Clinton Historical Society

12/05/2022

Our campus was a scene of holiday good cheer earlier today as this year's Christmas in Clinton attendees toured Old Brick and the Buell Tool Museum. Many thanks and season's greetings to all who visited.

11/29/2022

GIVING TUESDAY is a nationwide opportunity to show your support for the non-profit organizations you value most. Please consider a donation to CHS. Your gift will help us maintain our campus and support our popular annual programs which make our museums available free of charge throughout the year. Click the link below to donate via our website: http://www.clintoncthistory.org/membership

11/28/2022

As of today you may notice a new addition to the streetscape in front of Old Brick: In partnership with The Lafayette Trail, CHS is pleased to unveil this historical marker commemorating the bicentenary of the farewell tour of America made by the illustrious Revolutionary War veteran Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. For more information about the Lafayette Trail project visit www.thelafayettetrail.org.

11/02/2022

CLINTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Book your tickets now for this year's Holiday Luncheons & Dinners! http://www.clintoncthistory.org/

You will need to choose which soup or entree you prefer during the ticketing process. If you are buying for a group, please ask your friends for their choices before you purchase tickets.

10/13/2022

Save the dates for this year's Holiday Luncheons & Dinners at Old Brick, more details to follow.

🎄 December 7th - 10th 🎄

09/24/2022

Today the once familiar but now rarely heard sounds of a blacksmith plying his trade rang out at Old Brick. Many thanks to Mark Burno and associates, and to all who attended the event.

09/22/2022

Some excellent news about the threatened historic house on Waterside Lane: https://www.zip06.com/local-news/20220920/historic-home-to-be-spared/

09/12/2022

Our annual garden party took place at Old Brick yesterday, although the drizzly weather turned it into a hybrid garden-house party. Here are a few shots of the event.

09/06/2022

Sign the Petition

Another historic structure in the town of Clinton is threatened with demolition. If you haven't already done so please take a moment to read and sign this petition. https://www.change.org/p/save-this-1785-national-register-house-at-69-waterside-lane-clinton-ct

Save this 1785 National Register House at 69 Waterside Lane, Clinton, CT.

08/31/2022

A big thank you to everyone who turned out for this year's tasting event on Saturday. Tickets quickly sold out, and attendees enjoyed an enticing array of chef Jim Barnett's delicacies, most of which were prepared on-site using our authentic 18th century smokehouse.

08/20/2022

Yesterday the beautiful gardens at Old Brick played host to Cindy Stevens Fine Art's plein air art camp. Here are some photos of the talented young attendees hard at work, courtesy of CHS board member Gail Webster.

08/02/2022

Tickets are now on sale for our hugely popular Smokehouse Tasting which was a sold-out success last year. This year’s menu features Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Smoked Trout, BBQ Baked Beans, Tossed Salad, Cucumber Salad, and Sliced Bread, all included in the $15 ticket. Beer, wine, and sodas will also be available for a donation.

The ticketed tasting event will be held August 27 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Tickets are very limited and are available online now through August 21, or until sold out. (The public is also invited to a free smokehouse demonstration that afternoon at 1:00 p.m.) Visit clintoncthistory.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

07/28/2022

Old Brick's gardens are at their summer best right now. Visitors are always encouraged so why not plan to stop by?

07/06/2022

Congratulations to this year's scholarship recipients! Pictured here with CHS President Christy Pontillo are Angelina Comiskey, winner of the Victor Mays Art Scholarship, and Fabio Silveira, winner of the Ernest Burnham Scholarship.

06/25/2022

Have you ever wondered what this small structure behind the post office is and how it got there? It originally functioned as the well house of a Queen Anne style mansion located at 90 West Main Street, which later became the popular Clinton Manor Inn. Today it's the site of the shopping center of the same name. When the inn was demolished in the late 1970s the well house was given to the town and moved to its present spot. Several CHS board members have been closely involved in an ongoing effort to stabilize and potentially relocate it.

06/19/2022

A few shots of today's plant sale. Thanks to all who attended and who worked to make it happen.

06/16/2022

As the rebuilder of our 18th century smokehouse master mason Andrew Pighills of Killingworth is no stranger to the CHS campus. We're very pleased to have him back once again, this time to refurbish the two flights of steps leading down to the Buell Tool Museum and our garden.

06/15/2022

Did you miss the May 26th lecture about the roles Clinton and Killingworth played in the Revolutionary War? Fear not, you can now watch the whole thing on YouTube. Click below to find out if the locals were loyal to the crown, or ardent patriots who fought for American independence. This informative presentation was given by David LeVasseur and was co-sponsored by the Killingworth Historical Society.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH0gW5aaxGg

05/23/2022

Murder, patriotism, and spies will be at the heart of the matter when David LeVasseur presents a talk entitled "Clinton and Killingworth in the American Revolution."

Were the residents of Clinton and Killingworth Tories—British loyalists—or did they fight for American independence?

David LeVasseur, past president of the Killingworth Historical Society and former Town Historian for Killingworth, has done extensive research and discovered the answers. Come find out the identity of the Revolutionary spy whose name was only revealed in the 1950s, and learn about one of the most horrific murders ever perpetrated on the shoreline.

This free lecture is co-presented by The Clinton & Killingworth Historical Societies.

05/14/2022

05/13/2022

Spring has arrived and the gardens at Old Brick are coming to life—why not stop by to see for yourself? And don't forget, the Garden Committee is always seeking volunteers to help on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to noon. Please contact Diane Gustafson at 860-395-3660 if you're available.

