New Exhibit on the Colonial Revival to Open at the Litchfield Historical Society

Dominated by the white clapboard Congregational meetinghouse, the stone clock tower of the Court House and the immaculate homes with white paint and black shutters, Litchfield has come to embody the quintessential New England town. It is easy to imagine our colonial ancestors living in such a beautiful pastoral setting. What is harder to image is that Litchfield’s picturesque beauty was not a product of the colonial era, but a late 19^th- and early 20^th- century movement known as the Colonial Revival.

Opening April 12, 2014, the Society’s new exhibit, The Lure of the Litchfield Hills, will explore what was behind the Colonial Revival Movement, how the residents of Litchfield embraced their ancestral past, and how the community came to look the way it does today. Visitors are invited to join in exploring this social movement that touched all aspects of American life from architecture and landscaping, to fashion, home decoration and beyond.

Featuring items from the museum’s collections, ranging from documents and photographs to furnishings, house wares, and clothing The Lure of the Litchfield Hillswill be a must-see exhibit. Come explore Litchfield’s past this spring, and don’t forget to stop by the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School to see the completed exterior renovations.

The exhibit will open on Saturday, April 12. The Litchfield History Museum’s hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm.

The Lure of the Litchfield Hills will run through the 2014 and 2015 seasons at the Litchfield History Museum, 7 South Street, Litchfield. For more information visitwww.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or call 860-567-4501.