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CONTENTS
Historical Society Homepage What We Do Our Officers How To Join To Contact Us SNET 2000 Mil Grant Newsletters Programs History Online East Hartford Refs Research CT Updates Recent Updates Sponsors |
References to historical programs are listed on this page in one of the following 2 sections: or "Other Historical Programs & Societies of Interest" Please feel free to suggest programs. Email webmaster@hseh.org; include HSEH in the subject line. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader to view pdf files from this page. If you need this Reader, you can download a free copy and install it. High School From Days Past Sat Feb 22, 2020 - Social and Extended Photo Display Raymond Library, 840 Main St Public is welcome High School From Days Past Photo Display Thru Feb Raymond Library, 840 Main St Public is welcome "Votes for Women, 1919" with Mary Ann Handley, Former State Senator and History Professor Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:30pm Brewer House, 167 Main St Public is welcome Raymond Tubbs on Artist Henry Hammond Ahl from E Hartford Wed, Nov 20, 2019 Raymond Library, Meeting Rm #1 6:30pm The public is invited; there is no fee; parking is free OPEN INVITATION TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S HOLIDAY SOCIAL Sunday December 8, 2019 Historical Society of East Hartford Museums in Martin Park Closed for the Winter Unveiling of restored and reframed 1877 Hartford Color Lithograph Sat Oct 5, 2019 Raymond Library, Main St Entrance 1:00pm All are welcome ANNUAL DINNER & PROGRAM Wed, Sept 18 First Congregational Church, E Htfd Doors Open 6:00pm Dinner 6:30pm Public is welcome See Sept Newsletter of the Historical Society for details and required form Hillstown Grange 131st Annual Agriculture Fair Sat Sept 14, 2019 Grange Hall, 617 Hills St, EH 9am - 2pm All are welcome Letter from President Johnson - Special Meeting August 24 - Program "Show & Tell" and Presentation of Updated, Proposed HSEH Bylaws Saturday August 24, 2019 1:00pm Raymond Library Open to the public Historical Society of East Hartford Museums in Martin Park Open for the Summer UPDATED: Open Sundays, July & August 2019 HSEH Events in June & July 2019 "Jessie S. Goodwin Preston (1879-1973), Famous Connecticut Woman Artist from East Hartford" with Gary Knoble Wednesday May 15, 2019 "An Afternoon of Artifacts & Archeology with the HSEH" Saturday March 9, 2019 "History of Carousel Museums in CT & the Carousel Museum" with Louise DeMars Saturday March 23, 2019 "16th Century Eyewitness Testimonies of Spanish Expeditions in the United States" with Steven Strange Wednesday Jan 16, 2019 INVITATION TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPEN HOUSE Sunday December 16, 2018 "They Called Her Reckless - A True Story of War and One Extraordinary Horse" with Janet Barrett Wednesday October 24, 2018 HSEH ANNUAL DINNER AND PROGRAM: Marty Podskoch to Speak on His Book "CT Civilian Conservation Corps Camps Wednesday September 19, 2018 "From Flood Plain to Constitution Plaza" with Jason Scappaticci Wednesday May 16, 2018 Marty Podskoch to Speak on His Book "CT Civilian Conservation Corps Camps" Wednesday March 21, 2018 * * * * * *CANCELLED* * * * * * Commemorate the 73rd Anniversary of the WWII Battle of Iwo Jima Saturday March 10, 2018 Marty Podskoch to Speak on His Book "CT Civilian Conservation Corps Camps" Wednesday January 17, 2018 * * * * * *CANCELLED* * * * * * Open House at the Brewer House Public is Welcome Sunday December 17, 2017 “Revolutionary War Captain Stephen Buckland” with Lance Kozikowski Wednesday, November 15, 2017 “The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania” with Jason Scappaticci Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 7:30pm The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail (W3R-NHT), 2nd Anniversary Commemoration Ongoing 2/16/19 - CT Gravestone Network - 2019 Symposium Saturday March 30, 2019 9am - 4pm St Sebastian's Church 155 Washington St, Middletown, CT, 06457 Public Welcome CT Gravestone Network on Facebook Ongoing CT Society of Genealogists Ongoing Friends of Center Cemetery Ongoing Letterboxing in East Hartford Ongoing Abraham Lincoln Remembered in New Sculpture Garden Ongoing Manchester Historical Society Events Ongoing Simsbury