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 noon - 4 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays through the end of October, and by appointment throughout the year.
Join us at Upcoming Events!
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50 years of Local HistoryThe East Haddam Historical Society 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 50 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 photographic display of the rise and fall of the Industrial Age in Moodus Village, Native American artifacts dating to 1300 B.C., a photographic exhibit of the building of the East Haddam swing bridge, and a collection of changing fashions with period costumes on display. Museum is open noon-4pm on Saturdays & Sundays through the end of October, and by appointment 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 income. The Society both wants and needs your continued support so we can continue to archive, research, 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!
2021-2023 Strategic PlanApril 2021
Members of the board, the museum manager, and volunteers/members of the East Haddam Historical Society worked together to create a three-year strategic plan.
This strategic plan provides year-by-year action steps over the next three years to accomplish the goals set out by the Board of Trustees. Read more to learn about our plans. East Haddam Historical Society wins award from the Connecticut League of History OrganizationsApril 5, 2021
The Connecticut League of History Organizations has awarded the East Haddam Historical Society a 2021 Award of Merit for Saving Land, Saving History. The committee was impressed with this collaboration between two non-profit organizations, an excellent example of how resources can be maximized by organizations who can find a common vision and purpose. The committee also noted how the walks in the woods promoted by the films provided a safe activity for the East Haddam community during the pandemic.
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 East Haddam Historical Society will be presenting a multi-media exhibit on Saving Land, Saving History at the Museum. |
Read the December 2022 newsletter!
Now is a great time to sign up or renew your membership, and read a December 2022 letter from Bruce Sievers, President of the Board of Trustees. 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. Donations from non-members is $5 for regular events.
Yoga at the Museum!Start the new year enjoying the benefits of Yoga at the Museum!
Mondays, 7pm, January 2nd - January 30th, 2023 $60 for 5 classes or $15 drop-in per class
Erin Day is an experienced Yoga mentor, herbalist, greenspirit practitioner and owner of Ten Summit Yoga & Earth Based Wellness. Erin loves to witness others thrive as they are supported in community and compassion.
To sign up, or if you have questions, please contact Erin at 860-262-0248 or tensummitst@gmail.com. Archaeologists Dig East HaddamEast Haddam Historical Society & Museum Event with Dr. Sarah Sportman, Connecticut State Archaeologist
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Connecticut’s newest Paleoindian site, the Two Wrasslin’ Cats Site, was identified in 2020. Avocational archaeologist Mark Clymer was drinking coffee in the backyard of the Two Wrasslin’ Cats coffee shop in East Haddam, when he looked down and spotted a piece of stone tool-making debris on the ground. This discovery initiated a series of small archaeological investigations on the coffee shop grounds, led by the Office of State Archaeology with Mark Clymer and volunteer excavators. The excavations uncovered artifacts that reflect a typical Paleoindian toolkit, including rebased fluted points, endscrapers, gravers, and channel flake fragments, all of which are were made on high quality stone materials from New York.
The first inhabitants of our region, known to archaeologists as Paleoindians, arrived in what is now Connecticut at the end of the last ice age (10,000-13,000 years ago). They were hunter-gatherers who moved seasonally across the landscape, probably following the paths of migrating animals. Archaeological sites from this time period are relatively rare, and each new find adds important information to our growing body of knowledge about the first peoples to live in what is now Connecticut. The archaeological research at the Two Wrasslin’ Cats Site is part of a growing list of recent and ongoing projects at Paleoindian sites in Connecticut. The information collected from this project, as well as recent excavations at the Brian D. Jones Site in Avon and the Templeton Site in Washington, shed new light on Paleoindian lifeways in what is now southern New England. The Two Cats Site is also an important public archaeology project. The location of the excavations, in the back yard of an active coffee shop, provides the opportunity for the public to interact with the archaeologists while they work, ask questions, see artifacts, and witness the archaeological research process. Dr. Sportman’s presentation will be held at the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum, 264 Town Street, East Haddam, CT. Admission to the event is free for members and children under 12, with a suggested donation of $5 for non-members. For more information call 860-873-3944. |
