News from the Museum

Haddam Historical Society

Thankful Arnold House Museum & Haddam Shad Museum

June 22, 2023

GARDEN DAY- 2023

Join us for Connecticut’s Historic Gardens Day

Sunday, June 25, 2023

12 noon to 4 pm

Thankful Arnold House Museum

14 Hayden Hill Road, Haddam, CT 06438

On Sunday, July 25, 2023 from 12 -4 pm, visitors will learn how herbs, vegetables, and plants were used by the Widow Thankful Arnold in the early 19th century. The Wilhelmina Ann Arnold Barnhart Memorial Garden features over 50 varieties of herbs including those used in cooking, dyeing, fragrance, and medicine. This year’s activity for both adults and children will be making a lavender sachet. Light refreshments will also be served including our famous rhubarb tea. For further information visit haddamhistory.org or call 860-345-2400. Free admission to both house and garden.

Connecticut’s Historic Gardens is a group of 16 distinctive historic sites and gardens located throughout the state that offer visitors an opportunity to explore a variety of garden styles and time periods. Each year on the fourth Sunday in June the sites are open to the public to enjoy their beauty and history and foster an appreciation for these unique and special Connecticut landmarks. To learn more visit www.cthistoricgardens.org

Join us to honor two important Haddam Historical Society "pillars" upon their retirements.

Sarah Neal and Terry Smith

Sunday, June 25, 2023

5 pm to 7 pm

Thankful Arnold House Museum Gardens

Please join us in saying thank you to two very hard-working, dedicated Historical Society members at a garden reception on Sunday, June 25, 2023 from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Thankful Arnold House Museum, 14 Hayden Hill Road, Haddam.

Parking is available along Field Park Drive

Appetizers and drinks will be served.

Let us know if you plan on attending by emailing contact@haddamhistory.org or

call 860-345-2400.

A Week in the Life of an Early American Child

Thankful Arnold House Museum

We had a fun week at the museum experiencing what it was like to live in 1820 Haddam. Campers have learned how to churn butter, bake over hot coals, card wool, make a copy book, and do 19^th century chores. Other highlights included dancing, needle felting, painting a floor cloth, and spinning wool. Thank you to Education Coordinator, Sarah Neal and her assistant, Nicole Harlow for offering such a fun and educational experience. We would also like to thank Vivienne and Bob McGarry for sharing their farm animals and bringing them over from Haddam Neck. We all enjoyed the sheep and chickens and learned quite a bit. Thanks to Sue Costa, David Neal, and Gerry Matthews for their contributions. We were lucky to have three former campers, Jaimey DiNapoli, Maggie DiNapoli and Aliza Cirillo assisting us through out the week and making things run smoothly.

BARN TALK

On Sunday, June 25th, at 2 p.m. noted Connecticut historian Jim Powers will be giving a talk about historic buildings (and why they matter) in the Captain John Smith Barn on Jerry Wensinger's property at 95 Jacoby Road in Higganum. Anyone interested in coming to the talk is welcome; the talk is offered in conjunction with a summer classical music festival sponsored by the Candlewood Farm Arts Foundation. There is no admission charge. Please email arts@candlewoodfarmartsfoundation.org or call 347-415-5900 for more information.

PICNIC

Historic Orrin Freeman House

Monday, July 10, 2023

Our friends, Clark and Kamilla Gardner, at the Orrin Freeman 37 Maple Avenue East have invited members of the Haddam Historical Society to a pot-luck summer picnic to be held on Monday, July 10, 2023, starting at 3 pm.

The Orrin Freeman House is probably one of the most fascinating houses in town. This majestic and romantic style villa was built in 1841. The house is a brick structure with stucco facing. It blends features from the Greek Revival and Italianate periods including the overhanging eaves and porch columns. Freeman, a life-long bachelor, once owned and operated a brickyard and the largest lumberyard and sawmill in Middlesex County and supplied much of the lumber used to build ships at Higganum Landing. In 1908 Eugene Orlando Burr purchased the home and it remains in the family today. Between 1910 and 1942 Burr ran a dairy farm on the premises known as Higganum Dairy. Highlights of the Freeman House include the large “Spirit of ‘76” mural, painted on the southwest elevation of the house; it was painted by Burr’s son-in-law Bill Gardner in 1976 to commemorate the Bicentennial; Gardner also installed a kitchen ceiling clock which measures nine feet and was salvaged from the Middletown Municipal Building clock tower when it was demolished in 1962. It is a sight to behold

If you are interested in attending, please email Lisa at the museum contact@haddamhistory.org and let her know what you are bringing.

Haddam Historical Society/P.O. Box 97, Haddam, CT 06438/ 860-345-2400

contact@haddamhistory.org

www.haddamhistory.org

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