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Gridley-Case cottages, 138-140 Main Street.
Photo by Brooke Martin.
Welcome to the Web site of the Farmington Historical Society.
Founded in 1954, the historical society is
dedicated to preserving the town's history
and educating the public about its
significance. We sponsor exhibits, lectures
and other events, and we provide tours of
the Freedom Trail's Underground Railroad and
Amistad sites.
The society celebrates the diversity of all
those who have contributed to the town's
history—the
Tunxis Indians who established the first
settlement by the Farmington River; the
English settlers who traded with the
Indians; the fugitive slaves who sought
freedom on the
Underground Railroad; the
abolitionists
who gave them shelter; the 38 Africans who
lived here in 1841 after gaining their
freedom in the Amistad case; the
entrepreneurs who constructed the Farmington
Canal in the early 1880s; and the merchants
and traders who built the stately homes lining Main
Street in the historic village.
The town is what it is today
because of educators like Sarah Porter, who
started Miss Porter's School for girls in
1843; architects such as Theodate Pope, a
student of Porter's who built the home
that's now the
Hill-Stead Museum; and
collectors like Alfred Pope—one of the first
Americans to collect the Impressionist
paintings of Monet, Manet, Degas and
Whistler—and Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis, who
founded the
Lewis Walpole Library.
Farmington has flourished through the
generations because of the work of
businesspeople who promoted commerce and
brought industries to town; doctors, who led the fight against
smallpox at Hospital Rock and worked as pioneers in the field
of psychiatry; immigrants, who labored
in the mills in Unionville; farmers, whose
homesteads have been passed down through as
many as nine generations; town leaders; ministers;
artists; and many others.
The town has also played an important part
in the nation's history in times of war.
From King Philip's Indian War in 1675 to the
present-day war in Iraq, Farmington has
provided soldiers and support. In the town's
"Memento Mori" cemetery,
there are
gravestones inscribed with the names of
twelve men who fought in the French and
Indian War, thirty-four
Revolutionary War
patriots, one
veteran of both the French and Indian
War and the American Revolution, and one Civil War soldier. A monument in
Riverside Cemetery includes the names of
twenty-one Civil War soldiers who fought at
Gettysburg, Antietam, Fort Wagner and
Winchester.
Like the river flowing through the town,
Farmington's history is always near at hand,
seldom far from view, linking past and present. The Historical Society,
located at 138 Main Street, is committed to
studying, celebrating and preserving that
history.
View our 2010
calendar of events and programs.
If you would like to learn
more about the society, become a member or volunteer, please
contact us. Volunteers are needed to help
with hospitality, lead walking tours of the
Freedom Trail, work as docents at the Old
Stone Schoolhouse, plan events and programs, research and write
articles for our newsletter, raise funds,
write grants, tend the cottage garden
at the society's headquarters and help at
our annual tag sale.
Farmington Bicentennial
Quilt at Main Library.
Photo by Nicholas Schaus.
What's New
The Farmington
Historical Society, at
138 Main Street, will
be open on Sundays during February from 2 to
4 pm. A dollhouse replica of a nineteenth-century home on Route 6
in Farmington will be on display, along with
an exhibit celebrating Black History
Month. Admission is free.
Steve King
gave a talk on a dollhouse replica of an
of an eighteenth-century Farmington home at
the
historical society's New Year's gala on
January 10.
Photo by Brooke Martin.
The home,
formerly known as the William Crampton
House, is a good example of the Greek
Revival style. The Crampton family owned the
house until 1887, when it was sold to George
A. Beckwith of Southington for $2,300.
Beckwith sold the property in 1915 to Edward
T. Smith. Since then, it has changed owners
several times. In 1964, William E. and Edith
T. King purchased the property. An addition
housed William’s optical business and
Edith’s antiques shop. At that time, the
property was referred to as “King’s Little
Acre.”
Family photo
of the "William Crampton House."
In 1972, Edith
commissioned Gary McLeod of Wethersfield to
build the dollhouse replica. Edith then
furnished it with homemade items. Gina King,
Edith’s granddaughter, inherited the
dollhouse in 1995. In 2009, Gina, who
lives in Massachusetts, contacted the
historical society and arranged to donate
the dollhouse. At a recent New Year’s gala
held for members of the society, Gina and
her father, Steve King, gave a talk about the
history of the dollhouse.
