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Trade Between Connecticut and the West Indies, a Queer Sanctuary, and Revitalizing Old Factories
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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Connecticut’s Sweet Tooth: The Sugar Trade and Slavery in the West Indies
Though the colony of Connecticut had only been established in 1636, by 1649, just 13 years later, enterprising men made their way to Barbados in search of profits.
In that year the merchants of Wethersfield and Hartford invested in a small vessel to trade with the island. The little ship departed the Connecticut River loaded with produce, lumber, and barrel staves (the wooden slats that form the barrel). Those drums of trade soon returned, packed with sugar and molasses, the “gold” of their day.
What drew the Caribbean islands into a trade relationship with the small colony? Sugar was so valuable, island planters covered every tillable acre with cane. It was more profitable to sell sugar and simply import whatever they needed than to take up even a small parcel of land for food production. Examining customs reports, we can see Caribbean islands relied on suppliers like Connecticut merchants for essential materials, including food, livestock, wood, and building products.
In this Summer issue feature story, Matthew Warshaurer explores the depth and breadth of the colony’s trade with the West Indies and explains how this exchange was based on slavery. Sugar fields and mills on the islands were worked by African peoples stolen from their homes. Warshauer writes, “As Connecticut’s investment in the sugar trade increased over the next 150 years, so too did its commitment to slavery.”
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An Island in a Rural Sea: Palmer-Warner House as Queer Sanctuary
In the rural town of East Haddam, preservation architect Frederic Palmer and his partner, Howard Metzger, created a sanctuary where their friends could gather and be themselves. The couple often hosted gatherings for their friends, many of them gay men looking to escape the summer in New York City, as evidenced by Palmer’s diaries, letters, and the house guest book.
Palmer purchased the historic home in 1936. In 1945, he met Howard Metzger and invited him to live in the home. There, they spent the next 25 years together, until Palmer’s death. Author Andy King compares the secluded home to an island, surrounded by 50 acres of land, protecting its inhabitants and guests from anti-gay discrimination.
King writes, “Indeed, cultural and political events during Palmer’s lifetime encouraged gay people to protect themselves. Palmer attended Harvard during the Lavender Scares, when a secret court was set up to identify and expel gay students, and he died two years after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a weekend of protests that launched the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.” They explore how this rural home became an unexpected safe haven for gay people.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
New Lives for Old Factories: Cheshire’s Ball & Socket Arts
Renee Tribert discusses the exciting opportunities to reuse and redevelop abandoned industrial buildings across Connecticut. Patrick O’Sullivan and Mary Donohue share ideas of where you can see old mills and factories that are being repurposed for fun new uses. Finally, we hear from Ilona Somogyi, co-founder of Ball & Socket Arts in Cheshire, an old mill that will open this summer with visual arts programming, free public concerts, writing classes, and much more.
Somogyi laughs,
“I do love, now, all mill architecture. Ever since I started this project, everywhere I go, on trains or driving around, I'm always sort of staring out my windows at these abandoned factory complexes woefully, and saying, ‘Oh, what could we do to restore this one?’"
Connecticut was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. But as industry moved out in the last half of the 20th century, these cathedrals of industry become vacant and abandoned across the state. After listening to this week’s episode, you’ll see these buildings in a new light, too!
Listen: New Lives for Old Factories: Cheshire’s Ball & Socket Arts
Learn more about mills near you at connecticutmills.org
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
Keeler 4th of July
Tuesday, July 4 | 1 - 3 p.m. | Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center
Celebrate community, independence, and the 57th anniversary of Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s opening day! A fun and patriotic Ridgefield tradition, with activities for the whole family.
More information: Keelertavernmuseum.org
Sunday, July 9 | 3 – 4 PM | New Britain Museum of American Art
Visit NBMAA to experience the monthly “Sunday Music” series, featuring local & regional performances from a variety of musical genres. This month, see the Dave Giardina Guitar & Violin Duo! Concert attendees must register at the Front Desk upon arrival. Museum Members are free, and Museum guests are welcome with purchase of a Museum admission ticket. Seating is first come, first served.
All shows begin at 3 p.m.; doors to event space will open at 2:30 p.m
More information: nbmaa.org
Historic Gardens 101
Wednesday, July 12 | 6 - 7 p.m. | Greenwich Historical Society
The Greenwich Historical Society will host a lecture and book talk with Caryn Davis, author of Connecticut Gardens: A Celebration of the State’s Historic, Public, and Private Gardens, in association with the Greenwich Botanical Center. Her talk will include an overview of Connecticut’s 15 historic gardens – why these gardens were established, how they were used and how they evolved from utilitarian use to aesthetic; an introduction to CT’s public gardens – their establishment and benefit, along with notable designers of the day; and an introduction to some of CT’s finest private gardens – their owners, and the stories behind their inception and design.
Cost: Members $15; non-Members $20
Register: GreenwichHistory.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.
“Unburying Hartford’s Native and African Family Histories,” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2019.
“Uncovering African and Native American Lives in 17th - 18th Century Hartford,” Grating the Nutmeg.
“Connecticut in the Golden Age of Smuggling,” Connecticut Explored, Spring 2010.
“Stonington: Poet James Merrill’s House,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2016.
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