Current Events
2024 SCHEDULE OF 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.
Upcoming EventsSunday, November 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM
"Visions of Christmas and Life in America" with Shea and Scott Jezek
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 7:00 PM
Concert and Holiday Gathering!
Previous events in 2024Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 7:00 PM
"Annual Mysteries of East Haddam" with Dr. Karl Stofko, Municipal Historian
Special event at the museum October 30th at 7 p.m.: Higher Consciousness Yoga & Sound While the Veil is Thin, $25.
Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 2:00 PM
“East Haddam Revolutionary Heroes - History Happens Here Gold Award Project” with Mathilda Burke.
Harvest Moon Oktoberfest!
28th Annual Venture Smith DaySaturday, September 7, 2024, 1 - 4 p.m. at the First Church Cemetery, 499 Town Street (RT. 151), East Haddam, CT, where Venture Smith (1729-1805) is buried.
Son of an African king, Venture Smith became the first black man to document his capture from Africa and life as an American slave and successful black freeman in Connecticut. Venture Smith spent most of his freedom years in East Haddam and Haddam Neck, CT. His grave in the First Church Cemetery in East Haddam is one of the original sites on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
This year's program features:
A new Venture Smith exhibit is on display at the East Haddam Historical Society and Museum, 264 Town Street in East Haddam. The Museum will be open from 12:00 - 5:00 pm on Venture Smith Day. Bloom Where You Are Planted: A photo exhibit of original images by “Nora from Moodus”Sunday, August 25, 2024, noon - 4 p.m.
You don’t have to travel far to find beauty in East Haddam. Nora’s photography is on display for discovery, inspiration, and to entertain the idea that you can be blessed when you embrace and bloom right where you are.
Nora is retired from a lifetime of government service including a few years on active duty in the U.S. Army Finance Corps. Tuesdays at 2: Natural History Summer ProgramsTuesdays at 2, July 23 - August 13th
Dark SkiesA World Without Dark Skies: How Light Pollution is Impacting Humans and Ecosystems
Tuesday July 30, 7 p.m.
Celebrating Casey Miller & Kate SwiftSaturday June 29th at 1:00 PM
Ken Simon, Emmy-award winning producer, will present Linguistic Warriors: Casey Miller and Kate Swift. The two women lived in East Haddam for 30 years and authored two books that helped to end gender bias in language and promote gender equity. A new exhibit will illustrate their revolutionary efforts to reform the English language from linguistic bias against women.
The museum will partner with CT Landmarks and the Palmer-Warner House to host a day of presentations, exhibits, and museum tours, with a focus on the use of pronouns to more accurately describe gender identity and expression. More details to follow! East Haddam's First Settler Families Roundtable DiscussionSunday June 9, 2024, 2 p.m.
 Sarah Ackley
The earliest homesteads were established in 1685 along Creek Row in East Haddam by the Bates, Cone, Brainerd, Gates, Ackley, and Spencer families. Soon after came the Emmons, Beebe, and Hungerford families. Many descendants of these families live in East Haddam today!
Come hear the descendants as they share stories, photos, and family trees of their ancestors. The roundtable discussion will be led by Bruce Sievers, Museum Board President. We welcome your participation and any stories, photos, or documents you may have about the earliest settler families that formed the community that came to be known as East Haddam. Junk in the Trunk Annual Tag Sale, with the East Haddam Garden Club's Plant and Bake SaleSaturday May 18, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The Life and Times of Adriaen Block, a Dutch Explorer, Mapmaker, and Fur TraderSunday, April 28, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Mark your calendar for this fascinating presentation by Historical Society member Dr. Johan Varekamp, professor emeritus at Wesleyan University. Block Island was named after Adriaen Block. He made four voyages from Holland to the Americas, which led to Dutch settlements along the Hudson River (with New Amsterdam) and along the Connecticut River. He built the first European boat in the Americas (the Onrust) that he sailed across Long Island Sound up the Connecticut River, past East Haddam.
Wangunk Monument CeremonySaturday April 13, 2024 at 2 p.m.
The East Haddam Cemetery Committee will dedicate a new granite monument in memory of 8 Wangunk Native Americans who are buried at the Mt. Parnassus Cemetery on Smith Road in East Haddam.
