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CHESHIRE, CONNECTICUT - AUGUST 2010 Summertime! Our latest newsletter - Spring 2010 Newsletter - is available. The Hitchcock-Phillips House will be open to the public every Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm (43 Church Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410). Starting June 13, The Boutique-in-the-Shed will also be open during Sunday hours filled with donations of collectibles, antiques and gently used items donated by Society members - all proceeds fund Society programs. So come visit us on Sunday! We'd love to have you stop by! To schedule an appointment for a special interest, for your group or your school, please call the curator at 203-272-8771. |
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HEAR YE! HEAR YE! SPRING 2010 NEWSLETTER - CLICK HERE!
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Commodore Robert Hitchcock
Born in Cheshire, son of Amasa Hitchcock, Jr. Their home was across South Main Street where the Medical Center (formerly a bank) is now. |
Hitchcock-Phillips
House will be open to the public every Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm
June 6 - July 2 - D.A.R. 100th Anniversary Exibit June 12 - Saturday 9AM
- 3PM Strawberry Festival, Antiques & Collectibles as well as
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OUR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS GOING ON NOW!
Please take a look at our website - you will find many interesting items! And feel free to e-mail us with any questions or interests you may have (contact information below). We have a wide assortment of reference documents as well.
Photos from June 12, 2010 Connecticut Open House Day:
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Click above to see photos of our Cheshire Goes to War display from November and December 2009. This is an impressive collection.
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Photos of the December 2009 Holiday Party
Click for photos from our HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
CLICK HERE FOR FALL 2009 Newsletter
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS GOING ON NOW - CLICK HERE FOR MEMBERSHIP FORM
PHOTO OF THE LUCILLE D. WILLIAMS MEMORIAL GARDEN: Cheshire Garden Club members Inge Venus, Vicky Brady and Carol Goertz pose after their monthly maintenance chores in the garden in mid-October 2009.
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STOP BY OUR GIFT SHOP! Don't forget! Gift Giving is EASY when you stop at our Cheshire Historical Society GIFT SHOP! Town Historian, Ron Gagliardi's book: Images of America: CHESHIRE is a GREAT gift. LANDMARKS of Old CHESHIRE is also a lovely gift for anyone with an interest in Cheshire's history! Hours: Sundays 2-4 PM. Do you live far away? We can mail books to you for a nominal shipping charge. |
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Our film project, Introduction to the Hitchcock-Phillips House, has received Honorable Mention from the 2009 Awards Committee of the Connecticut League of History Organizations.
THE HITCHCOCK-PHILLIPS HOUSE VIDEO TOUR!
The Cheshire Historical Society is a place where you learn about Cheshire's history - but the 1785 Hitchcock Phillips House has a history of its own. View highlights of the home's 200-plus year history.
The
Cheshire Green, Cheshire Connecticut 1835
INTRODUCTORY
VIDEO!
Come see our new DVD that welcome's visitors to the Cheshire Historical Society
and offer some insight on the history of the Hitchcock-Philips house. The eight-minute
video, "Introduction to the Hitchcock-Philips House," is narrated
by Cheshire's Josiah Rowe whom you may remember from the Titus
Moss Walk Back In Time event where he portrayed Joseph Perkins Beach.
Click Here for a listing of books in the collection at the Cheshire Historical Society
A LISTING OF THE REFERENCE DOCUMENTS AT THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY - NOVEMBER 2009
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PRESENTATIONS IN 2009: Held on Monday, March 23, 7:30 PM "Thoughts on Cheshire's Future" Sheldon Dill and Gerald Sitko After so many programs looking to the past, the Cheshire Historical Society will take a new direction at the March meeting. Sheldon Dill, executive director at the Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Cheshire Town Council, and Cheshire Economic Development Coordinator, Gerald Sitko, will share their "Thoughts on Cheshire's Future." Held on Monday, April 27, 7:30 PM "The Congregational Church in the Colonial Period Henry McNulty Annual Meeting - Member Reception Henry McNulty, former historian at the First Congregational Church, will talk about the church's role in Cheshire during the Colonial Period. Henry is a former editor of the Hartford Courant and currently operates his own communications business. The April program will be preceded by the annual business meeting and election of officers and directors. A member reception in the dining room will follow PRESENTATIONS IN 2008: Held on November 24, 2008 Membership Meeting & Speaker "The Great War" The program commemorated the 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War, also known as World War I. The featured speaker, Meriden native Ron Turcott, is a collector of military materials from both world wars of the early 20th century. He is well known to the Cheshire community from his programs at the Senior Center. Turcott used a variety of resources from his collection to enhance his presentation on "The Great War." His memorabilia from the era consists of military clothing and head gear, an weapons. Turcott used a "show and tell" approach to explain the importance of these items to the military conflict. Held on September 22, 2008 "THE WAVERLY INN SINCE 1896" presented by Louis A. Ricciuti "Chicken
or Lobster Dinner $1 For Reservations - Telephone Cheshire 344!" Mr. Ricciuti was three years old in 1937 when his father, Louis D. Ricciuti, a New York lawyer, and his mother, Edythe moved their family to Cheshire to help her brother, Rocco Diorio, manage the Waverly Inn. What a wonderful speaker! And the Meeting Room was filled to capacity with standing room only! Exibit Room Display features Waverly Inn memorabilia - please come by and take a look! Click Here for photos of the evening Held on April 28, 2008 "What's In A Name?" Speaker: Ann Moriarty, Archivist at Cheshire Academy
Held on March 24, 2008, "Coins of the American Revolution" Speaker: Gene Gandelman Numismatist Gene Gandelman of Cheshire present an historical look back at coinage in the American Colonies during the Revolution and the decades before and after 1776. During the United States Bicentennial in 1976, Gene produced detailed replicas of the 1776 Continental Dollar coin and three "state-designed" pattern coins never put into circulation. Gene began his interest in coins in 1954, at age eight, when Wheaties cereal included foreign coins in their packages. Gene retains the knowledge of more than 200 years of United States Coinage.
