Showing posts with label Connecticut history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connecticut history. Show all posts

Monday, May 26, 2014

Monroe's Rails Trails Tour

On Saturday, May 31 the Monroe Historical Society is offering a look back to the Golden Age of Railroading for its annual spring glimpse into the past and is offering the newly revamped Rails Trails Tour.


 The Rails Trails Tour covers the sites of four old wooden railway stations once vital to the rhythm of life in Monroe-Stepney and Stevenson Depots, and will also include Pepper Crossing and a stop off at Hammertown Road, known simply as Monroe Station.

Participants will board a motorcoach that will depart from the Monroe Senior Center on 235 Cutler's Farm Rd. in Monroe at 10 a.m. Box lunches will be for sale as there is a noon stopover for lunch in Wolfe Park.  There is also a ten-minute screening of the Great Train Robbery produced by Thomas Edison Studios in 1903 that will be shown before the motor coach departs and after it returns.  This is the first commercially viable movie with sequential scenes. 

The tour will include two morning stops and two stops in the afternoon and the motorcoach will head out rain or shine.  Due to safety considerations, no private automobiles, motorcycles or bicycles are permitted on the tour. A special highlight of each tour will be the illustrated presentations at each site by railway historians: John Babina, Bob Belletzkie and Monroe's town historian, Ed Coffey.

Displays will show how the steam engine was the lifeline for distributing farm products that drove the Monroe economy in the 1840s.  At this time, the rail lines were the primary link to the outside world with its jobs and high schools in Bridgeport. The rail line also gave Monroe's merchants access to goods and brought the farmers supplies like seed, fertilizer, feed and agricultural machinery. 

With the advent of the automobile, by the 1930s passenger service was virtually discontinued. At the same time trucks became a more dedicated alternative for transporting the needs of business although limited use of the tracks for commerce continued until recent years.

The cost of the Rails Trails Tour is $10 for members, $15 for non-members, discounted to $5 for seniors and students. Tickets are available at the Monroe Senior Center and the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library. Space is limited.  Additional information is available from Marven Moss at mmoss36@yahoo.com




Sunday, September 8, 2013

Treasures of the Jazz Age at the American Clock and Watch Museum

The American Clock & Watch Museum located on 100 Maple Street in Bristol has announced the opening of its latest exhibition Art Deco Timepieces: Treasures of the Jazz Age.  This exhibit will be on view through December 8, 2013.



In the 1920's after the "war to end all wars", with prosperity on the horizon, people wanted to sport their fashions. Watchmakers were not left behind in this fashion craze that saw the introduction of wristwatches with cushion, tonneau, and large curved cases. Today, vintage art deco watches of the 1920's and 1930's are highly sought after by collectors and some of today's large watch houses have replicated them because of their style and elegant look.



If you are an admirer of anything Art Deco, this is a must see exhibition that s a celebration of their triumph, the 'Golden Age' of timepieces and design. The exhibit that has been guest curated by Strickland Vintage Watches of Tampa showcases vintage watches and celebrates the design elements portrayed in the timepieces and advertisements of the 1920s and 1930s.



The global phenomenon of Art Deco was brilliant, pervasive, and influential. It was a class distinction that rose above class and could be found on the wrists and in the pockets of anyone during that golden era.  Watch manufacturers -- specifically the great American watch houses -- produced exquisite and attainable examples of Art Deco mastery. Art Deco design exudes sophistication and grace whether it's portrayed in furniture, fine art, clothing styles, advertising, or timepieces. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through December 8.

About the American Clock and Watch Museum
Learn about American clock & watchmaking with particular emphasis on Connecticut, once the clock capital of the US. The museum holds one of the largest displays of American clocks and watches in the world, over 5,500! As visitors travel through the museum's eight galleries, these timekeeping devices chime and strike upon the hour. Located in the historic "Federal Hill" district of Bristol, the museum is housed in an 1801 Federal-style home with a sundial garden. For more information www.clockandwatchmuseum.org.  For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Friday, July 12, 2013

Fashion Week at Fairfield Museum



Fashionistas mark your calendars now for a behind-the-scenes preview of the new exhibition, In Vogue: A Runway of Vintage Fashion,  with museum Curator Casey Lewis, followed by Lunch by SoNo Bakery and a Fashion Show by Fairfield designer Jennifer Butler. View highlights from Butler’s fall 2013 collection, which draws inspiration from fashion elements of the past.

