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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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The Cradle and Shrine of American Law
The first independent school of law in America was founded in Litchfield, Connecticut, by Long Island native Tapping Reeve. He began teaching his first pupil, Aaron Burr (yes, that Aaron Burr), in 1774.
For the first decade, Reeve taught students from his home office. In 1784, he built a separate structure to create room for a growing number of students. The law school building is still standing today, but it has been moved a total of six times over the course of its 239-year history. Linda Hocking, archivist at the Litchfield Historical Society, chronicles the long history of the building and its path to preservation in this Fall issue article. Highlighting the school’s historical significance, Hocking writes:
Reeve’s students would go to prominent positions in the new United States government: graduates included two vice presidents, three U.S. Supreme Court justices, six members of presidential cabinets, 28 senators, and more than 100 members of Congress. Fifteen were governors of states or territories, and many others were elected to local and state positions. Those who studied law in Litchfield were later responsible for writing, interpreting, and enforcing the laws of the new nation.
Today, visitors to the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School have the chance to experience life as a real student at the Litchfield Law School or the Litchfield Female Academy.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Witchcraft Uncovered: New Discoveries and Exonerations
Witchcraft accusations began in Connecticut in May, 1647, with the trial and execution of Alice Young of Windsor, 45 years before the better-known witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Connecticut had witchcraft accusation outbreaks in the early 1660s in Hartford and again in Fairfield in 1692, with criminal trials ending in 1697. In colonial Connecticut, dozens of women, and some men associated with them, were accused of witchcraft. The colony hanged eleven people.
In May, 2023, Connecticut’s General Assembly moved to clear the names of all those accused of witchcraft in the state and issue an apology. State lawmakers, descendants of the accused, and local historians organized to present testimony and pass a resolution declaring the accused innocent. House Joint Resolution 34, "Resolution Concerning Certain Witchcraft Convictions In Colonial Connecticut," passed 376 years after the state put Alice Young to death.
Dr. Kathy Hermes talks with Beth Caruso about the history of witchcraft and the exoneration project, and with Sarah Morin about newly discovered evidence that accusations of witchcraft continued well into the 1700s in Connecticut.
Listen: Witchcraft Uncovered: New Discoveries and Exonerations
Celebrating A Milestone
We just hit 150,000+ streams on our Grating the Nutmeg Podcast! Help us to continue to produce Connecticut’s history podcast - with FREE streaming!
Celebrate this milestone with us by donating here.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
Free Black Communities of Fairfield County
Thursday, Nov. 16 | 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Remote Access via Zoom
Join Northern Slavery Collective and the Greenwich Historical Society for Building Home: A Look at the Free Black Communities of Fairfield County. The story does not end with slavery. In this lecture, historians Teresa Vega, local genealogist and family historian, and Maisa Tisdale President and CEO at The Mary & Eliza Freeman Center, will present about two free Black communities in Fairfield Country, CT: Hangroot and Little Liberia.
Register for this free event here: greenwichhistory.org
Poetry Reading
Saturday, Nov. 18 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM | Noah Webster House, West Hartford
A series of poetry readings, WordHouse, was organized by James Finnegan, West Hartford’s third Poet Laureate. This month's reading starts with an open mic and will feature readings by Dennis Barone and Amy Nawrocki. No registration is required.
More information on this free event here: noahwebsterhouse.org
Great Trains
Opens Friday, Nov. 24 | Wilton Historical Society
Open Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 – 4:00, and Sundays 12:00 – 4:00.
The Great Trains Holiday Show at Wilton Historical Society approaches! Take the children in your life to an entrancing afternoon with trains and holiday excitement. Wilton Historical’s historic 18th and 19th century buildings are charmingly decorated and transformed into a train-lovers delight with many different model train layouts winding through tiny towns. Mark your calendars for opening day - Friday, November 24th. The show runs through January 15th.
Cost: $10 non-member adults, $5 for non-member children.
For the full schedule of holiday programming, visit wiltonhistorical.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.
“The Influence of the Litchfield Law School,” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2016.
“America’s First Professional Cooking School—In New Haven, No Less!,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2007.
A Field Trip to the Litchfield Historical Society, Grating the Nutmeg
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