Connecticut's Old State House

Conversations at Noon on the Connecticut Freedom Trail - From These Roots: My Fight with Harvard to Reclaim My Legacy
2025-07-22 12:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | CT
Join us online for this conversation with Tamara K. Lanier, author of From These Roots: My Fight with Harvard to Reclaim My Legacy, about the repatriation of artifacts, archives, race, and justice. A plaintiff in the lawsuit Lanier v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, Tamara documents her fight with Harvard over images of her enslaved ancestors Renty and Delia taken in 1850. These photographs, known as daguerreotypes, were commissioned by Harvard scientist, Louis Agassiz, known for supporting racist theories of polygenesis. The images, were among a collection at Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and are considered the first-ever photos of enslaved people from Africa.
Tamara K. Lanier is a tireless champion for truth and justice known for her long and distinguished record of public service and social advocacy. She is a twenty-seven-year veteran of the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, where she retired as a Chief Probation Officer. She is a board member of Connecticut’s Racial Profiling Prohibition Project, the past Vice President of the New London NAACP, and an active member of The Saint John’s Christian Church of Groton, Connecticut. Lanier has several passions, one of which is to eradicate racial and ethnic disparities in Connecticut’s Criminal Justice System and to put an end to the ugly practice of racial profiling. She has been a constant voice for change and has traveled the country promoting the need for a national dialogue relative to slavery and its impact on society. She lives in Norwich, Connecticut.
RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/zVPP4urbbWZg9QXx5
Watch Live on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/CTOldStateHouse
Watch Live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CTOldStateHouse/streams

Farmers Market at CT's Old State House
2025-07-25 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-07-29 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-01 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-05 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-08 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-12 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-15 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-19 10:00 - 14:00 and 8 more dates | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
Connecticut’s Old State House Farmers Market Season is every Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm from June 6th to October 10th!

Summer Music Series featuring The Bards of Gungywamp
2025-07-25 12:00 | CT
The Bards of Gungywamp is a folk group from southeastern CT, with styles ranging from Celtic, Sea Songs, Punk Rock, Old Time, Bluegrass and more. After playing together in different factions for many years the members formed late one winter for a hometown St. Patricks gig. They have since commenced traveling the hills and valleys of Old New England, bringing their tunes to Irish Pubs, Renn Faires, Festivals, Farm Markets and more. BOG draws on their namesake to tell stories of life in New England, weaving their modern sound with tradition and history, such as that of the prehistoric stone site Gungywamp.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY THRU OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Conversations at Noon on the Connecticut Freedom Trail: Celebrating the Legacies of African Americans through Historic Preservation with Brent Leggs
2025-07-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103, USA
What is the role of preservation when it comes to telling America’s whole history? Hear from Brent Leggs, a national leader in the U.S. preservation movement, as he discusses his passion for elevating the significance of black culture in American history. This event is FREE and open to the public.

To RSVP, click here: https://forms.gle/uSViZgUNJioCFi9h7

Mr. Leggs is the Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and Senior Vice President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He was the 2018 recipient of the Robert G. Stanton National Preservation Award and a former Harvard University Loeb Fellow. He co-authored “Preserving African American Historic Places,” which the Smithsonian Institution called the “seminal publication on preserving African American historic sites.”
Parking & Accessibility
Discounted Parking:
On street parking is available. Garage parking for $5 is available at State House Square Parking Garage, located at 55 Market Street, just steps away from Connecticut’s Old State House. Please present your parking ticket to the museum’s Visitor Services desk for validation.
Our Doors Are Open:
Our building is mobility friendly with a ramp on the West side entrance and elevator access to all floors. Our bathrooms are on the ground floor and have changing tables. If you wish to inquire about special accommodations for a tour or special event, please call (860) 522-6766.

