Conversations at Noon on the CT Freedom Trail: The Amistad Affair
2022-03-22 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual Event
Virtual Event – register here:
In 1839 Connecticut’s Old State House was the site of the first of the famous Amistad trials. The trials grabbed international headlines, but after the US Supreme Court resolved the case in 1841, the story faded from collective memory. In1997, Steven Spielberg reintroduced the dramatic Amistad incident to the world, sparking new interest among historians, educators, and the public. Since then, new research has shed light on the story and corrected some of the omissions and errors in the public’s knowledge.
Tammy Denease, Connecticut Freedom Trail Outreach Director, has studied the life journey of Margu, one of four children held captive on the Amistad. Tammy will share her remarkable story through a first-person recorded portrayal of Margu. Charles Warner, Jr., Chair of the CT Freedom Trail, will then lead a discussion with Tammy and Adrienne Joy Burns, who has studied the history of enslavement in New Haven with a focus on the Pardee-Morris House.
This discussion will focus on facts surrounding the Amistad Incident that were not included in the 1997 Steven Spielberg film.

Encounters: U.S. Constitution
2022-04-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Virtual
Join us for the second in a series of interactive “Encounters” dialogues exploring three critical documents of American identity and their role in our lives today: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This program aims to foster meaningful and informed discussion around the values that form the basis of our national experience by bringing the conversation back to first principles, to the founding of the American democratic experiment. In doing so, it encourages us to learn more about our shared history and to value and participate in our democracy. To participate, please register online. Dialogues for Common Ground: American Identity & Connecticut’s Civic. Register in advance for this program: https://uconn-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvcOGoqDIjGdwOTaLCSltZQMhFIgxsYuWG

Book Talk: 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting
2022-04-19 12:00 - 13:00 | At CT’s Old State House AND Live Streamed
Today’s headlines are filled with arguments over restrictions on the right to vote and attempts to expand it. Miles Rapoport, formerly CT’s Secretary of State and E.J. Dionne, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, advocate for making a commitment to a ‘100% Democracy’, an election process where every citizen has the right to vote and full opportunities to do so—but also the duty to vote, a requirement to participate in our national choices.Join Rapoport and Dionne (who will be joining us virtually) for an in-person discussion about their new book, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting. The program will be moderated by CT Secretary of the State, Denise Merrill and kicks off Book Talks, a new program series at Connecticut’s Old State House.The U.S. lags behind other democracies, with only 66.8% of eligible voters participating in the record-turnout election of 2020 while twenty-six countries around the world require participation in elections. Australia, for instance, has required citizens to cast a ballot since 1924 and had over 90% voter turnout in their last major election. Rapoport and Dionne ask: if Americans must pay taxes and serve on juries, why not ask—or require—every American to vote? Is it time for the United States to take a major leap forward and recognize voting as both a fundamental civil right and a solemn civic duty?The program will be followed by a book-signing and light refreshments. Program co-sponsored by Everyday Democracy. Click here to register

Conversations at Noon on the CT Freedom Trail - Digital Reconnaissance: Re(Locating) Dark Spots on a Map
2022-04-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual – Free to attend
The Mary and Eliza Freeman Houses in Bridgeport serve a critical role in the history of Bridgeport and of the Black community in Connecticut. Their homes became the center of Little Liberia – a neighborhood of free people of color that included a luxurious seaside resort hotel for wealthy Blacks, Bridgeport’s first free lending library, a school, businesses, fraternal organizations, and churches. From this community, only the Mary and Eliza Freeman homes survive.Join the Connecticut Freedom Trail and Maisa Tisdale, President and CEO of The Mary & Eliza Freeman Center, who has advocated for the preservation of the homes and the former Little Libera neighborhood in Bridgeport’s South End since 1994. Ms. Tisdale will discuss Digital Reconnaissance: Re(Locating) Dark Spots on a Map on Tuesday, April 26th at 12 pm focusing on the preservation efforts and tools used to recreate the history of the Freeman Houses and Little Liberia with Connecticut Freedom Trail Outreach Director Tammy Denease.
Click here to register

International Museum Day: Free Admission
2022-05-18 12:00 - 17:00
Join us FREE today to celebrate International Museum Day!
We’ll be open from noon to 5:00 pm. Visit our restored historic Senate and House chambers, learn the stories of famous Connecticut citizens, discover Hartford’s role in history and explore our unique Museum of Curiosities.
Walk the halls, hear the stories, be inspired!