Historical Society 2nd in Genealogical Series Available "A Sense of Place" Ongoing "Votes for Women, 1919" with Mary Ann Handley, Former State Senmator and History Professor Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:30pm Brewer House, 167 Main St Public is welcome The Historical Society is proud to present as its guest speaker former State Senator Mary Ann Handley who will give a program on the passage of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution for the American women’s right to vote. Ratification of the amendment actually occurred in 1920, so 2020 will be the 100th anniversary of this milestone achievement in women’s rights. Mary Ann’s lecture will provide us with a better understanding of the women’s suffrage movement, a long and arduous journey that dragged on for many decades. Mary Ann, a retired Manchester Community College history professor, has done much research on women’s suffrage so this lecture done last autumn at the Manchester Historical Society will be very interesting. Bill Ludwig, who is known as the Town of Manchester Troubadour, will present music of the period to accompany Mary Ann’s talk. There will be time allotted for questions and answers. Our Historical Society will have its regular business meeting shortly after the program for attending members. Inclement winter weather will cancel, so if in doubt check the on-line cancellations of local television stations or the HSEH Facebook page or website. If canceled due to weather the program will be rescheduled to our March 2020 meeting at the East Hartford Library which has been made unavailable to us for this month’s meeting. The Wednesday, January 15th program will be held at the Selden Brewer House, 167 Main Street, East Hartford and is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is available in the front lot. The doors will open at 6:00pm and the program will start at 6:30pm. For any questions, please call Craig Johnson at 860-568-2884 and leave a message. Craig Johnson, Vice President / Program Chair On Saturday February 22nd at Raymmond Library in East Hartford; 10am-4pm, The Historical Society of East Hartford will host a social and display of old School photographs; from the 1800’s to the 1960’s and class reunions of 1941 & 43. For the months of January and February the Historical Society has put up a display of photographs at the Raymond Library and some at the South End Senior Center. If you visit the exhibit you will find a handout telling of memories from a past student of the early 1900’s. Did you know that South Windsor students also came to East Hartford for High School as they did not yet have their own; their first High School was opened in 1928. Photos of High School graduation groups will be set up for viewing in room 1 downstairs at the library along with light refreshments. Some have names and dates but many of the larger group photos do not. The goal is to get people talking, remembering and perhaps have some of those faces and dates identified. Were your parents or grandparents in any of these older photos? At the Feb. 22nd display we will also have a box or two of personal photo albums, full of individuals having fun and enjoying the many dances and parties of those days. The Historical Society does not have room to keep all these so please come if you are interested and take a look. For more information leave a message at 860-643-5652. Raymond Tubbs on Artist Henry Hammond Ahl from E Hartford Wed, Nov 20, 2019 Raymond Library, Meeting Rm #1 6:30pm The public is invited; there is no fee; parking free The Historical Society is proud to have East Hartford’s Raymond Tubbs as its speaker for the November meeting. Ray will give a presentation on our town’s most famous artist, Henry Hammond Ahl (1869-1953) who later this year will have a celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth in East Hartford. Ray’s talk for the Historical Society is centered on the current Raymond Library exhibition of Ahl’s works. Prior to going upstairs to the atrium to view the exhibition, he will briefly discuss aspects of Ahl’s life (with some flavorful anecdotes related to his character), his long financially successful career, and his place in American art history. Plus, just enough art history to give the works on display (hung in chronological