Summer Music Series featuring Goza Latin Band
2025-08-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103, USA
Don’t miss this an engaging Latin musical ensemble comprised of Connecticut’s most seasoned and versatile musicians. GOZA (Spanish for Joy) performs exciting music and dance rhythms from Latin America, Brazil and Spain with guitar, violin, horns, Latin percussion and beautiful, romantic vocals. Groove to the rhythms of samba, salsa, bachata, rumba, cha-cha, cumbia, flamenco, tango, and bolero. The band has performed multiple times at the Mohegan Sun Wolfden, Hartford First night, Wadsworth Atheneum, Elizabeth Park, River Camelot Cruises, festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout New England.
EVERY FRIDAY THRU OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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 .
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Summer Music Series featuring Goza Latin Band
2025-08-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
Don’t miss this an engaging Latin musical ensemble comprised of Connecticut’s most seasoned and versatile musicians. GOZA (Spanish for Joy) performs exciting music and dance rhythms from Latin America, Brazil and Spain with guitar, violin, horns, Latin percussion and beautiful, romantic vocals. Groove to the rhythms of samba, salsa, bachata, rumba, cha-cha, cumbia, flamenco, tango, and bolero. The band has performed multiple times at the Mohegan Sun Wolfden, Hartford First night, Wadsworth Atheneum, Elizabeth Park, River Camelot Cruises, festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout New England.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY | JUNE 6 – OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Summer Music Series featuring Inner Groove
2025-08-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
Inner Groove is a band that plays an eclectic mix of classic and soft rock covers, with the occasional pop and country song thrown in for good measure. The common denominator in every song chosen to cover is a strong vocal presence and a catchy tune.
In addition, Inner Groove has released four albums of original material. They have played at coffee houses, clubs, bars, festivals, and concerts and their distinctive style is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY | JUNE 6 – OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Summer Music Series featuring Righteous Continental
2025-08-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103, USA
Righteous Continental is a unique blend of power-trio blues, funk, and gut-punching rock and roll. Fronted by CT guitar virtuoso Ryan Newman, the band explores varied musical territory from their own growing catalog and delivers fresh, twisted takes on old favorites that keep audiences engaged and excited. The band has thrilled music fans across the state and far beyond.
https://www.righteouscontinental.com/
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY THRU OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Oscar Mayer Weinermobile Stops at Connecticut's Old State House
2025-08-22 10:00 - 14:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
Relish the dog days of summer and join us on Friday, August 22 when Oscar Meyer Hotdoggers drive up to Connecticut’s Old State House at 800 Main Street in the official Wienermobile!
Stop by our Farmer’s Market between 10 am and 2 pm to snap the ultimate summertime photo and receive your very own Wiener Whistle. Enjoy live music while shopping for fresh fruits, vegetables, and Connecticut-made products. Stop for lunch just steps away at State House Square and in eateries on Main, Pratt, and Trumbull Street.
No bun about it. This is the perfect way to cap off the summer! Help us spread the word, and we’ll meet you there! #CTOldStateHouse #OscarMeyer #Wienermobile

Summer Music Series featuring Parker's Tangent
2025-08-22 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103, USA
Parker’s Tangent based out of New Haven, CT plays blues and roots based original art rock. The music can be poetic, quiet and touching to bluesy to out and out rocking. Lead vocalist Leslie, compared to Grace Slick and Nora Jones, is backed by seasoned musicians on drums, percussion, lead and rhythm guitars, bass and violin. The band has been together over twenty years and have performed at Toads’ Place, the main stage of the New Haven Green, The International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Westport’s Blues, Views and Bar-B-Que Festival, the Phoenix, the Bedford Playhouse Clive Davis Art Center [NY] Long Wharf Theater, the CT Garlic and Harvest Festival.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY THRU OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Hartford Live Concert featuring Max Creek
2025-08-22 17:00 - 21:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
GATES OPEN AT 5:00 pm
CONCERT STARTS AT 6:00 pm
Admission is FREE
GoodWorksEntertainment and the City of Hartford are pleased to share that the HartfordLive concert series returns to Connecticut’s Old State House on Thursday,August 21. Come hear Connecticut’s favorite jam band, Max Creek, and enjoy avariety of food trucks and the Hartford Live Beer Garden. Gates open at 5:00pm. Concert starts at 6:00 pm. No tickets required. More concerts will beannounced; stay tuned and visit https://hartfordlivect.com/ for more information.
Formedin Hartford in 1971, Max Creek has a significant presence in the New Englandmusic scene. Their first big show was at Arlo Guthrie’s Mapleview Ballroom inWashington. They soon settled into a steady series of shows at the RockingHorse in Hartford when Woodstock was fresh in everyone’s mind and the socialconsciousness scene took hold. They went on to stylistically adopt theCountry/Folk/Rock genre as their own and discovered that “jamming” – takingtunes into unplanned directions, was more fun than doing them the same wayevery night.
Forover fifty years they have regularly performed at various iconic venues andmusic festivals, showcasing their live performances. Members of Max Creek havecollaborated with and opened for renowned acts such as Leon Russell, The AllmanBrothers Band, Phish, Bruce Hornsby, The Band, Talking Heads, and GratefulDead. For more information, visit: https://maxcreek.com
PARKING:
Free on street parking available after 6:00 pm
Discounted garage parking for $5 isavailable at State House Square Parking Garage, located at 55 Market Street, just steps away from Connecticut’s OldState House. Please present your parking ticket to the museum’s VisitorServices desk for validation.