05/07/2022

After a two year Covid hiatus we were thrilled to be back in the town hall Green Room last night for our annual meeting and potluck dinner. The agenda included electing board members as well as ratifying a revised set of bylaws. Many thanks to those who attended, contributed food, and helped organize this event.

04/27/2022

The CHS Garden Committee is looking for volunteers to help maintain the beautiful gardens at Old Brick on Tuesdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. If you're interested and available please call Diane Gustafson at 860-395-3660.

04/06/2022

Timeline photos

The cool overcast weather on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 did not stop these volunteers to help clean up the garden beds at Clinton Historical Society "Old Brick'. There were volunteers from Arbor Garden Club of Clinton, CT and Ocean Meadow Senior Living & Memory Care. CHS Garden Committee is thankful and looking forward to warmer weather.

02/28/2022

After a Covid hiatus we are pleased to announce that our museum room located in Andrews Memorial Town Hall will reopen this Thursday, March 3rd from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., and will be open as usual on Thursday evenings thereafter. Be sure to stop in and catch the new exhibit on Clinton's Masonic Lodge.

02/07/2022

Our beautiful museum room located in Andrews Memorial Town Hall may currently be closed to the public, but we’ve been keeping busy making improvements to the visitor experience there. One recent project done by board member Anne Baker and her husband was the conservation of this painting by Clinton artist and Yale School of Art graduate Mabel L. Stevens (1890-1981), which she painted specifically to hang above the fireplace in the room. Based on an 18th century print, it probably dates from the 1960s and is entitled “Looking East from the Indian River, c. 1790.” It was painted on a masonite panel that over the years had become badly warped, but by laying it flat for a few weeks and then installing some braces across the back Anne and her husband were able to restore it to its original appearance. Check out the before and after photos to see the dramatic difference, and be sure to stop in to have a look in person once the museum room reopens!

02/02/2022

We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a Connecticut Cultural Fund Operating Grant by Connecticut Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. We will use these funds to improve our programming, expand our website and other technical capabilities, and to cover certain operating costs. The entire CHS board would like to extend a sincere thank you to CTH for this wonderful opportunity!

01/09/2022

We regret to inform you that Thursday's program has now been canceled.

01/07/2022

The Revolutionary War program scheduled for the 13th will now take place online only. Additional details to follow.

01/05/2022

Due to the recent uptick in Covid cases we have decided to close the Library and Museum Room for the next three weeks.

12/06/2021

Thanks to all who attended our open house yesterday. Old Brick and the Museum Room were looking their holiday best.

12/04/2021

Don't forget, Christmas in Clinton is tomorrow! Be sure to stop by for a little holiday cheer starting at 1:00 p.m.

12/01/2021

We regret that once again, out of an abundance of caution and concern for the well-being of our membership, we have decided to cancel this year's holiday luncheons and dinners.

10/12/2021

To all our CHS Members,

Your Board of Directors met on Sept. 14th and we felt it would be too difficult to social distance, wear masks and speak or hear well through the masks. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution for the health and well being of our membership, participants and staff foremost, we have cancelled Ghost Walks that were scheduled for October 19th and 20th. At that time, we updated our page and Website to reflect our decision.

This was difficult as CHS originated our “Ghost Walk by Candlelight” on October 29, 2003. CHS first announced this new activity in our Fall Newsletter in October 2003. Tours were conducted along Main Street and Waterside Lane. There was no cemetery tour at that time. This and other innovations evolved over the years through the dedication and new ideas of all CHS individuals involved.

With this history, that goes back 18 years, we really debated about the overall exposure during Covid-19 and keeping this long tradition alive. Health and safety won the day. We will return Ghost Walks next year depending on the health climate at that time.

We are keeping our calendar flexible for the balance of the year. I will inform you all of any changes or updates.

Your Board of Directors will be meeting November 9th. We will be watching how Covid restrictions develop. Hopefully, we will be able to conduct Holiday Luncheons and Dinners in December.

I will notify you all as to cancellations and new dates for events. CHS’s E-blast system using Mail Chimp has been terrific at keeping us all up to date on a regular basis. I have heard from many of you complimenting us for this ongoing communication.

As always you may check for updates on Facebook and the CHS website.

These are unusual times and I had wished this would not have been two years in a row.

Again, CHS plans on returning Ghost Walks to our 2022 Calendar of Events.

Please stay safe and thank you all for your continued support.

Christy

Christy Pontillo

President
Clinton Historical Society

09/15/2021

We've had to make the difficult decision to cancel this year's scheduled Ghost Walks. See you in 2022 👻.

09/13/2021

Today a number of CHS board members were on hand to welcome a group of docents from the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme. Our visitors enjoyed a socially distanced tour of Old Brick, the George Flynn Library, and our grounds.

08/24/2021

Due to the evolving Covid situation our Annual Meeting has been rescheduled to
Friday, May 6, 2022

08/15/2021

Although it threatened rain yesterday the skies eventually cleared and attendees to this year's garden party enjoyed a pleasant summer evening. The event also served as a farewell to current vice president and past president E. C. Schroeder, who will shortly be relocating to Omaha, Nebraska. President Christy Pontillo presented E. C. with a parting gift in acknowledgement of his many years of service.

08/04/2021

Sunset this evening as seen from the garden of Old Brick.

08/03/2021

Some coverage of the community's successful campaign to preserve 151 East Main Street is featured in Preservation Connecticut's latest newsletter.