order) context and allow for informed viewing and the ability to relate each of the paintings to the various art movements that he was a part of or that influenced his painting styles. Ray will tell you which works are deserving of special attention. The group of extraordinary drawings from the 1890s in the atrium’s Recess Galley is not to be missed. You will view the works on your own, but Ray will be there for guidance and to answer any and all questions. Copies of the richly illustrated monograph will be available. Raymond E. Tubbs, with an academic background in liberal arts, education and art history, has been involved in the art world since 1969, both in the United States and Europe. Beginning as a partner and director of an art gallery for 10 years, he moved on as a private art dealer, artist agent, independent curator and consultant, writer on the arts, and as an expert in the esoteric field of fresco- secco mural restoration (the WPA-era mural in the Main Street post o?ce is an example of this). He has had special interest in the life and work of lesser-known American artists of the Great Depression era through the 1950s. Plus, in certain artists of the Scuola Romana, a nebulous Italian art movement of the same decades of the 20th century. He has written numerous essays for the catalogs of museum and gallery exhibitions, reviews and critiques, and art-critical essays for various art-related publications. Previous to the recent monograph, Henry Hammond Ahl - Life and Art: Refinement and Composure, he authored Joseph Presser 1909-1967, and How to See Through a Brick, The Work of George Soppelsa, both published in Germany in both English and German. Now mostly retired, he still on occasion writes or serves as a consultant on cultural assets, be they historical artifacts or works of fine art. Following a short 6:30pm business meeting, the Wednesday November 20th program will be held in meeting room #1 at the Raymond Library, 840 Main Street, in East Hartford. There is plenty of free parking available in the back of the Library. For any questions, please call Craig Johnson at 860-568-2884. Craig Johnson, Vice President / Program Chair Hillstown Grange 131st Annual Agriculture Fair Sat Sept 14, 2019 Grange Hall, 617 Hills St, EH 9am - 2pm All Are Welcome The Hillstown Grange will host its 131st annual Agricultural Fair on September 14, 2019, from 9 am to 2 pm, at our Grange Hall, 617 Hills Street, East Hartford, CT Our Fair will feature exhibits, bake sale, raffle, and great food. The public is invited to enter their needle work, flowers, crafts, hobbies, vegetables, bake goods, canned goods, jams, and jellies. Ribbons and cash prizes are awarded to winning entries. This year’s special contests are “largest tomato by weight” and the largest marigold flower with some stem to prove it’s a marigold, any color. IMPORTANT: Items for the exhibits (to be judged) need to be dropped off THURSDAY evening, September 12th, between 5 and 7 pm. Forms are available by email to save time filling them out Thursday. We are a participating fair for the CT State Apple pie and baking contests, all CT Fair rules must be followed for these contests to go on to state judging this fall. Our famous hot dogs and hamburgers available with peppers and onions will be available from 11 to 1 p.m. along with other tempting foods. The bake sale usually runs out of pies by 1 p.m. so get here early to get a homemade pie The Hillstown Grange Fair is the area’s only Agricultural Fair, serving the Hillstown area of the towns of East Hartford, Glastonbury, and Manchester for 129 years, come feel the history. For more information call text/call (860)690-2845 or email: hillstowngrange@aol.com Historical Society of East Hartford Museums in Martin Park Closed for the Winter The Historical Society of East Hartford exhibits three historic buildings for preserving and presenting some of East Hartford's history - the National Register, 1761 Makens Bemont House (aka Huguenot House), the 1820s Goodwin Schoolhouse, and the ca 1850 Burnham Blacksmith Shop. All buildings were originally built at different locations throughout East Hartford and in recent years were moved to their present site in Martin Park. During the summer months we welcome you and will be delighted to show you these historic buildings.
