Connecticut Museum of Culture and History

Free registration is now open for the Citizenship Project fall session! We have partnered with the The New-York Historical Society to offer free citizenship classes for green card holders preparing for the naturalization interview. The classes prepare green card holders to take the civics test portion of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization interview. This free course covers all 100 questions from the USCIS Civics test. Participants will learn about American government and history using objects, paintings, and documents the ours and The New-York Historical Society's collections. Classes are taught in English, recommended for intermediate level English Language Learners. Fall session begins September 9! Learn more and register by September 8: https://ow.ly/ESAL50T5lML #connecticutmuseum #citizenshiproject

Attention homeschool families! Homeschool Day at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History is Monday, September 23. Join our dedicated Education staff for a day of creative, educational, hands-on workshops for age groups ranging from "Little Learners" under age 5, to kids up to age 13. Each workshop includes a list of additional resources to encourage further at-home exploration of the workshop themes. Registration is open through September 16! Register your child today: https://lnkd.in/e-jR8usF #connecticutnmuseum #homeschool #education #hartfordct

Our Dangremond Interns, Madeline and Hana, spent their summer learning and experiencing the intricacies of our Museum, hearing from members of staff from all our departments, from Exhibitions to Education to Advancement, about how a museum operates and what we do behind the scenes from day to day. It's been a wonderful summer welcoming them aboard the team and sharing in their curiosity and enthusiasm. For their final project, they researched and developed a display all about America's favorite Frenchman, Lafayette, to commemorate the bicentennial of his tour across the United States and explore his legacy. After taking notes, planning, gathering items, and writing copy, they finally installed their display in the Nawrot Nook this week. Be sure to take a look during your next visit to the Museum! #connecticutmuseum #makeithere #connecticuthistory #lafayette #hartfordct #connecticut

Happy National Book Lover's Day (August 9) from our special exhibition, "Connecticut's Bookshelf"! While this exhibition is divided into sections inspired by modern bookstores, it traces Connecticut's literary culture all the way back to the 1700s, exploring the roots of popular genres like true crime, comics, memoirs, and children's fiction. Discover not only what we were reading centuries ago, but how we were consuming these stories before the days of e-readers and audiobooks. Come see what's on Connecticut's Bookshelf, and let us know what's on yours! What to dive even deeper? Drop in this Sunday, August 11 @ 2 pm for a guided tour of the exhibition from our knowledgeable staff, included with Museum admission. Learn more: https://ow.ly/xTfj50SV1kg #connecticutmuseum

Exciting news! The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History is now a member of the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce. Though we have always enjoyed welcoming the West Hartford community to our Museum, we're excited for this official step closer to connecting with even more of you!

What a weekend! Thank you to everyone who joined us for Beat the Heat on Saturday and Sunday. The photos say it all! A huge thank you to our event partners for making this event a success. Saturday's family activities with Spirit in Tune, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library brought the song and the smiles to visitors of all ages. Sunday's performances with The Ruta Beggars, the Steve Clarke Band, and Mikata each brought their own unique energy to our auditorium on Sunday--and yes, dancing did ensue! Of course, the weekend would not have been fully satisfying without snow cones from Kona Ice, delicious cuisine from La Cocina Cubana, and a taste of New England Cider Company. We hope you everyone had a wonderful time staying cool at the Connecticut Museum. What was your favorite part? Did you miss this event? Subscribe to our email list and be the first to know what's happening at the Museum: https://ow.ly/6nLj50SSqIV

We're excited to be partnering with Hartford Public Library (HPL) to host a special event that's FREE for HPL cardholders and all Hartford residents! "Hartford Public Library Night at the Connecticut Museum," begins @ 4 pm on Thursday, August 15. Come celebrate the power of books and stories. Present your HPL library card or proof of Hartford address for free admission to this special evening. HPL staff will be available to share more about the library and the Hartford History Center, and help you get your library card, if you haven't already! Enjoy two opportunities for a guided tour of our largest special exhibition, "Connecticut's Bookshelf," all about the evolution of Connecticut's literary culture from the 1700s to today. At 6 pm, join us for a screening of a short film all about the power of books. Refreshments will be available. RSVP to reserve your spot: https://lnkd.in/eHJjdqmq #makeithere #hartfordct #connecticutmuseum #hartfordlibrary

Chair or treasure? Though this looks like a normal chair from our vast furniture collection, its legendary ties to Abraham Lincoln make it quite unique. This chair was in the home of Frederick Wood of Bridgeport. An attractive example of a mid-19th century upholstered chair. It was donated to our Museum collection by Frederick Wood’s great-great-grandson--and a story came with it... Not only did Abraham Lincoln sit in this chair when he visited Wood on a campaign trip through Connecticut in 1860, but Lincoln found the chair so comfortable that he asked if he could take it on the train to New York. When he finally reached New York, he shipped the chair back to Connecticut. Learn more about the election of 1860 when our newest exhibition, "Wide Awakes: Campaigning for Lincoln" opens on September 14! Chair, mahogany, with brass trim and wool upholstery, probably made in New York or Connecticut, about 1855. Connecticut Museum Collection 1994.209.0 #connecticutmuseum #connecticuthistory #lincoln #ctvisit

What does this 1930s erector playset from our collection have in common with the Olympics? It was actually the invention of an Olympic athlete named Alfred Carlton (A.C.) Gilbert. A.C. Gilbert (1884-1861) was an American inventor, magician, toy maker, businessman, and athlete. As the founder of A. C. Gilbert Company, he's best known for inventing this Erector Set, among other toys. Born in Oregon, he attended Pacific University before transferring to Yale, financing his education by working as a magician. He graduated from Yale and earned a degree in medicine. But outside of his studies, A. C. Gilbert was an accomplished athlete; in 1900 he broke the world record for consecutive chin-ups (39), and in 1902, he broke a distance record for running long dive. He invented the pole vault box equipment and set two world records in the pole vault at a competition in 1906. Two years later, he won pole vaulting Gold at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, tying with fellow American Edward Cook, although Gilbert had the higher results. In 1907, Gilbert and his friend John Petrie founded Mysto Manufacturing, a manufacturer of magic sets; this became the A. C. Gilbert Company in 1916. Gilbert developed the concept for this erector playset in 1911, inspired by the new railroad girders constructed by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad [Metro-North] as they electrified the train line. Many of these girders still stand! The Mysto Erector Structural Steel Builder debuted at the 1911 New York City Toy Fair and continued to be popular into the 21st century. Connecticut Museum collection 2000.17.0 | 688.725 A111m, 1924 #makeithere #connecticutmuseum #connecticuthistory #olympics #yaleuniversity

Today marks the opening ceremony of the Olympics! Get in the Olympic spirit by visiting our special exhibition, "We're Game! Sports and Community," now in its final month on view. Explore the stories of Connecticut-native Paralympic and Special Olympics athletes, and discover unique community-based sports, like pedestrianism, which may have been the origin for the modern-day race walking featured in today's Olympics. "We're Game!" is on view through August 25. Plan your visit today: https://lnkd.in/eeCinRwD #connecticutmuseum #olympics #hartfordct #ctvisit