Connecticut Made Holiday Gift Ideas…circa 1895-1955 Monday, December 10, 2012
Posted by capittsley in digital collections, Museum.Tags: advertisements, Connecticut manufacturing, DigitalCollections, Holiday, Museum of Connecticut History
add a comment
Need some ideas for Holiday Gifts this year? Try the Museum of Connecticut History’s guide to gifts manufactured right here in Connecticut! From American Flyer Trains to Royal Portable Typewriter, there’s a gift for everyone on your list.
The catch – the gifts featured in this advertisement collection might be hard to find – the advertisements date from 1895 to 1956. They hark back to an era in which gift-giving was more gender-specific and in which men were led to believe that women truly wanted and appreciated the gift of an electrical appliance.
Did you ever give or receive any of these gifts? Tell us your stories of your own “Made in Connecticut” Christmas!
Political Buttons now in Flickr Monday, April 23, 2012
Posted by capittsley in digital collections, history, Museum, updates.Tags: campaigns, Connecticut, Museum of Connecticut History, political buttons, politicians
add a comment
Just in time for the beginning of the political season here in Connecticut, the Museum of Connecticut History is proud to bring you the buttons of political campaigns past. This collection of nearly 1,000 Connecticut political campaign buttons were donated by Mr. James Cassidy of Greenwich and can be found on our Flickr page.
Gubernatorial campaign buttons for Wilbur L. Cross and opponent Arthur M. Brown. Cross was governor of Connecticut from 1931-1939.
Included in the collection are buttons from campaigns for Governor, Lieutenant Governor (until 1966 the Governor and Lieutenant Governor were elected separately), Treasurer, Secretary of the State, Attorney General and Comptroller. In addition there are buttons from races for U.S. Senator and Representative as well as examples of materials from local political campaigns. Winners and losers are both represented. The Museum has a sizable collection of Connecticut political memorabilia and there is some duplication in the new acquisition, but examples of buttons not previously in the collection far outnumber the duplicates. Connecticut political history is one of the Museum‘s three primary collecting areas, the others being military and industrial history. Of the three, political history is the hardest to illustrate, and artifacts such as campaign buttons, bumper stickers, lawn signs and similar materials are significant ways of linking abstract political ideas to the politicians who espouse them.
Freedom Trail Quilts now in Flickr Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Posted by capittsley in digital collections, history, Museum, updates.Tags: Black History Month, celebration of black history, connecticut freedom trail, Freedom Trail, Freedom Trail Quilts, Museum of Connecticut History
add a comment
In celebration of Black History Month, the Museum of Connecticut History’s Freedom Trail Quilts are now on Flickr! This collection of Freedom Trail Quilts shows the individual blocks–many of which commemorate Underground Railroad sites in Connecticut, as well as the entire quilt block from each of the four regions of Connecticut.
In 1995, the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the designation of some forty public and private historic properties to form a network which would convey the dramatic and important story of Connecticut’s African-American experience - the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Included are historic properties which have been deemed worthy for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, National Register of Historic Landmarks and the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Among the gravesites, monuments, homes and other structures included are sites associated with the Underground Railroad, the Amistad Case, and such notable persons as Paul Robeson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Prudence Crandall.
In 1997, a grass roots citizens group of interested volunteers from every corner of the State came together to form the Freedom Trail Planning Committee. They dedicated their time and efforts to creating a lasting tribute to the Connecticut Freedom Trail through one of the most traditional of American art forms – quilting. Four quilts, representing each region of Connecticut, were completed in 1998.
Underground Railroad of New Milford, CT: A Brown Bag Black History Program Friday, February 5, 2010
Posted by kabery in history, Museum, updates.Tags: Afrikan-American Cultural Awareness Association, Connecticut State Library, CT, Freedom Trail Quilts, Museum of Connecticut History, New Milford, Underground Railroad
add a comment
Underground Railroad of New Milford, CT: A Brown Bag Black History Program
On Thursday, February 18, 2010 from 12:00-12:45 pm in the Museum of Connecticut History at the State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT, Deb
orah Calhoun, Executive Director of the Afrikan-American Cultural Awareness Association (AACAA), will present a program on the Underground Railroad in Connecticut, with special emphasis on New Milford, CT. Bring your lunch and learn about the path of slaves through Connecticut on their escape to freedom; about the network of families who supported them on their clandestine journey and the codes used by the Freedom Seekers through their Songs and the Quilt myth.
Freedom Trail Quilts
You can also view the 4 Connecticut Freedom Trail Quilts, permanently displayed in the Museum of Connecticut History. In 1997, a grass roots citizens group of interested volunteers from every corner of the State came together to form the Freedom Trail Planning Committee. They dedicated their time and efforts to creating a lasting tribute to the Connecticut Freedom Trail through one of the most traditional of American art forms – quilting. The four quilts, representing each region of Connecticut, were completed in 1998.