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Do you have an interest in period costumes, clocks and watches, dolls, dishes, furniture, jewelry, minatures, Native Americans, toys, slavery, or other topic? Do you have experience in searching town land records or doing genealogical or other research? Do you collect old stamps, coins, bottles, guns, tools? Can you make a poster or set up a display? Whatever your interest or talent, we'd like to add your name to our "Subject Specialist" List. If you can help, please call Curator Mary Ellen Kania (203) 272-8771 or President Marshall Robinson (203) 271-2378 |
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#205
PDF documents of the Headstone Inscriptions, Town of Cheshire of 1934. This list includes all the headstone inscriptions in Cheshire cemeteries. The list was sponsored by the Connecticut State Library and copied under the auspices of FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) and WPA (Works Progress Administration), two Depression-era, federal agencies that provided "work relief." It is reproduced here with the permission of the Connecticut State Library. |
Historic Resource Inventory Building and Structures - 82 properties in Cheshire Connecticut surveyed in 1986 PDF of original survey forms available now. Also Available with PHOTOGRAPHS - 1986 Black and White photos AND 2008 photos of the same properties and access to the PDF documents of 1986. (Note -- this will take some time to load as there are over 160 photographs). Buildings located on Main Street, Church Street, South Main Street and West Main Street. Photos and descriptions from nearly 25 years ago of these historically noteworthy properties.
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PRESENTATIONS IN 2007: Speaker from
April 23, 2007
Speaker from March 26, 2007 "Dear Sarah... Words, Life, and Love during the Civil War from the 20th Connecticut" by
November
28, 2006 - Harold R. Kramer and THE LORE AND HISTORY OF TELEGRAPHY
NEWSLETTERS AVAILABLE HERE: HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2010 HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING/SUMMER 2009 HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2008 HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2007-2008 HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2007 HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2006-2007 HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2006 HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2006 HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2005-2006 HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2005 HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2004-2005 1935 - "CHESHIRE FARMING" from
Program of the Cheshire Tercentenary Celebration of the 300 Anniversary
of the Settlement of Connecticut 1635-1935 (includes winter farm photos)
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A
NEW DISPLAY IN THE EXHIBIT ROOM:
Crazy Quilt on display
DOCUMENTS AND REFERENCES AVAILABLE AT THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (compiled November 2009) PDF FILES AVAILABLE FROM THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEB SITE: Heritage Walking Tour Map of the Cheshire Town Green Cheshire Town History: PDF FILE of "CHESHIRE, CONN An Old New England Town" Chronology of Cheshire Events from "Our Town" Titus Moss Letters Letters home from a Cheshire Civil War Corporal THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ROCKS! Click for photos from our HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Photos from our Summer 2008 Antiques & Collectibles Sales Click here for more information Click for photos from our Antiques & Collectibles Sales: 2008 Click here for photos from our Fourth Annual Connecticut Open House 2008 A Kindergarten Photo from 1946 sent to us by Mr.Thomas Pitre of Sequim, WA
Curator Mary Ellen Kania welcomes visitors to the Cheshire Historical Society There were six Alice Washburn Houses built in Cheshire, Connecticut. Click here for more information. Are you interested in the George Keeler Family that lived at 168 South Main Street? Click here for more information.
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Just Click Here for more information!
Get ready for a little spring cleaning? |
The Lucille D. Williams Memorial Garden photographed just as Fall overtakes it. "THE BARITE MINES OF CHESHIRE The 19th Century Barite Mining and Milling Industries of Cheshire and New Haven, Connecticut" 36-Page Pamphlet written by Crawford E. Fritts - State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut, Natural Resources Center, Department of Environmental Protection is available at the Cheshire Historical Society
Click Here for some excerpts from this publication Copies are available from the Cheshire Historical Society. The cost is $10 for this informative pamphlet.
