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Welcome to your free bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners to see/watch this month, and more!
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Ida Holmes Braxton: Women’s Activism, Religion, and Labor in Hartford
From 1885-1891, Ida Holmes Braxton worked as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s maid. In 1943, the Hartford Times published an interview they did with Braxton titled, “Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Maid Visits Home.” She was 22 years old when she left this role, and she lived to 82.
Beyond this early chapter of life, who was Ida Holmes Braxton? Britney Yancy and Beth Burgess pored over documents to uncover a more comprehensive story of her life, while situating her within a larger movement. They write:
Braxton was deeply immersed in Black Baptist tradition and practiced a woman-centered faith that encouraged women to be active agents in uplifting the race. Applying the “lifting as we climb” approach to her religious activism, Ida rose to the front line of the Black-women’s club movement in Hartford.
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Site Lines: The Evolution of Historic Preservation Policy
In the above image, painted in 1857, can you spot the iconic blue onion dome atop the Colt Factory? Read about how preservation policy has helped to preserve this historic landmark. In 1955, it was the first project the newly established Connecticut Historical Commission took on. Catherine Labadia and Julie Carmeich discuss the evolution of historic preservation law and policy. They write:
Although it was a challenging project, it would be hard to imagine the gateway into Hartford along Interstate 91 without the iconic blue onion dome. Multiple buildings within the Colt Industrial Historic District have been rehabilitated and put back into use, with costs exceeding $100 million over the past 20 years. This redevelopment would not have been possible without the state and federal Historic Tax Credit program, which contributed more than $22 million.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Murder on Prospect Street
Natalie Belanger sits down with acclaimed crime writer M. William Phelps to get to the bottom of a notorious early 20th century Connecticut murder story. In the 1910s, Amy Archer Gilligan operated an innovative business in Windsor: a convalescent home for the ill and elderly. Her benevolent facade, however, hid a deadly purpose: a business plan that depended on constant inmate turnover, aided by arsenic poisoning. You'll hear all about how the case was broken by a neighbor who happened to write for the Hartford Courant, in a story involving midnight graveyard autopsies, poisoned lemonade, a shady doctor, and the birth of the Connecticut State Police. And oh yeah, the story got turned into a blockbuster Broadway comedy and a 1944 movie starring Cary Grant.
Listen: Murder on Prospect Street
If you want more historical true crime content, check out the latest exhibition at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Called "Connecticut's Bookshelf," the exhibit covers 300 years of reading, writing, and publishing in our state. A "true crime" section in the exhibit features stories that document Connecticut's centuries-old fascination with criminal mayhem. Go to connecticutmuseum.org for details.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
Pizza & Freedom
Tuesday, Dec. 5 | 6:00 PM | New Haven Museum (also streaming online)
Immediately following their Annual Meeting, New Haven Museum is hosting new CT State Historian Andy Horowitz for his first hometown lecture! Check out the very intriguing title: Pizza & Freedom: Why CT History Matters. Horowitz will present an expansive vision of CT history, drawing stories from across four centuries and several continents.
This event is free. Register here.
To view the live stream, visit New Haven Museum’s Facebook Page.
Festival of Trees
Thursdays through Sundays, November 30 - December 10 | Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
Celebrate the season at the Wadsworth, voted Best Museum in Connecticut 2023. Their major holiday fundraiser, the annual Festival of Trees & Traditions, is happening now! Each year, the museum transforms into a winter wonderland filled with twinkling lights, decorated trees, and holiday décor, all available for purchase in support of the museum.
A $5 surcharge is added to all admissions during the fundraiser. The Wadsworth thanks you for your support!
To learn more, visit wadsworth.org
Special Talk on Portraiture
Tuesday December 5 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm | Virtual
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is hosting a special virtual lecture, “Blowing Holes in Traditional American Portraiture,” with renowned scholar Dr. Kelli Morgan, senior curator at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan. She will explore issues of power, shared traditions and contemporary manifestations when considering the past, and future, of American portraiture.
This event is free, but registration is required. In order to receive the link click here https://bit.ly/46hGDaW
Community Carol
Sunday, Dec. 17 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is holding its 76th Annual Community Carol Sing. Mystic Seaport visitors will be admitted free of charge on this day from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Donations of non-perishable food & monetary contributions will be collected to benefit the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. The Mystic Seaport Carolers will perform a holiday concert at 2 p.m. The Carol Sing will commence at 3 p.m.
For more information about this free event, visit mysticseaport.org
Editor’s Picks
Want to explore the topics featured in this edition of the e-Newsletter? Check out these stories and podcasts from the archives.
“Emmeline Pankhurst: Freedom or Death in the Fight for Suffrage,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2020
LISTEN: “Uncovering African American Women’s Fight for Suffrage,” Grating the Nutmeg
“National Historic Preservation Act: 40 and Fabulous,” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2005/2006
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