Interior of
dollhouse. Photo by Brooke Martin.
The historical
society's Black History Month exhibit,
on display Sundays during February from 2 to
4 p.m. at 138 Main Street, will include posters and
information on the
Amistad
story. The freed Amistad captives
lived in Farmington in 1841 before returning
to their homeland in what is now Sierra
Leone, Africa.
Freedom Trail marker and lantern, 2 Mill Lane.
Photo by Brooke Martin.
There will also
be information on the
Underground
Railroad in Farmington, where a number
of prominent abolitionists lived. The book
Speaking for Ourselves, about the
history of African Americans in
Farmington, will be available for sale. This
book was written in 1998 as a project of the
historical society under the direction of
Barbara Donahue.
The
historical society met for its annual New
Year's gala on January 10, 2010, at the
Gridley-Case cottage at 138 Main Street.
Jean Pickens, president of the historical
society, addresses
members at the New Year's gala on January
10, 2010.
At the
event, Gina King and her father, Steve King,
gave a talk on a dollhouse that is a replica
of their nineteenth-century family home on
Route 6 in Farmington. The dollhouse, which
the King family donated to the society, was
on display during the gala.
Steve and
Gina King, with the dollhouse they donated
to the historical Society. Photo by Brooke
Martin.
Marguerite “Peg” Yung, a
longtime member of the historical society’s
board of directors,
passed away on December 5, 2009. Peg, a
retired teacher, was named Educator of the
Year by the Connecticut Department of
Education in 1985. In 2007 she received the
Exchange Club of Farmington’s Golden Deeds
Award for her outstanding service to the
historical society and the community and her
"selfless dedication to preserving and
promoting the town's history."
Peg was a leader of many
historical society projects, including the
restoration of the Gridley-Case cottages and
Old Stone Schoolhouse; development of tours
of local Amistad and Underground
Railroad sites; work with the Freedom Trail
Foundation; and programs related to the
restoration of the Amistad ship and
its history. As part of her work with the
Amistad Committee, Peg traveled to
Sierra Leone, birthplace of the Amistad
Africans, and met with that nation's
president. She was also active in volunteer
projects sponsored by the First Church of
Christ Congregational in Farmington.
Peg's dedication, knowledge,
enthusiasm and energy will be sorely missed.
Jean Pickens
was elected the new president of the
Farmington Historical Society at the
society's annual meeting on June 14,
2009.
Jean is the former vice president of the
society and the former president of the
Friends of the Hill-Stead Museum. The
meeting was held at the new Hartford Medical Society
Library at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.
Jean Pickens,
president of the historical society, left,
talks with librarian Jenny
Miglus at the Hartford Medical Society
Library at the UConn Health Center.
The society
also elected new board members and officers,
including Joanne Lawson as vice president
and Ann Newbury as secretary. Edward Leary
was reelected as treasurer of the society. A
complete list of the board members is
available here.
Members and
guests met in the Robert Massey
Auditorium for a short business meeting and
refreshments. Guest speaker Ralph Arcari
gave a talk about the Hartford Medical
Society’s connection to Farmington, and
librarian Jenny Miglus gave tours of
the library, which was previously located on
Scarborough Street in Hartford.
A program called “Clockmakers from
Farmington and Unionville” was
presented on March 22, 2009, at Miss Porter’s
School. Mary Jane Dapkus, assistant curator at the
American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol,
gave a talk about 19th-century shelf clock
makers and manufacturing companies in town.
Shelf clock owned by the historical society.
Made by John Hunt, ca. 1830. Photo
by Jean Pickens.
Shelf clocks from the Farmington
Historical Society and the Unionville Museum
were on display at the lecture.
Mary Jane Dapkus, giving a talk at Miss
Porter's School
about 19th-century shelf clock makers in
Farmington.