In Vogue: Vintage to Modern will take place Wednesday, July 17th from 12-2 pm. Tickets are limited and can be purchased for $50 ($40 for Museum Members) online at www.farifieldhistory.org or by calling 203-259-1598. 

Featuring pieces pulled directly from the Museum’s 100-year-old collection -- one of the most comprehensive in Western Connecticut--In Vogue: A Runway of Vintage Fashion, will feature the fashion-forward women of Fairfield throughout the Colonial, Regency, Edwardian and Victorian Eras from 1780 to 1920. On view from July 18, 2013 - Jan. 5, 2014, the exhibit will  showcase fashion trends of the past such as cage hoop skirts, bustles and gigot sleeves so large a woman could barely turn their heads.



One highlight is a 1781 blue silk damask wedding gown worn by 14-year old Lucy Nichols who married Fairfield Reverend Philo Shelton on April 15, 1781. “White was not worn in weddings until Queen Victoria wore a white gown in her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert,” notes Casey Lewis, curator. Exquisite hats, shoes and vintage prints from Godey’s Ladies magazine, Vogue and other fashion publications from 1850-1910 are also on display.

Fairfield Museum and History Center is located at 370 Beach Road, Fairfield.  Hours: M - F 10 am – 4 pm; Weekends noon – 4 pm: Members free; Adults $5; Students/Seniors $3; Children under 5 free. For more information about our events, exhibitions, or summer camps call 203-259-1598 or visit www.fairfieldhistory.org.  For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com 

Monday, June 10, 2013

Garden Club of America House and Garden Tour Celebrates 100 Years in Litchfield CT


“Garden of Margaret Hicks Gage, Litchfield Garden Club Archives, Litchfield Historical Society, Helga J. Ingraham Memorial Library.”
To fete their 100- year anniversary, the Litchfield Garden Club is hosting a flower show and house and garden tour including two Smithsonian Gardens on June 15 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Flower Show will take place at the Litchfield Community Center located on 421 Bantam Rd. (Rte. 202) in Litchfield and will feature outstanding horticulture and three exhibits one on garden history and design including details on four Smithsonian gardens, a second on the history of the Litchfield Garden Club and a third conservation exhibit on organic food.  A boutique offering special garden items will also be a highlight. The Flower Show at the Community Center is free and open to the public.

In conjunction with the Flower Show, the Litchfield Garden Club has organized a very special house and garden tour of five members’ homes and gardens that includes judged design classes in each home.  Tour tickets and maps are available for purchase at the Community Center and are $50 per person.  Tour goers may also purchase a box lunch at Breeze Hill Farm Gardens for an additional $18 and enjoy lunch on the grounds of this spectacular garden. For tickets in advance visit www.litchfieldgardenclub.org for a printable registration form.

Houses featured for this very special tour include some of Litchfield’s most interesting homes and gardens.

The Ozias Lewis house, built in 1806 is a perfect example of a late traditional center chimney, 5 bay Federal style dwelling. The garden has newly installed stonewalls, terraces and imaginative gardens, including extensive beds of peonies.  The gardens provide extensive views of Chestnut Hill to the east.

The Lismolin House named after a castle in Tipperary in Ireland is a gracious Colonial Revival style house complete with a Palladian window.  The gardens with elegant stonewalls and garden beds afford wonderful eastern views and contain a former owner’s pet cemetery.

Perhaps one of the most interesting houses featured on this tour is the Oliver Wolcott House, built by Oliver Wolcott, Senior, the Colonial High Sheriff of Litchfield, a member of the Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of Connecticut, in 1753-1754, is the oldest house in the Borough of Litchfield.  Many of the leading figures of their day, including General George Washington, Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton were entertained here.  During the Revolution, the statue of King George III, torn down by a mob from its pedestal in Bowling Green in New York City, was brought by oxcart to the orchard behind the house, where the women and children of Litchfield melted it and molded bullets for the Continental Army. 

The current owners bought the house in 1978 and carried out extensive renovations under the direction of expert restorers.  The house has the original, hand-routed, beaded clapboards on its exterior and oak floors with handmade nails throughout the first floor. The “keeping room” contains a cooking fireplace and beehive ovens.  The delft tiles in the dining room were installed about 1790 and the paneling over the dining room fireplace is original 18th century work.  The rear terrace overlooks extensive gardens that are breathtaking.

