Welcome to the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum, illuminating local history since 1962!
The East Haddam Historical Society illuminates and preserves the stories of the people and places that shape our community.
Mission Statement adopted November 2020 The Museum is open to the public from noon - 4 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays from June through October 2023. We are also open by appointment. We hold events throughout the year.
Join us at Upcoming Events!
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Over 60 years of Local HistoryThe East Haddam Historical Society (EHHS) aspires to become the prominent heritage, cultural, and social center of East Haddam.
Vision Statement adopted June 2021
![]() Entrance on side of building
The East Haddam Historical Society, founded over 60 years ago, has been at this Town Street location for 11 years; it's just around the corner from Gillette Castle, right on the Route 82 corridor. The museum has a fine collection of local and Lower Connecticut River Valley historical objects, and prides itself on its kid-friendliness.
Among the highlights of the museum are a display of the Moodus Mills, Wangunk artifacts dating to 1300 B.C., a photographic exhibit of the building of the East Haddam Swing Bridge, and an extraordinary collection of world-renowned local artist W. Langdon Kihn's work. The Museum is open to the public from noon - 4 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays from June through October 2023. We are also open by appointment. We hold events throughout the year. Please contact us via email or phone 860-873-3944 with any questions. Membership DriveAs a membership-driven organization, the East Haddam Historical Society relies upon your membership for funding. The Society both wants and needs your continued support so we can continue to research, archive, and tell the stories of East Haddam’s past and present.
For your convenience, you can submit your membership online, or you may complete the downloadable membership form and mail it along with your check. *** Please renew your membership ***
The Board of Trustees deeply appreciates the continued support of all our members!
Applications for the Fifth Annual EHHS Scholarship Award announcedFifth Annual EHHS Scholarship Award announced
The East Haddam Historical Society is happy to announce the 5th annual EHHS Scholarship Award. This is an award given to a Nathan Hale-Ray High School senior who will be attending an institution of higher learning in the next year. The applicant should show an interest in and understanding of the importance of history and/or service to the community of East Haddam. The East Haddam Historical Society illuminates and preserves the stories of the people and places that shape our community. The history of East Haddam and the lower Connecticut Valley has had a significant impact on our state, our region, and the world. Supporting students who show an understanding of the importance of learning from history and how to apply those lessons makes our community stronger. The application will be available to students on the high school Naviance web page. Previous recipients: 2022 Juliana Cazassa, 2021 Aidan Behilo, 2020 Kaitlin Apgar, 2019 Alexander Gerrish. Saving Land, Saving HistoryIf you love to hike the open space preserves or just want to know more about the history and nature of your town then you won’t want to miss the beautiful and informative films in our documentary series Saving Land, Saving History. These videos, a collaboration between the East Haddam Historical Society and the East Haddam Land Trust, highlight the fascinating ties between the preservation of land and local history.
The Museum's natural history exhibit includes access to the Saving Land, Saving History videos. |
East Haddam Historical Society Profile releasedA mini-documentary by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Simon on local history in the 1960s and the formation of the East Haddam Historical Society, this well-researched documentary features vintage footage of East Haddam and contemporary interviews with townspeople who remember those early days and local pioneers.
2023 Upcoming EventsAll events take place at the Museum unless otherwise stated. Events are open to the public and free to members and children under twelve, except as noted. Suggested donation from non-members is $5 for regular events.
![]() An Introduction to Family Tree Charts: A Genealogy WorkshopSaturday, December 2, 2023, 2 - 3 p.m.
Free for members with a suggested donation of $5.00 for non-members. Call 860-873-3944 for information or email museum@easthaddamhistory.org
Annual Holiday Cocktail Party!Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 7 p.m.
Save the date for our annual holiday cocktail party at the Museum! Celebrate with friends and supporters of the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum. Festive attire suggested!
Music, Food and Fun! Beer and Wine Donation Bar. Bring an appetizer to share! Free to members, $10 for non-members. Yoga at the Museum with Colleen AlexanderMondays at 7 p.m., beginning October 23, 2023
![]() Yoga at the Museum, led by Colleen Alexander, will include seated meditation, gentle warm ups, and engaging flow with holds to build strength and connect body and mind. The class will close with a guided meditation and gentle sound healing. Colleen has a strong focus on creating body, mind, and spirit connections to awaken and unite the entire being.
Colleen is a certified yoga and meditation teacher, a Reiki practitioner, a published author, and lives on a nonprofit animal sanctuary farm in East Haddam with her husband Sean. $15 per class. Pre-registration is requested. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Write Your Story!Thursdays from 1 - 3 p.m.: November 9, 16, 30, December 7 and 14
The museum is open from noon - 4 p.m. on Saturdays & Sundays, until October 20, 2023. Come visit!
![]() We all have a story to tell. This workshop will help you write your own life story for yourself or to share with family, friends, or the universe. The “Write Your Story” workshop series will be held for five Thursdays (November 9, 16, and 30; December 7 and 14) from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. In this workshop, you can write about just a slice of your life or from birth to the present.
Workshop leader, Susan R. Waide, has taught memoir and creative writing classes at Connecticut colleges & universities. In addition to helping others bring their life story to publication, Susan is an editor, writer, & public relations consultant and writes for children. Her picture book manuscript, Three Sisters Grow In My Garden, was awarded finalist at the 19th Annual Tassy Walden Awards for New Voices in Children’s Literature. Pre-registration is required. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER! Registration fee: $140 for series for non-members ($20 will count toward a new membership for 2024); $120 for current (2023) members. |