In her talk, Dapkus told the story of Eli Terry,
who designed the first “pillar and scroll”
clock in 1816. The clock, which could stand
on a shelf, was smaller and more affordable than traditional
tall clocks, or “grandfather clocks.” Terry, who began mass-producing clocks
with interchangeable parts, is considered
one of the fathers of America’s industrial
revolution.
Eli Terry. Photo from
Wikipedia.
Dapkus is currently writing a series of
articles on antique clocks with Snowden
Taylor of Tappen, N.Y., an author, lecturer
and internationally recognized authority on
clocks. At the museum, Dapkus works under
the guidance of horologist Chris Bailey, one
of the leading scholars and historians of
the clock-making industry in America.
Horology is the art or science of measuring
time.
The Historical Society reprinted
Farmington in Connecticut, by
Christopher P. Bickford, in 2008.
Farmington in Connecticut,
by Christopher Bickford.
The
comprehensive history of the town, first
published in 1982, can be ordered by
contacting the society's president, Jean
Pickens, at
jpickens@farmingtonhistoricalsociety-ct.org,
or by writing to the Farmington
Historical Society, P.O. Box 1645,
Farmington, CT 06034. The cost is $35, plus $5 for
shipping. Please include your name and
address and a check payable to the
Farmington Historical Society.
On November 23, 2008, Connecticut
municipal historians met at a convocation
at the Naugatuck Historical Society and
Museum. Twenty-two towns were represented,
including Farmington. Because Jean Johnson,
Farmington’s town historian, was unable to
attend the meeting, historical society board
members Peg Yung and Jean Pickens went in
her place.
Walter Woodward, Connecticut state
historian, spoke briefly, encouraging towns
to maintain the vitality of their local
history for the benefit of longtime
residents and newcomers. Keynote speaker
Bill Hosley, director of the New Haven
Museum and Historical Society, expanded upon
this theme, stating that “history is the
gateway to a sense of community.” He added
that an awareness of local history fosters a
sense of pride and self-esteem in
individuals.
FHS board member Peg Yung, center, with Bill
Hosley, left,
and Walter Woodward at the Connecticut
Municipal Historians
Convocation Nov. 23 in Naugatuck. Photo by
Jean Pickens.
Hosley emphasized the importance of
including local history in our school
curriculums. He recalled how as a ten-year-old boy, he was enchanted by a visit to
Sturbridge Village and a subsequent walk on
the Freedom Trail in Boston. Such
“empirical” learning experiences, he said,
can be much more meaningful to students than
merely reading about history. Hosley went on
to say that all people like history; it just
depends upon the “packaging.” The popularity
of documentaries by Ken Burns and the
Biography Channel are good examples.
As one of the original colonies,
Connecticut has been a part of every aspect
of the American story, Hosley said. Through
his travels around the state, he has
observed that all local historical
organizations have something unique and
important to contribute and share.
At the conclusion of the meeting in
Naugatuck, those attending agreed that an
annual convocation was a good way for town
historians to share ideas and resources.
Farmington’s town historian assists with
genealogical searches and directs people to
resources where other historical questions
can be answered. This often includes
contacting Ann Arcari, president of the
Farmington Historical Society and Farmington
Room librarian at the Main Library. The town
is also required to notify the town
historian if a house or building with
historical value is being considered for
demolition. The historian then passes this
information on to the appropriate
organizations.
An exhibit of
nineteenth-century clothing and linens
was held in June 2008. The Gridley-Case cottage
came alive with items from the 1800s. A
table was set in the dining room
overlooking the restored garden; several
pieces of period furniture filled the parlor;
the small bedroom held a youngster’s bed
and children’s items; and the kitchen
contained a variety of household goods, from
laundry products and tools to a display of
hats and capes. Mannequins dressed in period
clothing were arranged throughout the
cottage.
Nineteenth-century dress, 138 Main Street.
Photo by Brooke Martin.
The exhibit committee
included: Wendy Burki, Jean Pickens, Lois
Wadsworth and Peg Yung.
The Historical Society’s Gridley-Case
cottage and
garden at 138 Main Street was one of the six homes and two museums
featured in the Friends
of the Farmington Library Kitchens & Gardens
Tour on June 14, 2008.
Garden at Gridley-Case cottage,
138 Main
Street.