HSEH Events in June & July 2019 UPDATED HSEH & Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s 2019 Trails Day Weekend Sunday, June 2nd from 2:00 to 4:00 pm Walk leaving from the Great River Park concert area and proceeding along the Connecticut River For the Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s 2019 Trails Day weekend, the Historical Society will host a new educational walk on Sunday, June 3rd from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The tour will leave from the Great River Park concert area and we’ll walk along the Connecticut River, then take the Meadow Hill trail of the Hockanum River Linear Park network to Main Street. Rain cancels and we hope the flood waters dry-up. Ruth Shapleigh-Brown and Craig Johnson will be co-leaders of this walk. HSEH & Connecticut Open House Day Saturday, June 8th between 1:00 and 4:00 pm at Martin Park We will again participate in Connecticut Open House Day. This year the date falls on Saturday, June 8th between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. At Martin Park all three of our museum buildings – the 1760s Huguenot House, the 1820s Goodwin schoolhouse, the 1850s Burnham Blacksmith Shop - will be open and we expect to welcome many visitors. It’s our only museum opening in June before our official summer opening in July. UPDATED Historical Society Open House at the Brewer House, June 9, 2019 HSEH & Raymond Library Program Connecticut Rock ‘N’ Roll: A History with Author Tony Renzoni Wednesday, July 24th starting at 6pm The HSEH will co-sponsor a program with the Raymond Library on Wednesday, July 24th starting at 6pm. The program will be called Connecticut Rock ‘N’ Roll: A History based on the book by author Tony Renzoni. Tony will be showing video clips and talking about past greats such as the Rockville Rocket, Gene Pitney. The program is free and all are encouraged to attend this co-promotion. "Jessie S. Goodwin Preston (1879-1973), Famous Connecticut Woman Artist from East Hartford" with Gary Knoble Wednesday May 15, 2019 7:00 pm Raymond Library Gary Knoble, noted Connecticut art historian, will give a presentation on Jessie S. Goodwin Preston (1879-1973), famous Connecticut woman artist from East Hartford. Mr. Noble will be assisted by Nancy Whitcher, past president of Connecticut Women Artists. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 pm at the East Hartford Public Library (Raymond Library) on Main Street. Ms. Goodwin Preston, was one of the founding members of the Connecticut Society of Women Painters which later became the organization known today as Connecticut Women Artists. The event is free, and area art leagues are encouraged to attend. Learn about Ms. Goodwin Preston, her paintings, and her contributions to the 20th century Connecticut art scene. Thank you, Steven Strange, Vice-president, HSEH "History of Carousel Museums in CT & the Carousel Museum" with Louise DeMars Saturday March 23, 2019 Raymond Library Families Welcome 
On Saturday March 23, 2019 at 1:00 P.M. at the Raymond Library in East Hartford, Louise DeMars, Executive Director of the
New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, CT, will give a presentation on the history of carousels in Connecticut, and a
brief overview of the Carousel Museum. Photo is from the Carousel Museum facebook page.
There is scheduled to be activities for children, so bring the entire family for an afternoon of history and fun. Steven Strange, Vice President, HSEH "16th Century Eyewitness Testimonies of Spanish Expeditions in the United States" with Steven Strange Wednesday Jan 16, 2019 6:30pm Short Business Meeting Followed by Program Raymond Library, Rm #1 Public Welcome Steven Strange, an Associate Member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language, and Vice-president of the Historical Society of East Hartford, will give a presentation on eyewitness testimonies from 16th century Spanish expeditions and voyages in what is currently the United States. His presentation will stress the first descriptions of the terrain, physical features, flora and fauna, and Native Americans as perceived by the Spaniards. Be prepared to be transported to the North America of almost five hundred years ago, and almost a hundred years before the founding of Jamestown in 1607. And as Walter Cronkite would say... "you are there!' While Steven will be dressed in 16th century attire, he will give the presentation in English. This January 16, 2019 meeting will begin at 6:30pm in the Raymond Library, 740 Main Street, in Room #1 on the lower level. A short business meeting, followed by refreshments, will precede the program. The meeting and the presentation are free and open to the public. All are welcome! Steven Strange, Vice President, HSEH INVITATION TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPEN HOUSE ALL ARE WELCOME Sunday December 16, 2018 12:00pm - 3:00pm Brewer House, 167 Main St 
The Historical Society is having a Holiday Social on Sunday, December 16th 2018 between 12 Noon and 3:00 p.m.
at the Selden Brewer House, 167 Main Street, East Hartford. This is a free event and all are invited
to stop by and share some holiday cheer with us and see our decorations. Light refreshments will be served.