Conversations at Noon: The Legacy of the Canterbury Female Boarding School
2022-05-24 12:00 - 13:00
Online Event … Join Joanie DiMartino, Curator of the Prudence Crandall Museum, for a thought-provoking presentation on the successes and legacy of the Canterbury Female Boarding School, a groundbreaking school for young African American girls that found itself on the forefront of civil rights in the early nineteenth century.
In 1832, Prudence Crandall, the white principal of the Canterbury Female Boarding School, was approached by a young Black woman named Sarah Harris asking to attend the academy. When residents protested the school’s integration and parents threatened to withdraw their daughters, Crandall closed her school and reopened in 1833 for non-white students, welcoming students from several other states as well. Connecticut responded by passing the “Black Law,” which prevented out-of-state Black students from attending school in Connecticut towns without local town approval. Crandall was arrested, spent a night in jail, and faced three court trials before the case was dismissed. In September 1834, a nighttime mob attack closed the school.
Years later, many former students became nationally-renown educators and reformers. The case of Crandall v. State of Connecticut impacted two U.S. Supreme Court cases and a Constitutional Amendment. This talk will focus on the lives of several of the students after they left Canterbury, and the legal significance of the Crandall v. State decision.
Please register here: https://forms.gle/4Gj1RsfpQF7b2j8c8
Watch on Facebook Live: https://fb.me/e/1rUQ6ToY8

Connecticut Open House Day
2022-06-11 12:00 - 17:00
Stop by Connecticut’s Old State House on Open House Day! Enjoy free admission to the museum exhibits, challenge yourself with a fun scavenger hunt through the building, pick up cute coloring pages for the kids, and more! The building will be open from noon to 5:00pm, and the last visitors will be admitted at 4:00 pm.
Every year on Connecticut Open House Day, more than 100 tourism attractions across the state, including museums, arts and cultural venues, historical sites, farms and restaurants, will welcome visitors with free or discounted admission or special offers.

#ctopenhouseday #freeadmission

Make Music Hartford: Basses Loaded
2022-06-21 15:00 - 16:00
Music has the power to bring people together! Stop by Connecticut’s Old State House lawn on Tuesday, June 21st between 3:00 and 4:00 pm to enjoy the striking sound of Basses Loaded, a talented group of string bass musicians celebrating the magical ability of music to knit communities together.
Make Music Hartford is a live, free musical celebration on June 21st across the city, coordinated by the Greater Hartford Arts Council. Featuring musicians of all abilities and music from any genre, spaces all over the city will become stages for local musicians, from sidewalks and parks to front porches and public spaces. Come on out and appreciate these kind and enthusiastic volunteers. It’s all for the love of music!
#makemusichartford#greaterhartfordartscouncil

Conversations at Noon: The Perils of Pennington
2022-06-28 12:00 - 13:00
Online Event … Join Andre Keitt, Greatheart Griot Storyteller, for a fascinating discussion of the life of James Pennington, author of the world’s first book on the history of the African American, known for challenging the statements of Thomas Jefferson on the “inferiority of black people.”
After a harrowing escape to freedom, James Pennington arrived in Hartford, Connecticut in 1840, and continued his segregated journey through higher education. He became the pastor of the city’s first and America’s third Black church, and leapt at the chance to finally become the senior pastor in a city embroiled in the Amistad trial, the nation’s first historic civil rights case.
This free event can be viewed on Facebook Live.
Please register here: https://forms.gle/7FUzuhAwALBbWK9t5

CT History Day 2022: Students in Conversation
2022-06-30 12:00 - 13:00
On June 30th at noon, virtually “meet” some of the sixty-one middle and high school students who represented Connecticut in the prestigious National History Day competition this month. This hard-working cohort joined close to 3,000 other students from across the United States who advanced through the gauntlet of regional and state contests to reach the national stage.
Tasked with generating original research relating to the 2022 theme, “Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures and Consequences,” the students submitted their work in one of five formats: documentary film, website, exhibit, paper or performance.
Hear fascinating first-person stories from these award-winning students about their challenging projects and the impact Connecticut History Day has had on them, along with commentary from our featured speaker, teacher John Smith-Horn, Connecticut’s nominee for the Patriciate Behring Teacher of the Year and current instructor at Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor.
This online event is sponsored by Connecticut’s Old State House, home of the Connecticut History Day program.
Find all the details here:
https://fb.me/e/1tRQzmFzA
﻿#cthistoryday #nationalhistoryday #conversationsatnoon #ctoldstatehouse