Another beautiful home on the tour is the Ethan Allen House, the birthplace of Revolutionary war hero Ethan Allen in 1738.  Today the house boasts a renovated kitchen, breakfast area and garden room.  A landscape design is in process including renovating the parterres off of the terrace, originally designed in the early 1950’s. The gardens offer an extensive eastern view of Chestnut Hill.

Breeze Hill was built in 1800 as a summer home and the Oldmsted brothers were hired to landscape the grounds. In 2012, the owners of Breeze Hill Farm joined a select group of Garden Club of America homeowners whose garden documentation was accepted into the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Gardens. On June 15th, you are invited to pick up your reserved boxed lunch here and enjoy a pastoral picnic lunch in these bucolic meadows and gardens.

Another Smithsonian Garden featured on the tour is Chestnut Hill Gardens that consists of a 240-foot perennial border composed of deer-resistant and native plants.  The border surrounds a large vegetable garden, herb gardens, a water garden, pinetum, fruit trees and native shrubs.

For area information visit www.litchifeldhills.com

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Lilac Walk & Tea at Bellamy Ferriday House and Garden




On Sunday, May 19 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bethlehem’s Bellamy Ferriday House and Garden is hosting a Lilac Walk and Tea party.  Participants attending this event will learn the history, care and culture of lilacs with Bellamy- Ferriday Site Horticulturist, George McCleary.  A tea in the historic garden will follow the program on lilacs.  Admission for the event is $12 for adults and $10 for members of the Connecticut Landmarks Association, $5 children, and $25 for families.

Guests will learn about the 14 varieties of lilacs in the Ferriday collection and their various colors, fragrances, flower and leaf size.  One discussion will focus on ways to get your lilacs to bloom this will be especially helpful if you are having trouble getting them to blossom.  Participants will also learn how to increase flower growth and to protect lilacs from powdery mildew organically. You can even take some lilacs home because lilacs from the Bellamy-Ferriday collection will be for sale.

Running concurrently with the adult lilac program is another program about lilacs for children ages 5 and up.  Children will learn about these beautiful purple flowers through games and crafts. 

About Bellamy Ferriday House and Garden
The house embodies the dramatically different passions of two extraordinary individuals, Rev. Joseph Bellamy (1719-1790) and Miss Caroline Ferriday (1902-1990).  Today this 1754 home of Bethlehem's First Minister transformed into a 20th century country estate with antiques, a formal garden of historic roses, lilacs, and peonies and an orchard.  http://www.ctlandmarks.org/?page=bellamy-ferriday-house-garden.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town



On Saturday November 3, Historic New England and the Litchfield Historical Society host an event with local author Rachel Carley to award Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town Historic New England's eighteenth Book Prize.

The afternoon starts at 1:00 p.m. with a reception and remarks by the prize winner Rachel Carley, followed by a book signing. The award-winning book, published by the Litchfield Historical Society is available for purchase at the event.

To attend, please call 617-994-5934 or e-mail Events@HistoricNewEngland.org. The event is free, but space is limited. The Litchfield Historical Society is at 7 South Street, Litchfield, Connecticut.

Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town is a lively exploration of the town's history and architecture, not only during the colonial period but also during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book is generously illustrated with maps, photographs, and paintings of this quintessential New England town, including many that are published for the first time. Carley is a preservation consultant and architectural historian. Her previous books include Building Greenwich, Architecture and Design, 1640 to the Present; The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture; Cuba: Four Hundred Years of Architectural Heritage; Cabin Fever; A Guide to Biltmore Estate; and Wilderness A to Z. She is a resident of Litchfield.

About Historic New England's Book Prize
The Historic New England Book Prize recognizes works that advance the understanding of the architecture, landscape, and material culture of New England and the United States from the seventeenth century to the present. This includes works in the decorative arts, archaeology, historic preservation, and the history of photography. To qualify, works need not deal exclusively with New England but must make a significant contribution to our understanding of New England and its relation to the wider world.

About Historic New England
Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the nation. We bring history to life while preserving the past for everyone interested in exploring the authentic New England experience from the seventeenth century to today. Historic New England owns and operates thirty-six historic homes and landscapes spanning five states. The organization shares the region's history through vast collections, publications, public programs, museum properties, archives, and family stories that document more than 400 years of life in New England. For more information visit HistoricNewEngland.org.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com