Two new hardcover books are being offered for sale: the “Connecticut 169 Club” by Marty Podskoch that has the history and attractions of all Connecticut’s towns and “Greater Hartford Memories: A Photographic History of the 1800s through the 1930s” presented by the Hartford Courant. These books would make nice Christmas gifts. You can avoid shipping and handling charges in buying the books from the Historical Society at the Brewer House. Proceeds above our cost for the books will go toward the Huguenot House roof replacement. HSEH ANNUAL DINNER AND PROGRAM: Martin Podskoch and the CT CCC Camps Wednesday September 19, 2018 The Historical Society of East Hartford will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday, September 19th at the First Congregational Church, 837 Main Street, East Hartford. For Society members and guests, a buffet dinner (reservations required) starts at 6:30 p.m. followed by the installation of officers for the 2018-2019 year. After a short business meeting, there will be a program on Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps by historian Martin Podskoch. The public is welcome to attend. Walk-ins to see the program can arrive after 7:30 p.m. Check the September Newsletter of the HSEH for detailed information on the Annual Dinner program pgs 1&2, the Annual Dinner Menu pg 2, and the Dinner Registration pg 3. For any questions, please call Craig Johnson at 860-568-2884. Marty Podskoch to Speak on His Book "CT Civilian Conservation Corps Camps" * * * * * *CANCELLED* * * * * * Program open to the public Wednesday, March 21, 7:00pm Raymond Library, 740 Main St, Room 1 lower level On March 21, 2018 beginning at 7:30pm, local author and historian Marty Podskoch will give a Power Point presentation on his new book, Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories and Legacy at the Raymond Library, 740 Main Street, in Room #1 on the lower level. This program was ‘sleeted out’ in January and Marty has graciously agreed to rebook with us. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began on March 31, 1933 under President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to relieve the poverty and unemployment of the Depression. The US Army supervised the camps which had approx. 200 men each. The first year 13 camps were set up in these Connecticut towns’ state parks & forests: West Cornwall, Housatonic Meadows; Niantic, Military Reservation; Eastford, Natchaug; Haddam, Cockaponset; Union, Nipmuck; New Fairfield, Squantz Pond; Cobalt, Meshomasic; Voluntown, Pachaug; Thomaston, Black Rock; East Hartland, Tunxis; Clinton, Cockaponset; West Goshen, Mohawk; and Torrington, Paugnut (Burr Pond). The Army Government Dock in New London was the supply depot for all the CT camps. In the following years these eight camps were added: Barkhamsted, American Legion State Forest; East Hampton, Salmon River; Danbury, Wooster Mountain; Stafford Springs, Shenipsit; Portland, Meshomasic; Windsor (Poquonock), Experiment Station Land; Kent, Macedonia Brook, and Madison, Cockaponset. 
Men 18 - 25 (with fathers on relief) enrolled for 6 months, worked a 40hour week for $30/mo. The government sent $25 a month home
and the boys received $5 spending money. The boys got good food, uniforms, and medical care. At first they lived in tents; later
they lived in wooden buildings. Workers built trails, roads, campsites, dams, stocked fish, built & maintained fire towers,
observer’s cabins & telephone lines, fought fires, & planted millions of trees. The CCC disbanded in 1942 due to the need for men in WW II.
After the presentation Marty Podskoch will have his new CT CCC book available for sale and signing, and also his seven books on the Catskills & Adirondack Mountains. Pictured right is Marty's book. A short business meeting beginning at 7:00 pm will precede the program, followed by refreshments. The meeting and the presentation are free and open to the public. All are welcome! Bette Daraskevich, Vice President/Program Marty Podskoch to Speak on His Book "CT Civilian Conservation Corps Camps" * * * * * *CANCELLED* * * * * * Program open to the public Wednesday, January 17, 7:00pm Raymond Library, 740 Main St, Rooms 2A&2B lower level On January 17, 2018 beginning at 7:30pm, local author and historian Marty Podskoch will give a Power Point presentation on his new book, Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories and Legacy at the Raymond Library, 740 Main Street, in Rooms 2A/2B on the lower level. These two rooms have a dividing wall that collapses to expand the facility.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began on March 31, 1933 under President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to relieve the poverty and unemployment
of the Depression. The US Army supervised the camps which had approx. 200 men each. The first year 13 camps were set up in these Connecticut
towns’ state parks & forests: West Cornwall, Housatonic Meadows; Niantic, Military Reservation; Eastford, Natchaug; Haddam, Cockaponset; Union,
Nipmuck; New Fairfield, Squantz Pond; Cobalt, Meshomasic; Voluntown, Pachaug; Thomaston, Black Rock; East Hartland, Tunxis; Clinton,
Cockaponset; West Goshen, Mohawk; and Torrington, Paugnut (Burr Pond). The Army Government Dock in New London was the supply depot for all the CT camps.
