CT Explored/Inbox
Summer 26: America at 250. Dr. Woodward takes a new look at the actions surrounding the Revolutionary War execution of State Hero Nathan Hale. Read about CT's Patriot Women and preserving stories.
The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Rough Justice for Connecticut State Hero Nathan Hale (10th Anniversary Encore Release)
Happy 250th birthday to our nation and 10th anniversary to Grating the Nutmeg! In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we are bringing you a remastered edition of an episode recorded in 2020 with Dr. Walter Woodward, Connecticut State Historian Emeritus.
Dr. Woodward takes a new look at the actions surrounding the Revolutionary War execution of State Hero Nathan Hale, and finds there are still some burning questions left to be answered about this hasty and irregular event. It’s a story from Walt’s book Creating Connecticut: Critical Moments That Shaped a Great State from Globe Pequot Press. As you’ll soon hear, when looking for answers about the Rough Justice handed out to Nathan Hale by the British in New York in 1776, where there’s smoke, there’s fire...
Listen: Rough Justice for Connecticut State Hero Nathan Hale
Don’t forget to subscribe to Connecticut Explored magazine today-our summer issue is a double-issue celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday! And to celebrate Grating the Nutmeg’s 10th anniversary, set up your $10 a month donation to Grating the Nutmeg at ctexplored.org/donate
FEATURED ARTICLES
Working for the Revolution: Connecticut’s Patriot Women
When thinking of the American Revolution, the famous painting by John Trumbull depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence comes to mind, or perhaps the numerous paintings of battlefields of male soldiers shooting rifles and riding terrified horses while a flag dramatically billows in the background, but where are the women?
Women contributed economically to the war effort and served in the army, proving the Revolution was every bit as tumultuous as it was for men. Read about Connecticut’s Patriot Women here.
Site Lines: Preserving the Stories of Norwich’s Black Patriots
At the northern entrance of the historic Colonial Burying Ground of Norwich visitors are greeted by an impressive memorial plaque listing 59 names, including the Huntingtons, Leffingwells, and Lathrops, some of Norwich’s most prominent families. What is missing from this list are the names of Norwich’s soldiers of color.
Learn about the stories of once-overlooked patriots that the America’s 250th Norwich, Connecticut, Committee is working to commemorate here.
Snapshots!
Did You Know …?
In January 1776, the Continental Congress ordered all royal governors removed from office, and William Franklin, the royal governor of New Jersey, was declared a “virulent enemy to this country, and a person that may prove dangerous.” He was then sent to Connecticut to be imprisoned. After he abused his parole while under house arrest in Wallingford, an armed escort took Benjamin Franklin’s loyalist son, William, to the jail in Litchfield.
Read all of our interesting snapshots by subscribing.
On Our Reading List
A number of award-winning authors purchased ads in the Summer 2026 issue promoting their books and we can’t wait to read them all!
Of Life and the American Revolution, The Journals of Joseph Knap 1761 - 1808, by Patricia Q. Wall
The Martyr and the Traitor, Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution, by Virginia DeJohn Anderson
Portraits of Patriots: Colonel John Trumbull and Five Fellow Patriots From Connecticut in the American Revolution, by Damien Mott Cregeau
Connecticut Witch Trials Trilogy, by Beth M Caruso
John Durkee: The Forgotten Story of Connecticut’s Bold Man From Bean Hill, by Dayne Rugh
If you are an author or business and would like to inquire about advertising please email admanager@ctexplored.org.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Season:
Six Extinctions
Tyrannosaurus rex is coming to the Bruce Museum! Six Extinctions, a tour de force traveling exhibition by Gondwana Studios, tells the dramatic story of the mass extinctions that have impacted life on Earth. In Six Extinctions visitors will encounter the remarkable species that were wiped out in these events such as dinosaurs, armored fish, giant flightless birds, and the Thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger. The Bruce Museum will be the first venue on the show’s North American tour.
Six Extinctions spans half a billion years of Earth history and opens visitors’ eyes to the causes of mass extinctions, ranging from ancient catastrophic volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts to the present-day dangers of climate change and deforestation. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the Cretaceous Extinction section, which includes a stunning Tyrannosaurus and Torosaurus, two victims of the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Dr., Greenwich. BruceMuseum.org; 203-869-0376
One People: Portraits of the Early Republic
Come face-to-face with some of the biggest names in America’s revolutionary past in One People: Portraits of the Early Republic. Images of George Washington, Oliver Wolcott, and the Marquis de Lafayette were popular at the country’s founding, but their portraits only tell us so much about the people behind them. Explore the stories of these men alongside less frequently depicted figures, and those never portrayed during their lifetime.
Uncover the lives of the people beyond the paint in this free exhibition from April 17 through November 29, 2026.
Litchfield Historical Society, 7 South Street, Litchfield. Litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org; 860-567-4501
Poetry in the Garden Workshops and Readings
Commemorate America’s 250th with the 2026 season of Poetry in the Garden, “Voices of the New Revolution.” Every Monday in July, join us for workshops and readings featuring award-winning poets: Patricia Spears Jones, Richard Blanco, Sean Thomas Dougherty, Cornelius Eady, and more! Discover all KTM&HC’s fantastic summer programming at www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events.
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, 152 Main Street, Ridgefield. Keelertavernmuseum.org; 203-438-5485
Summer Fun at the Connecticut River Museum
Experience the warm, summer weather with a cruise down the Connecticut River, and don’t miss the Concert Underway performance aboard RiverQuest by our Artist In-Residence, Ben Cosgrove. Stop by the Museum for an exhibit on America’s first combat submarine, the Turtle, to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
Connecticut River Museum, 67 Main Street, Essex. Ctrivermuseum.org; 860-767-8269
Editor’s Picks:
Susan P. Schoelwer, “Painting with Needle & Thread,” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2010-2011.
Susan P. Schoelwer, “An Eighteenth Century View of the Stages of Life,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2009.