Connecticut's Old State House Farmers Market
2022-07-01 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-07-08 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-07-15 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-07-22 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-07-29 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-08-05 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-08-12 10:00 - 14:00
Stop by Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market every Friday from 10am to 2pm between July 1st and October 28th .
In 1643, the General Court of Connecticut established a weekly Market to be held in Hartford. Come shop local and visit the current Farmers Market, established in 2011 with that original Market in mind. Our goal is to offer a variety of products from as many farmers and artisan vendors as possible. We are committed to offering a vibrant marketplace in downtown Hartford where local farmers and artisans can enjoy coming together with the community to share the best of what Connecticut has to offer. The Old State House Farmers Market runs from late spring through mid-fall, ensuring that our patrons enjoy the ultimate in seasonal variety for many months of the year!
NEW THIS YEAR: SNAP ACCEPTED
For the first time, Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) tokens. Simply bring your EBT card to the table with the sign that says “SNAP/EBT Accepted Here”. The Market Manager will swipe your card for the amount that you want.
VISIT US
Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market, located in bustling and historic downtown Hartford, provides local workers and city residents with access to farm fresh produce and the opportunity to experience a bit of country atmosphere right in the heart of the city! Featuring Connecticut Grown farmers, crafters, and lively music, shoppers at the Farmers Market can feel good knowing that they are supporting local agriculture and helping to build the local economy.
Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market is located at 800 Main Street in Hartford, on the East brick plaza near the lawn, within the wrought iron fence surrounding Connecticut’s Old State House. We are conveniently located on the city bus route and are within a few blocks of free DASH shuttle service stops. Metered parking is available on nearby side streets, and Connecticut’s Old State House will validate parking for the State House Square Garage at 55 Market Street, which reduces your cost to a flat $5 fee when you exit the garage.
While you’re here, make a trip inside Connecticut’s Old State House. Visit our restored historic Senate and House chambers, learn the stories of famous Connecticut residents, discover Connecticut’s role in history and explore our unique Museum of Curiosities. Walk the halls, hear the stories, be inspired! Connecticut’s Old State House is open from noon to 5:00 pm, with the last admission at 4:00 pm.

#farmersmarket

Summer Concert Series: Fiesta del Norte
2022-07-01 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Fiesta del Norte …
Come hear Connecticut’s first mariachi band, Fiesta del Norte perform the traditional folk and popular music of Mexico. Dressed in traditional sombreros and “charro” outfits, their repertoire spans from the Mariachis of Jalisco to the Nortenas of Chihuahua, to the harp music of Vera Cruz, down to the Marimba music of Chiapas. All this played on authentic instruments such as guitar, vihuela, guitarron, violin and trumpet, with beautiful singing throughout. Song translations, storytelling and cultural insights are interwoven between musical numbers.
Visit the Fiesta del Norte website
Hear a sample of Fiesta del Norte’s music
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the East Lawn of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.#summerconcertseries #mariachi

Summer Concert Series: Nelson Bello Jazz Trio
2022-07-08 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Nelson Bello Jazz Trio …
Fronted by Nelson Bello, this eponymous Latin Jazz Trio enjoys performing their Afro-Cuban and Caribbean-flavored jazz. A well-known Latin percussionist and Hartford native, Nelson began his musical studies at the Hartford Conservatory Jazz Summer Program at the age of 13 and the Performing Arts Academy in Hartford. At the age of 15 he traveled to Cuba for the International Jazz Festival (with Latin Flavor, now better known as Insight) and invited guest pianist Chucho Valdez.Over the years, Nelson performed with the likes of Andy Gonzalez, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Tony Vega, Charles Flores, Zaccai and Luques Curtis, among others.
Hear a sample of Nelson Bello Jazz
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the East Lawn of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.#nelsonbello #jazz #summerconcertseries

Summer Concert Series: Nu Haven Kapelye
2022-07-15 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Nu Haven Kapelye …
Come hear the biggest klezmer band in New England play traditional folk music that draws upon the history of Ashkenazi Judaism and Eastern European melodies.
Nu Haven Kapelye can include up to 30 musicians at a time, much like the Big Bands of the 1940s. Featuring large string and horn sections, the group welcomes both professional and amateur musicians.
Visit the Nu Haven Kapelye website
Hear a sample of their music
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the west side of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
#nuhavenkapelye #klezmer #summerconcertseries

Summer Concert Series: Snowhaus
2022-07-22 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Snowhaus …
Calling themselves a Millennial power trio, this party punk band brings the energy to every show.
Hear Snowhaus on YouTube
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the west side of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
#snowhaus #punk #summerconcertseries

Conversations at Noon: The Importance of Venture Smith
2022-07-26 12:00 - 13:00
Join a lively panel of Connecticut-based historians as they discuss the fascinating life and legacy of Venture Smith, one of the very few enslaved people who left behind a first-person account of their experience.
Venture Smith’s autobiography, “A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa: But Resident above Sixty Years in the United States of America. Related by Himself ” was published in New London, Connecticut in 1798. Venture Smith was freed in the 1860s, and went on to become a successful Connecticut landowner and businessman.
Today’s panel will include Elizabeth Norman of CT Explored, Elizabeth Wood, Executive Director of the Stonington Historical Society, and Dr. Karl Stofco, East Haddam town historian and expert on the Venture Smith family genealogy.
Dr. Stofko will describe how he started Venture Smith Day more than 25 years ago, and how the annual fall event in East Haddam has grown each year to include new scholarship and newly discovered descendants.
Elizabeth Wood will discuss the new permanent exhibition about Smith at the Lighthouse Museum in Stonington, which incorporates new research and findings from an archaeological dig at a site nearby where Smith was enslaved.
Elizabeth Norman will talk about making Smith’s published life story (1798) accessible to teachers and elementary and middle school students, so they may engage more honestly in the history of the founding of Connecticut.
Free Event
Please register here: https://bit.ly/CFTVentureSmith