In the following years these eight camps were added: Barkhamsted, American Legion State Forest; East Hampton, Salmon River; Danbury, Wooster Mountain; Stafford Springs, Shenipsit; Portland, Meshomasic; Windsor (Poquonock), Experiment Station Land; Kent, Macedonia Brook, and Madison, Cockaponset. Men 18 - 25 (with fathers on relief) enrolled for 6 months, worked a 40-hour week for $30/mo. The government sent $25 a month home and the boys received $5 spending money. The boys got good food, uniforms, and medical care. At first they lived in tents; later they lived in wooden buildings. Workers built trails, roads, campsites, dams, stocked fish, built & maintained fire towers, observer’s cabins & telephone lines, fought fires, & planted millions of trees. The CCC disbanded in 1942 due to the need for men in WW II. After the presentation Marty Podskoch will have his new CT CCC book available for sale and signing and also his seven books on the Catskills & Adirondack Mountains. A short business meeting beginning at 7:00 pm will precede the program, followed by refreshments. The meeting and the presentation are free and open to the public. All are welcome! Bette Daraskevich, Vice President/Program "Revolutionary War Captain Stephen Buckland"with Lance Kozikowski Program open to the public Wednesday, November 15, 7:00pm Veterans Memorial Clubhouse, 100 Sunset Ridge Road The Historical Society of East Hartford will hold its November business meeting at the Veteran’s Memorial Clubhouse, 100 Sunset Ridge Road, beginning at 7:00 p.m. on November 15th, 2017. Our speaker will be Lance Kozikowski, who will perform in the uniform of one Capt. Stephen Buckland. Mr. Kozikowski will present an interpretation of an Orford Parish blacksmith who went off to the Revolutionary War and came home to find his shop in ruins and with no money to pay his taxes. Captain Buckland was part of the family that gave its name to the area now best known as the Buckland Hills Mall in what became Manchester, CT. At the close of the Revolutionary War, he signed on as the captain of a privateer’s ship, and was captured by the British brig, Perseverance, in April, 1782. Along with his crew, he was placed in the prison ship, Jersey, where he died May 7 of the same year at the age of 39; a victim of starvation and torture. 
Lance has been a guest speaker for the Society in the past. His program as a Tinsmith mirrors his work as a Demonstrator at The Big ‘E”, the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA. He is also a Museum Assistant at the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.
There will be a short business meeting of the Society, followed by refreshments and the evening’s presentation. The program is open to the public; all are welcome. Bette Daraskevich, Vice President/Program "The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania” with Jason Scappaticci Program open to the public Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 7:30pm First Congregational Church, 837 Main St 
Jason Scappaticci will be our guest speaker for the Historical Society’s next program. He will join us at the First Congregational Church
on the evening of Wednesday, September 20, 2017 and share another documentary/program with us.
Mr. Scappaticci will be remembered from his lecture last year about the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. Jason is currently the Director of Transitional Programs at MCC and he serves on the Manchester Board of Education. We welcome him back for another informative evening. His PowerPoint Presentation this month will center upon a World War I event: “The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania”. This British-made cruise ship of the Cunard Line was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915 - more than 100 years ago. This incident outraged the American public. 128 United States citizens, including men, women and children who were sailing from New York City to England, lost their lives. This action on the part of the Imperial German Navy hastened President Woodrow Wilson’s decision to enter the conflict, known afterward as, “The Great War”. The public is welcome to join the Society at 7:30pm for Jason's program at no cost. There is ample free parking behind the church. Bette Daraskevich, Vice President/Program 
The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail (W3R-NHT),2nd Anniversary Commemoration On March 30, 2009 President Obama signed the Wilderness Protection / Omnibus Public Lands bill establishing a new national, historic trail. It is named the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail (W3R-NHT) and extends approximately 600 miles from Newport and Boston to Yorktown. In 1780 French General Rochambeau and his French army landed in Newport to help us in our Revolution. In 1781 this army left Newport and crossed Connecticut (marching through East Hartford) to join General Washington and his American army near White Plains, New York. From there the two armies marched south together along this route, fought side by side at Yorktown, and with the help of Admiral DeGrasse’s French fleet won the Battle of Yorktown. This victory effectively ended our Revolution and brought us independence. The following year the French