Tourist in My Own State: CT Historical Society Museum

I have driven past the Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library countless times over the years. The museum advertises current exhibitions with huge banners hanging on the exterior walls and often I would see something that piqued my interest but like many things I just never made the time to check it out.

Growing up I never considered myself a “museum person”, but what I have learned over the years is that I enjoy museums and exhibits in small doses of an hour or two. Any longer than that and my eyes start to glaze over!

So much to my delight, the museum is free on the first Saturday of every month so I popped in this past Saturday to see an exhibit called “Hartford Seen” by Pablo Delano.

This exhibit was promoted on one of the aforementioned banners and it immediately grabbed my attention because Pablo and I have a similar obsession – photographing homes, buildings and other types of architecture.

This particular exhibit focuses on showing the grittier parts of Hartford. I did see one home that I have also photographed which made me feel connected to Pablo, but most of his photos, while excellent, made me feel a little sad.

The same way I feel when I walk through some of Hartford’s neighborhoods. It’s hard to imagine that there will be a time when prosperity will return to the residents of the city, but some of Pablo’s photos also reflect elements of hope.

The exhibit in the next section of the museum was equally excellent – a series of ink drawings by Richard Welling.

Richard grew up in West Hartford, CT and attended the Yale University of Fine Art as well as Parson’s School of Design in NYC (well before Tim Gunn!) His early career was varied but he ultimately became a well-known artist via his detailed ink drawings of new building construction and old building demolition, largely in Hartford and NYC.

The above sketch is of the Hartford Civic Center after its roof collapsed in 1978 from heavy snow – a moment in my life that I won’t forget.

I had tickets to go see Shaun Cassidy there with my father – my first concert at age ten. Luckily Shaun didn’t disappoint his young fans. He rescheduled the concert at the New Haven Coliseum so my father didn’t miss the opportunity to be surrounded by screaming young girls and hear “Da Do Run Run” live.

While a portion of the museum is dedicated to rotating exhibits, the remainder has permanent exhibits which are chock full of art, memorabilia and artifacts, all beautifully displayed and documented. I had to move through quickly this time but I will return. I did learn some interesting facts during my quick spin through:

• Silly Putty, Wiffle Balls and my personal favorite, Cabbage Patch Dolls, were invented in Connecticut (the dolls from West Hartford, no less!)
• The sperm whale is the official state animal for Connecticut, which was second only to Massachusetts in the whaling industry back in the day.
• The museum is located in the Curtis Veeder house (first image above). Modifications have been made to accommodate the museum, but once a month a “behind the scenes” tour is offered which highlights areas of the original home not regularly accessible to the public.

My favorite exhibit of all was the permanent exhibition of old inn and tavern signs, collected over the years by former Aetna President Morgan B. Brainard, a gentleman who grew up in Hartford.

Numbering at about 60 pieces, this is the largest exhibition of such signs in the country and represents a mere fraction of the over 50,000 hand painted signs that were created between 1750-1850.

These signs are my kind of fine art. I would love to have a few of my own to display at home.

The above photograph is just one more example from the general exhibits on display. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how great this museum is for younger children.

It’s easy to take in and has many hands on experiences for little ones, from dressing up in colonial garb to pretending to work on a manufacturing assembly line. I wish I had known about it when my kids were small. Don’t hesitate to take them, especially the first Saturday of the month when admission is free.

Also, the CT Historical Society has a library that is available to the public and allows access to significant amounts of materials allowing you to research genealogy, local history, architecture and other subjects to your heart’s content.

Don’t wait as long as I did to visit! If you enjoy art, history, interesting lectures and beautiful displays you won’t be disappointed.

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Enjoy learning about what our state has to offer? If so, take a peek at Coltsville National Historic Park or Connecticut’s Old State House. Thanks for reading!