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 3 until October 20, 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 3 until October 20, 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 announcedThe East Haddam Historical Society is happy to announce it will be funding the 5th annual EHHS Scholarship Award. This is a $1000.00 award given to a Hale Ray 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 and the region as well as 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 is available to students on the high school Naviance web page. Previous winners: 2019 Alexander Gerrish, 2020 Kaitlin Apgar, 2021 Aidan Behilo, 2022 Juliana Cazassa 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.
East Haddam: The Epicenter of New England FolkloreWednesday June 21, 2023 7 p.m.
Presented by Dr. Stephen Gencarella Many places throughout New England can claim to be the home of fascinating legends, yet no other town quite matches East Haddam for its fantastical stories. Professor Stephen Gencarella, a folklorist at UMass Amherst and author of several books on New England folklore, will share how centuries of tales of the Moodus noises—from precolonial times to the present, coupled with seemingly endless tales about the Devil’s Hopyard, ghost stories, historical legends, and remarkable anecdotes about a supernatural black fox -- make East Haddam the epicenter of New England folklore. Dr. Stephen Gencarella is the author of Spooky Trails and Tall Tales Connecticut: Hiking the State's Legends, Hauntings, and History. He is the resident folklorist for the Connecticut River Museum and lives in Old Lyme, CT. Free for members and children under 12; suggested donation of $5.00 for non-members. For information call 860-873-3944 or email museum@easthaddamhistory.org. |