Photo by Brooke Martin.
The eighteenth-century formal garden was
designed by Sarah C. la Cour, a landscape
designer from Amherst, Mass. The garden
reflects the style and plantings typical of
New England. The design incorporates
boxwood-edged brick and bluestone walks and
quadrant beds.
This spring, as part of a volunteer UConn
master gardener project, annuals, herbs and
perennials were added. The Treadwell
list of 18th-century plantings was used
as a guide. John Treadwell documented
commonly found vegetables, herbs, and flowers
planted in Farmington gardens. Plantings in
1999 included: geranium striatum, blue
Campanula ,and autumn joy in the center
circle; white phlox, Stella d'Oro lilies,
red bee balm, blue columbine, and Russian
sage in the quadrants; and lilacs, red bud,
coreopsis, and hostas above the stone wall.
Side garden, 138 Main Street.
Photo by Brooke Martin.
From the Treadwell list, the society added pinks, daffodils, tulips, violas, blackberry
lily, poppies, hollyhocks, sweet william,
sweet pea, morning glories, and marigolds.
Herbs to be added to the garden include:
parsley, coriander, pepper, savory, sweet
marjoram, thyme, rue, hyssop, lemon balm,
chive, tansy, and wormwood. These and lamb's
ear, iris, oregano, yellow yarrow, germander,
and lavender were generously donated by
the Connecticut Unit of the Herb Society of
America. We welcome volunteers who would
like to work in the garden, as well as
donations of perennials. The goal is to have
the garden in bloom from April to October.
The Library Gardens Tour also included
the garden and
orchid room of advanced master gardener
Sandy Myhalik. The orchid room contains more
than 100 varieties of tropical orchids.
The
society's membership committee is
compiling a list of members' e-mail
addresses. If you would like to be
informed via e-mail about the society's
upcoming programs and events (including this
year's annual meeting and party), please
send your name, street address and e-mail
address to
membership@farmingtonhistoricalsociety-ct.org.
Nonmembers interested in Farmington's
history are encouraged to write to the same
e-mail address for
more information about the society.
A talk on the life and personality of Theodore Roosevelt
was presented by
Gordon Williams on March 30, 2008, at Miss Porter's School.
Williams is a lecturer and retired history teacher from Trumbull, CT.
Gordon Williams
Williams began his talk by discussing Teddy
Roosevelt's connection to Farmington. Roosevelt's sister, Anna
Roosevelt Cowles, lived on Main Street in
Farmington, in the house called "Oldgate."
She was the wife of Admiral William
Sheffield Cowles, a naval officer and
diplomat. Roosevelt visited the
town and his sister's home several times,
including when he was president, on October 22,
1901. That visit included a carriage ride,
lunch with U.S. senators, inspection of an
oak tree planted on the town green in memory
of President William McKinley, and a hike up
Rattlesnake Mountain.
Theodore Roosevelt visits "Oldgate" in
Farmington;
Farmington in Connecticut, by Christopher P. Bickford.
After visiting the
Hill-Stead in 1911, the former president
wrote: "I spent a thoroughly happy
thirty-six hours at Farmington, and the
visit was satisfactory in every way.... The
Popes house seemed to me almost the ideal of
what an American country house should be."
From left: Ann Arcari, FHS president, 2008;
Gordon Williams;
Evan Cowles, great-grandson of Anna
Roosevelt Cowles;
and
Jean Pickens, FHS vice president in 2008.
Historical letters concerning the
Amistad Africans, written in 1841, can
now be viewed at the
Farmington Library's
Web site. Ann Arcari, president of the
Historical Society, and other members of the
society transcribed the letters, which
include one written by
Cinque, the leader of the Mendians.
Cinque,
by Nathaniel Jocelyn, 1839
The letters shed light on the
lives of the Africans when they lived in
Farmington from March to November of 1841 and on the thoughts of
the
abolitionists who helped them win their
freedom.
The Farmington Historical Society, P.O. Box 1645, Farmington, CT 06034
Photos by Brooke E. Martin. Copyright ©
2006,2007, 2008.
Site graphics, Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Copying any portion of this site without
permission is expressly forbidden.
Please
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