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INDIAN ARROWHEADS from Krampitz Farm
AIRPLANE FRAGMENT A piece of the airliner that crashed in Cheshire in 1946 - on display at the Cheshire Historical Society.
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To schedule a visit to the Museum, call (203) 272-8771 or (203) 271-2378
Titus Moss and Titus Moss Letters - PDF Version and Titus Moss Walk Back in Time Sunday May 7, 2006 Click here for Medal of Honor Display (Sgt. Eri D. Woodbury 1864) Click Here to see Photos of the December 19, 2004 Open House Click here for photos of the Old Fashioned Christmas Ornaments (2004) on display in the Exhibit Room Dolls at The Cheshire Historical Society Click and Look!!! How To Find Us (Directions to our building) Historic North End Properties (Word version of same) Cheshire Then: A photojournal of Cheshire homes and properties Cheshire Town History: PDF of CHESHIRE, CONN An Old New England Town
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THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY - VIEW ACROSS THE GREEN WITH CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL
Looking out the Front Doorway Organized in 1951, the Cheshire Historical Society is a group of old and new residents who have a desire to discover and preserve the heritage of Cheshire, Connecticut. They educate and assist others in their inquiries into our past and promote a love for our town and its inhabitants. Our first home was in the 1st. District School (1951-1956), then the old Cheshire Public Library (Williams House) on Main Street (1956-1972). We are presently located at the Hitchcock - Phillips House on the Cheshire Green, as shown above. During the year we hold four programs. The programs cover the History of Cheshire, Local Area History, Crafts, and Other Topics of Interest to our Membership. In addition we hold special events that concern our town at the time. Our membership dues are most reasonable, so please join our Historical Society. Contact us for more information. We would love to hear from you!
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Contact Information
| Call us - our telephone number is: (203) 272-2574 |
Send us a letter - our postal mailing address is: The Cheshire Historical Society P.O. Box 281 Cheshire, CT 06410 |
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Send us an e-mail: |
Come and vist us: We are located on Route 10 at the Town Green |
Related Links or Links of Interest
Links of Interest: CHESHIRE
The Town of Cheshire The Cheshire Chamber of Commerce The Cheshire Land Trust
The Cheshire Historic District Commission Cheshire Historic District BROCHURE
Historic Preservation Study Committee (2002-2004) The Cheshire Herald
The Cheshire Public Library: has every link you can imagine!
CLICK HERE FOR HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION REGULATIONS DOCUMENT
Links of Interest: CONNECTICUT
The State of Connecticut Tourism in Connecticut The Connecticut Historical Society
State of Connecticut Historical Preservation and Museum Division Connecticut Historical Societies and Museums
Connecticut Freedom Trail Covered Bridges in the Northeast
University of Connecticut MAGIC: Maps and Geographic Information Center
Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation
Links of Interest: UNITED STATES / NATIONAL
NARA: US National Archives & Records Administration United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
National Historical American Flags Office of Coast Survey - Historical Maps and Charts
The Naval Historical Center The National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Historic Landmarks Program
US History.org The US Newspaper Program The National Atlas of the United States Civil War Information
National Park Service: Links to the Past The United States Flag Page Smithsonian Institution
Links of Interest: WEATHER
National Hurricane Center National Weather Service USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Weather Underground
A really useful search engine: Dogpile Web Search. Good Dog. Great Results.®
Site Revised: July 2010
"[1723] It was called 'New Cheshire Parish' a name no doubt proposed by Thomas Brooks, because he fathered most proposals and was himself from Cheshire, England."
Pg. 15 Program of the Cheshire Tercentenary Celebration of the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Settlement of Connecticut, 1635-1935.
For her talk
following the Annual Meeting, Cheshire Academy Archivist Ann Moriarty
has chosen the intriguing title, "What's in a Name?" The Academy
has had many names in its 200-plus year history. Ann will review them
all and discuss how a name can affect the school and its relationship
to the community.
JOHN WHITE, local author, educator, and Cheshire Historical Society
member, will discuss thelife of Chesihre's Civil War hero, Admiral Andrew
Hull Foote. John has been interested in Admiral Foote since, as a high
school studen, he first saw the names "Lincoln" and "Foote"
on the Civil War monument on the green. His interest was further piqued
last spring when he portrayed the admiral in the "Walk Back in Time"
historical reenactment sponsored by the Society and the Cheshire Historic
District Commission. 
Become
a member! It is so easy to be a Member of the Cheshire Historical Society!
Both old and new
town residents interested in preserving Cheshire history are encouraged
to become Historical Society members. 
