Amistad: Facts and Fictions of Slavery in Film

In-person event: Join our panel of experts to discuss the historic saga of the African captives who rebelled onboard the Spanish ship La Amistad in 1839, and discover what is fact and what is fiction.The story of the Amistad is part of the canon in the history of abolition. It tells the saga of 53 […]

Evangelical Empire: Hartford’s Book Publishing Industry, 1795-1835

Join us to hear historian William Hosley speak about Hartford's historic popularity with book publishers.The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival in the United States from about 1795 to 1835, increasing membership and stimulating several social and moral reforms, including temperance, the emancipation of women, and anti-slavery. The so-called "Evangelical Empire” was centered in Hartford […]

Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market

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 […]

Summer Concert Series: The Meadows Brothers

TODAY: The Meadows Brothers ... Come enjoy some homegrown, folked up, countrified, rocknrolled roots music!  Visit The Meadows Brothers websiteHear a sample of The Meadows Brothers musicJoin 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 […]

Rochambeau Day Celebration

Join the First Company Governor's Foot Guard and Connecticut's Old State House for a ceremony commemorating the French-American alliance during the American Revolution. In 1780, General George Washington met General Rochambeau on the grounds where Connecticut's Old State House now stands.Following the ceremony, audience members are invited to take a guided tour of Connecticut’s Old […]

Conversations at Noon: Battleground for Freedom – Middletown’s “Beman Triangle” and Connecticut Abolitionism

Online event ... Join our guest speaker, Jesse Nasta, Executive Director of the Middlesex County Historical Society in Middletown and Wesleyan University professor of African American Studies, for an exciting look into the hidden history of the Leverett Beman Historic District, or “Beman Triangle”.Beginning in the 1820s, free people of color in Middletown established one […]

Rev. James W. C. Pennington: A National and Local Voice for Freedom

Join us to hear Dr. Stacy Close discuss the life of the Reverend James W.C. Pennington, educator and pastor of the Talcott Street church in the 1840s and 1850s, with an emphasis on his impact as a leader of the Black community in Hartford and the context of national events and the abolition movement. This […]

Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market

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 […]

Summer Concert Series: Nekita Waller

TODAY: Nekita Waller ... Come hear singer, songwriter and State Troubador of Connecticut, Nekita Waller. Nekita performs throughout the region bringing a mix of pop, Motown, soul, Jazz and classic rock favorites with original music. Visit Nekita Waller's websiteHear a sample of Nekita Waller's musicJoin us for our annual FREE Summer Concert Series! Stop by every Friday […]

ENCOUNTERS: The Constitution of Connecticut

Explore the concept of 'Constitution' through a look into Connecticut's constitutional history. Our state is known by many names, including the Nutmeg State and the Land of Steady Habits. But its official nickname is, of course, the Constitution State.From the Fundamental Orders of 1639, which some historians argue was the first American constitution, to the current […]

Ann Plato of Hartford: Pioneering Black Writer

Stranger in a Strange Land:  Ann Plato’s Strategy for Autonomy as Evidenced in Essays; Including Biographies and Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and PoetryJoin Antoinette Brim-Bell for a fascinating discussion about Ann Plato, who in 1841 became the fist African American writer to publish a collection of essays.  When scrutinized through a white canonical literary lens […]

Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market

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 […]