The Wangunks were buried at the cemetery between 1774 and 1887 when the town began keeping burial records. The original small marble markers at each grave site have been stolen. The sole surviving marker has been placed at the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum for preservation. Red Oak - Wangunk Elder Gary O'Neil of East Hampton will conduct a traditional Native American Ceremony, and local Municipal Historian Dr. Karl Stofko will present a short history on these East Haddam Wangunk residents. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony. All are welcome! School Vacation Dreamcatcher Workshop
Tuesday, April 9th from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Ages 6 - 9 
Create your own Dreamcatcher! All materials will be provided. Enjoy this activity, led by two former teachers, during school vacation. The workshop is limited to 20 children ages 6 - 9. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the entire activity.
Location: East Haddam Historical Society, 264 Town St., East Haddam Suggested donation of $5.00 per child Please call the Museum at 860-873-3944 to reserve your space VFW 3336 Cemetery Committee Fundraiser
Saturday, March 23rd at 2 PM
The VFW Post 3336's Cemetery Committee, now known as 'Cemetery Troopers', needs funding to purchase a newer trailer to haul restoration equipment from site to site. They need to purchase more supplies and upgrade their tools and equipment. East Haddam Lions' Club will match your contribution dollar for dollar. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the VFW.
The troopers have cleaned more than 100 stones, reset over 50 leaning or sunken stones, and repaired 27 broken monuments. Cemetery Committee members will offer a presentation with photos of their gravestone restoration efforts and will share stories about some of the veterans buried in those graves. Light refreshments will be provided after the presentation. Pysanky Wax Resist Egg Dyeing WorkshopSunday, March 17, 2024. Two sessions are offered, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Join us for this popular annual event! Learn how to make beautifully decorated Ukrainian eggs in this hands-on workshop, presented by Sharon Leonard. She will guide you through the process of planning a design, dyeing and waxing multiple times, and polishing the wax-resist jewel-like egg.
Register for one of two sessions: 10 a.m. - 12 noon, or 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. The workshop fee is $40. All materials are provided. Each session is limited to 20 people and fills up fast! Pre-registration is required. Please click here to register. The Civil War Letters of Abner SmithPresented by Claire Smith
Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2 PM 
Abner C. Smith, one of East Haddam/Moodus’s Civil War soldiers, wrote over 100 hundred letters to his wife and children during his time in the Civil War. His letters reference East Haddam/Moodus soldiers and friends named Ackley, Bingham, Brainard, Chapman, Cone, Deming, Gates, Silliman, Ventres, Davison, and many others.
Presenter Claire Smith’s husband is a direct descendant of Abner C. Smith. Claire will describe Abner's military life and the daily experiences of his family back home during the war. Claire Smith compiled and annotated the letters in The Civil War Letters of Abner C. Smith, and is an active researcher and writer for the Westbrook Historical Society. The Life and Times of Dr. Alice Hamilton of HadlymePresented by Janet Lemond and Kandi Carle
Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 2 PM 
Imagine a time in the early 1900s when safety was not part of workplace culture and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) didn’t exist. Workers were often seriously injured on the job or poisoned by the chemicals they used. This was Dr. Alice Hamilton’s world -- the world she hoped to correct.
Dr. Hamilton was a pioneer in protecting the American worker. She was instrumental in bringing about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the World Health Organization. Dr. Hamilton lived on Ferry Road in Hadlyme in her later years. The presentation will feature Dr. Hamilton's professional accomplishments described by Janet Lemond, and her personal insights as "Alice Hamilton", portrayed by Kandi Carle, reads excerpts from her letters. Janet Lemond worked in the safety and health profession and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist. She worked for OSHA and the EPA, and is the author of Dr. Alice Hamilton M.D., Neighbor of William Gillette. Kandie Carle is a professional actress who tours with her one-woman living history programs under the banner of The Victorian Lady. She is the Artistic Director of the East Haddam Stage Company. Historic Buildings of the East Haddam Upper LandingDr. Karl Stofko, Historian
Sunday, January 14, 2024 at 2 PM 
Dr. Stofko, East Haddam Municipal Historian, will share photos and stories of homes and buildings in the East Haddam Upper Landing Area. The Champion House still stands in the Upper Landing area today, as shown in the photo. Linking past photos from the late 1700's to the early 1900's with photos of the buildings today, Dr. Stofko will share stories of the people and buildings that shaped the Upper Landing.
Yoga at the Museum with Colleen AlexanderMondays at 7 p.m., and Thursdays at 9 a.m.
Yoga at the Museum, led by Colleen Alexander, includes seated meditation, gentle warm-ups, and engaging flow with holds to build strength and connect body and mind. 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.
We now offer 2 yoga class options:
The classes are appropriate for all levels. To purchase tickets for Monday classes, click here. To purchase tickets for Thursday classes, click here. |
|
|
Read about past events from the last few years ...
|