Conversations at Noon on the Connecticut Freedom Trail - Jordan Freeman: The Fight to Set a People Free with Kevin Johnson
2025-08-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Streaming on Facebook and YouTube
Connecticut’s Old State House is pleased to present Kevin Johnson as Jordan Freeman for a special Conversations at Noon on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Uncover the story of Jordan Freeman, an African American servant of John Ledyard and the body servant of Col. William Ledyard in the Revolutionary War. Kevin Johnson’s portrayal of Freeman is told from an emotional and exciting first-person perspective that vividly illustrates the struggle of African Americans during the Revolutionary War.
Mr. Johnson, an employee of the State Library’s History and Genealogy Unit, has been portraying Jordan Freeman for about 17 years. His presentation is based on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History at 231 Capitol Ave, opposite the State Capitol in Hartford.
Although Jordan Freeman was not enlisted himself, he played a vital role in the fight for independence while serving alongside Col. Ledyard. Historians estimate that roughly 5,000 Black soldiers participated in militias, naval service, combat, and support roles during the Revolution, including nearly 500 from Connecticut. Some joined out of a sense of duty, while others were promised their freedom in exchange for completing a set term of service.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
TIME: 12 Noon
WHERE? Streaming live on Facebook and YouTube
https://www.facebook.com/CTFreedomTrail
https://www.youtube.com/@TheConnecticutFreedomTrail
To RSVP: CLICK HERE

Summer Music Series featuring Mixed Bag
2025-08-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
Mixed Bag is a Connecticut-based duo formed in 2010, consisting of Ted Faraci (guitar) and Tony Batory (bass). The duo likes to “mix” it up by playing across musical genres, including classic rock, modern rock, and country.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY | JUNE 6 – OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Summer Music Series featuring Jeremy Haddad
2025-09-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
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.
When Jer is not sharing his originals he is busy producing unique and wholehearted covers of songs in some of his favorites styles such as pop, rock, blues, alternative, indie and folk. Drawing inspiration from artists like Jason Mraz, John Mayer, The Lumineers, The Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons and more, Jer creeps his own style into each of his renditions to create an unpredictable sense of fulfillment.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY | JUNE 6 – OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.

Summer Music Series featuring The Kenn Moor Band
2025-09-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Connecticut’s Old State House, 800 Main St, Hartford, CT, United States
The Kenn Morr Band is pleased to be touring in support of its latest release, “Still Shining”. Recorded at Sandy Brook Studios in Colebrook, CT, the album features eleven new songs penned by Morr highlighted by the cohesive playing of the Kenn Morr Band.
Growing up on Long Island, Kenn was inspired by such lyric and melody-minded acts as Gordon Lightfoot, Simon and Garfunkel, Graham Nash, and Jackson Browne. Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step became his friend and supporter and recorded Morr’s “Following the Moon.” When a college baseball scholarship didn’t work out, Kenn turned—appropriately—to Communications, a field for which he is well-suited. He’s got a radio announcer’s rich baritone and the kind of humor and charisma that enthralls audiences of all sizes, from intimate coffeehouses to the stages of venues as demanding as the famed Bitter End in New York City and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas on the New Haven Green.
Kenn left Long Island and found in Connecticut a home, new friends, and—eventually–the band that brings his music to life featuring violin virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Tom Hagymasi, Berkely College of Music grad, Pat Ryan, on (soulful, melodic) bass and “the heartbeat of the band,” drummer Tido (T-Bone) Holtkamp. Known for its close three-part vocal harmonies and fiery instrumental interplay, the group has been together for many years, becoming fast favorites on the outdoor festival scene. They’ve paid dues of every kind and played gigs of every stripe, along the way sharing the stage with artists like John Sebastian, Al Kooper, Eric Burdon, and John Wesley Harding.
Kenn’s 2003 album “New Moon Rising” was produced by legendary producer Bob Johnston (Dylan, Cash, Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen and many others.) The experience of working with Johnston greatly influenced Kenn to continue to write and produce honest and pure music. “Still Shining” is Morr’s eighth album since the Johnston collaboration.
With airplay across the country and in Europe (England, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands), The Kenn Morr Band is… Still Shining.
Connecticut’s Old State House 2025 Summer Music Series
EVERY FRIDAY | JUNE 6 – OCTOBER 10, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
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 westside patio 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.
Thank you to our friends from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund for their generous funding of the Summer Concert Series.
