
Coffee is more than a hot drink or a boost of caffeine. For Connecticans, it’s hundreds of years of history. In this episode, the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Natalie Belanger chats with her colleague, Karen Li Miller, about the Museum's new exhibition exploring these connections, Coffee — A Connecticut Story.
Listen: Coffee — A Connecticut Story
Thanks to the Connecticut Museum of Culture & History for their financial sponsorship of Grating the Nutmeg, helping us bring you a new episode every two weeks.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
The Shore Line Trolley Museum
Step into the past at The Shore Line Trolley Museum, where the power of words and storytelling brings history to life. This spring, experience the magic of storytelling with our interactive tours and educational programs, perfect for all ages. Our historic trolley line, the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley route in the U.S., offers a unique backdrop for exploring the stories of innovation, progress, and connection that defined early 20th-century America.
17 River Street, East Haven. shorelinetrolley.org; 203-467-6927
Wood Memorial Library
Looking for educational programming? Visit www.woodmemoriallibrary.org and www.Nowashe.org for details on a variety of on and off site Indigenous and local history programming, all customizable to suit your group’s specific needs. Our educators offer enriching multidisciplinary and multi-sensory learning experiences with hands-on activities to schools, libraries, scout troops, and community organizations.
787 Main Street, South Windsor. WoodMemorialLibrary.org; 860-289-1783
Cedar Hill Cemetery
Learn about Cedar Hill Cemetery’s world of art, history, and natural beauty by attending Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation’s popular public programs. Seasonal activities begin in May and run through October. For nature enthusiasts, there are bird, tree, and mushroom walks. Art and history lovers will enjoy thematic tours highlighting celebrated residents and renowned monuments. Program information can be found on the Foundation’s website.
453 Fairfield Avenue, Hartford. cedarhillfoundation.org; 860-956-3311
Wesleyan University
America's semiquincentennial celebration of the Revolution offers an opportunity to consider the complex series of events leading up to our founding as a democratic nation. Wasch Seminars' adult education program, located on the Wesleyan University campus, is offering a four-semester long (Spring 2025-Fall 2026) series of courses. The first course, "Dare to Know": Enlightenment thought and the dawn of the modern age, considers the 'Rights of Man' and 'Divine Right of Kings' as these issues were being hotly debated by both philosophers and armies on the 17th century European stage.
Please join this active debate (starting soon!) and discover the little-known facts behind the shaping of our national identity.
Editor’s Picks:
Jennifer LaRue Huget, “Mark Twain: Homeschooling the Clemens Way” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2007.
Bruce M. Stave, “Oral History: What It Is and How To Do It” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2009.
Karin Peterson, “Saving Hartford’s Amos Bull House” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2015.
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