Summer Concert Series: Inner Groove
2022-07-29 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Inner Groove …
Bring your lunch and enjoy Inner Groove as they play an eclectic mix of popular rock and classic rock, pop and country. Their covers include only the best mix of vocally-rich hits from past and present.
Visit Inner Groove’s website
Hear a sample of Inner Groove’s music
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the west side of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
#innergroove #summerconcertseries

National Votes for Women Trail: Author Susan Campbell Speaks
2022-08-04 12:00 - 12:45
Join us to celebrate Isabella Beecher Hooker, an early women’s suffrage activist, as her legacy is added to the National Votes for Women Trail!
At 10:00am, Isabella and her husband John will be honored with a trail marker plaque at their former home at 140 Hawthorn Street in Hartford. (details here)
At noon, the celebration moves to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center at 77 Forest St Hartford, where Susan Campbell, author of “Tempest Tossed: The Spirit of Isabella Beecher Hooker,” will discuss the 1877 Married Women’s Property Law, and Isabella and John Hooker’s work for women’s rights.
This joint program with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is part of the Legislative Landmarks Series.Please register here

Hartford Live: Free Outdoor Concert by Burning Spear
2022-08-04 18:00 - 21:00
The City of Hartford and GoodWorks Entertainment present FREE outdoor concerts at Connecticut’s Old State House on Thursday nights through the summer. Come enjoy live local music, food trucks, a beer garden, local vendors and more!
Tonight’s Artist: Reggae legends Burning Spear
#freeconcert #outdoorconcert #reggae #hartfordlive #hartfordhasit

Summer Concert Series: Jeremy Haddad
2022-08-05 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Jeremy Haddad …
An acoustic performer by heart, this friendly, bearded bard finds his musical calling in the simple arrangement of guitar and vocals. His songs and lyrics reflect an ever-changing landscape of emotionality, derived from common themes of love, anger, curiosity, and the indescribable task of being human. Living happily as just a drop in an ocean, every melody and note uttered is a tribute to the passing tides of his imagination — as many of his songs portray fabrications of people, thoughts and situations.
Visit Jeremy Haddad’s website
Hear a sample of Jeremy Haddad’s music
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the west side of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.https://fb.me/e/mjQJY3SbV
#jeremyhaddad #singersongwriter #summerconcertseries

Hartford Live: Free Outdoor Concert
2022-08-11 18:00 - 21:00
The City of Hartford and GoodWorks Entertainment present FREE outdoor concerts at Connecticut’s Old State House on Thursday nights through the summer. Come enjoy live local music, food trucks, a beer garden, local vendors and more!
Tonight’s Artist: announcement coming soon
#freeconcert #outdoorconcert #hartfordlive #hartfordhasit

Hartford Live: Free Outdoor Concert
2022-08-11 18:00 - 21:00
The City of Hartford and GoodWorks Entertainment present FREE outdoor concerts at Connecticut’s Old State House on Thursday nights through the summer. Come enjoy live local music, food trucks, a beer garden, local vendors and more!
Tonight’s Artist: West End Blend & Bella’s Bartok
#freeconcert #outdoorconcert #hartfordlive #hartfordhasit

Summer Concert Series: Jake Kulak Band
2022-08-12 12:00 - 13:00
TODAY: Jake Kulak and the LowDown Band …
Come enjoy this rocking blues band as you eat lunch on the lawn! Jake Kulak and the LowDown Band won the CT Blues Society Band Competition in 2018, and performed at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2019. They have also been nominated for a New England Music Award in the “Best New Act of the Year” category and were one of 6 Boston-area bands to win the the House of Blues emerging artist competition.
Visit Jake Kulak’s website
Hear a sample of Jake Kulak’s music
Join us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday at lunchtime to hear a different band play each week on the west side of Connecticut’s Old State House. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music! Concerts begin at noon and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
#jakekulak #rock #blues #summerconcertseries

Hartford Live: Free Outdoor Concert
2022-08-18 18:00 - 21:00
The City of Hartford and GoodWorks Entertainment present FREE outdoor concerts at Connecticut’s Old State House on Thursday nights through the summer. Come enjoy live local music, food trucks, a beer garden, local vendors and more!
Tonight’s Artist: Neighbor & Neil Francis
#freeconcert #outdoorconcert #hartfordlive #hartfordhasit
