News from the Museum

Haddam Historical Society Thankful Arnold House Museum and Haddam Shad Museum February 22, 2024

Haddam Historical Society announces Scholarship Applications is now available.

The Haddam Historical Society is pleased to announce it is again offering a $500 scholarship to a resident of Haddam, Higganum, or Haddam Neck who is a senior student at Haddam-Killingworth High School. The application and instructions forms are available through the Haddam-Killingworth High School Guidance Office. The deadline is April 24, 2024.

Scholarship chairman, Susann Costa, notes that the 2024 award will be the 12th consecutive year the Haddam Historical Society has bestowed an award and is delighted to be able to help support the continued education of a deserving student and advocate for the importance of history both locally and globally.

Two Weeks of Children’s Summer Camp at the

Haddam Historical Society HADDAM, CT

The Haddam Historical Society will hold its popular summer program TWICE in 2024. “A Week in the Life of an Early American Child,” will run Monday-Friday, June 24-28 and August 5-9, 2024 from 9 am to noon each day. The program is offered for all children ages 8-12. Students will travel back in time to the year 1830 and spend the week with Mrs. Thankful Arnold, her family, and her neighbors.

All activities take place at the Thankful Arnold House Museum in Haddam, and they include caring for farm animals, crafting with wool, making butter, baking, playing with Colonial toys and games, and even dancing! The fee is $159 for the five days with all materials and snacks included. Some scholarship funding is available.

For more information and registration, go to www.haddamhistory.org. For questions regarding the program or scholarship information, contact Nicole Harlow, Education Coordinator, The Haddam Historical Society, at education@haddamhistory.org or call (860) 345-2400. All students must be pre-register.

Sarah Neal has been accepted to the HK Hall of Fame.

The Haddam Historical Society’s former Education Coordinator has been chosen for the 2024 HK Hall of Fame and will be inducted on May 9, 2024 at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station for her ”exemplary commitment to the service of children in the HK community and her outstanding record of service to the community.” Stay tuned for more details.

WE would like to extend our condolences to the family of Patricia Carlson, who passed away last week at the age of 81. Pat was a long- time member and volunteer at the Historical Society and always had stories to tell that left you with a smile on your face. Pat and her husband Charlie donated numerous important archives to the society’s collections that have been invaluable in interpreting our community’s heritage.

Photo L to R: Pat Carlson, Yvonne Carson and Tiger Carlson

Garden Show this Weekend

This weekend the Thankful Arnold House and Connecticut’s Historic Gardens will be at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show in Hartford. Stop by our booth # 405 and say hello.

My Haddam Neck Frozen Charlotte

My sister gave me a fabulous gift at Christmas, a Frozen Charlotte doll she had found on walk in Haddam Neck. I have always had a strong affinity for porcelain dolls and this was the perfect addition to my collection. Frozen Charlotte dolls were made from about 1850 to 1920 and were one solid piece of white china or bisque.

Originally known as Penny Dolls they originated in Germany as a bath toy and became very popular and affordable throughout Europe and the United States. During the Victorian era they were sometimes baked into cakes.

The name Frozen Charlotte came from the ballad “Fair Charlotte” which was based on the poem “A Corpse Going to the Ball”. A young woman named Charlotte going to a ball, refused to cover herself in the open carriage because she wanted to show off her dress. When she arrived at the ball she had frozen to death.

Below is the last verse of the poem by Seba Smith

Then quickly to the lighted hall

Her voiceless form he bore—

His Charlotte was a stiffen’d corpse,

And word spake never more.

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

contact@haddamhistory.org

www.haddamhistory.org

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