army returned north on this route to Boston and then the Caribbean. The national recognition given this route commemorates the joint American and French efforts in winning our independence. Today we can follow this national, historic route from Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., and into Virginia. It is a living reminder - with relevant, historic buildings and sites and people who tell its stories - of what was done and, in part, how we came to be who we are. The Rochambeau boulder on the green near the overpass on Silver Lane is an early 20th century East Hartford site. This boulder has had plaques placed on it over the years to remind passers-by of the French army which camped nearby in 1781 and 1782 and of the various celebrations over the years in memory of that army. The latest plaque, the W3R plaque, was placed on the boulder in June 2006 for the 225th anniversary of the French arrival in America in 1780. Its dedication was attended by the small group of re-enactors who became the first to walk in the footsteps of the French army from Rhode Island to Yorktown; they were the 2006 America’s March to Yorktown. The marker in front of the Raymond Library is a new site. This marker, placed near the locations where Rochambeau's headquarters and his army hospital once stood, is one of twelve different W3R markers installed by Connecticut along its portion of the W3R in 2005-2006. They gratefully recall the French help we received. Follow them and read the local stories of the French army as it crossed our state to meet Washington's army. East Hartford's marker tells of the money carried in the wagons of the French army. To help commemorate the 2nd anniversary of this national historical route we offer the following: Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Page Click on link to "Tour the W3R Trail" to view the route to Yorktown. Follow the 12 W3R Markers across Connecticut installed by this state in 2005-2006 to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the aid the French army brought here. The East Hartford Marker of 2005 stands in front of the Raymond Library on Main Street. When the French Army Came to East HartfordThis booklet tells the story of Rochambeau and his army’s visits to East Hartford in 1781 and 1782. Brochure with more on Rochambeau and also a short history of East Hartford. French Army Monetary Support in the American RevolutionWhen the French army came to help Americans win their freedom it came with the understanding that France would pay for whatever the army needed. Read how the army transported its funds, sought help in getting hard cash to pay its troops, and used its money to help pay the American army.  Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC Official National Park Service Website Ongoing - Friends of Center Cemetery (FCC) Center Cemetery was an 'east of the CT River' Hartford cemetery until 1783 when East Hartford separated from Hartford. Center Cemetery was the 2nd oldest cemetery in Hartford and is the oldest in East Hartford. It was founded in 1709. Today Friends of Center Cemetery, a dedicated group of cemetery historians, is protecting and preserving what it can in the cemetery and about the cemetery. Visit the Friends on their website and on face book. Ongoing - Letterboxing in East Hartford Search East Hartford for the 'elegant French officer' stamp and the freed slave stamp and more! Have some fun while learning about East Hartford's past, seeing some historic sites in town, and solving orienteering challenges! Go to Letterboxing North America, press 'Search for Boxes', enter 'Connecticut' for the state, 'East Hartford' for the city, and press 'Search Boxes' to bring up East Hartford letterboxing sites. Ongoing - Abraham Lincoln Remembered in New Sculpture Garden Check out the new Lincoln Sculpture Garden, fifteen sculptures depicting events in the life of Abraham Lincoln and his legacy: his early careers, his favorite horse "Old Bob", his work on the transcontinental railroad, his civil war legacy, and more. These sculptures have only recently been permanently installed on the Founders Bridge and in the parks along both the Hartford and East Hartford sides of the CT River, primarily between the Bulkeley and Founders Bridges. The area included makes this "one of the longest open-air sculpture galleries in New England" (E Htfd Gazette, June 5, 2008, pg 13). It was to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2005 that the Lincoln Financial Group offered to fund this project. For more information visit the Riverfront website. Ongoing - Manchester Historical Society Events Interested in learning more about the famous and near famous people and events that shaped Manchester history? Visit the website of our neighbors in the MHS, http://www.manchesterhistory.org. Simsbury Historical Society The Simsbury Historical Society wishes to announce that it now has on sale the 2nd in its genealogical series A Sense of Place: First Church Records Simsbury, Connecticut 1682 - 1930. This new work offers information from the Historical Society's unpublished archives. For information about the Society visit the Simsbury Historical Society's website. |
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