Historic Wethersfield

Wethersfield, CT

The Art of Collecting

May 14th, 7:00pm. The Art of Collecting

LECTURE | With Ned Lazaro at the Webb Deane Stevens Museum

What drives someone to seek out a two-hundred-year-old sampler—and what does that impulse tell us about who we are? Join textile historian Ned Lazaro, Associate Curator of Textiles and Costumes at The Wadsworth Atheneum and former curator of textiles at Historic Deerfield for a moderated discussion on the history of collecting schoolgirl samplers and other forms of needlepoint in the United States.

For tickets or more information: https://www.simpletix.com/e/lecture-the-art-of-collecting-tickets-260319

America’s Tapestry: Commemorating the Revolution Through Fiber Arts

April 9th, 7:00pm. America’s Tapestry: Commemorating the Revolution Through Fiber Arts

LECTURE | With Stefan Romero

Discover the extraordinary America’s Tapestry project—a nationwide initiative creating hand-stitched panels commemorating the American Revolution, with each state contributing its own unique narrative in thread.

Stefan Romero shares the inspiring story of how this project came to be and explores the centuries-long tradition of using fiber arts to preserve collective memory. From the Bayeux Tapestry to modern commemorative quilts, learn how needle and thread have documented our most pivotal moments.

For tickets or more information: https://www.simpletix.com/e/lecture-america-s-tapestry-fiber-arts-the-tickets-259326

Feuding Founders Collective

May 16th, 10:00am – 3:00pm. Feuding Founders Collective: The Untold Drama of Silas Deane, John Jay, and the Lees of Virginia

Three sites. Three perspectives. Three stories of imperfect men trying to build something that had never existed before.

They were allies and rivals. Collaborators and critics. Sometimes all at once. This spring, the Feuding Founders Collective launches at WDS — a multi-site series that strips the marble off the men who built the republic and asks what their struggles with polarization, loyalty, and public reputation can teach us about our own. Wethersfield kicks things off May 16, with events at partner sites in New York and Virginia to follow. Stay tuned.

Tickets on sale March 2026. Learn more: https://wdsmuseum.org/event/feuding-founders-collective/

Beyond Blue and White: The Hidden Women of Delftware

March 12th, 7:00pm – 9:00pm. LECTURE | Beyond Blue and White: The Hidden Women of Delftware

When over seventy-five pieces of rare Delftware were discovered in a historic Manhattan townhouse, decorative art expert Genevieve Wheeler Brown recognized these exquisite ceramics held secrets overlooked for centuries. Join us for an illustrated journey through the hidden history of this beloved art form and the remarkable women who shaped it.

Through vivid images of 17th and 18th century treasures—puzzle jugs, flower pyramids, Persian blue teapots, and ornate tiles—Brown reveals the stories of female factory owners like Barbara Rotteveel, who founded “The Three Bells” in 1671, and royal patron Queen Mary II, whose passion for blue and white ceramics sparked a decorative revolution. Discover how pioneering American collectors Mrs. J. Pierpont Morgan and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II laid the groundwork for women in museums while preserving decorative arts for future generations.

Part art history, part detective story, this presentation celebrates the artistry and forceful female lives behind one of the world’s most coveted ceramics.

https://wdsmuseum.org/event/lecture-beyond-blue-and-white-the-hidden-women-of-delftware/

The French Alliance & The Road to Yorktown

July 21st, 7:00pm. Lecture: The French Alliance & The Road to Yorktown

University of Maryland History Professor Dr. Richard Bell delivers The French Alliance & the Road to Yorktown as the next installment of Wethersfield Historical Society’s American Revolution Program Series. Wethersfield resident Silas Deane played a crucial role in helping to establish the important alliance between the U.S. and France. This lecture explores the important role that this alliance played in the American Revolution and how it evolved over time, from France providing secret support with guns and other matériel to working directly with the U.S. to beat the British at the decisive siege of Yorktown. Admission: $10 General Public; Free for current members of Wethersfield Historical Society.

At Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, 200 Main Street, Wethersfield. Admission: $10 General Public; Free for current members of Wethersfield Historical Society. For more info visit, www.wethersfieldhistory.org.

New-Gate’s Role in the Revolution

June 2nd, 7:00pm. Lecture: The Catacomb of Loyalty; A Deep Dive into New-Gate’s Role in the Revolution

Wethersfield Historical Society presents The Catacomb of Loyalty: A Deep Dive into New-Gate’s Role in the Revolution, a lecture given by Morgan Bengel, curator and site administrator of Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine. This talk is part of WHS’ ongoing American Revolution Program Series and explores how loyalists and POWs were treated here in Connecticut during the war.

Founding Mothers

May 14th, 6:30pm. Lecture: Founding Mothers

As part of its American Revolution Program Series, Wethersfield Historical Society presents historian Dr. Amanda Goodheart Parks. Parks will deliver Founding Mothers, a lecture about women in Wethersfield and across the colonies who made significant contributions to the American Revolution. Despite Abigail Adams famously exhorting her husband and his fellow Founding Fathers to, “…remember the ladies,” history has largely forgotten their efforts. This lecture shares the extraordinary stories of notable women across the nation (Martha Washington, Mercy Otis Warren, Polly Cooper, and others) who helped America win its independence.

Captain Moses Tryon

April 24th, 7:00pm. Lecture: Captain Moses Tryon: Local Hero in a Global Conflict

Wethersfield Historical Society presents Joseph Morneault, former director of historical music at the USS Constitution Museum, as part of its American Revolution Program Series. Morneault is the author of an upcoming biography on Wethersfield resident Moses Tryon. Learn all about Tryon’s contributions to the American Revolution made while captaining several privateer vessels during the war.

Coming Home: The Story of a Tulip and Sunflower Chest

November 20th, 7:00pm. Coming Home: The Story of a Tulip and Sunflower Chest

Lecture with Pat Kane

Renowned decorative arts scholar Pat Kane reveals the remarkable story of Connecticut’s Wethersfield chest tradition in this specialized lecture. Explore the intersection of artistry, craftsmanship, and cultural identity through these colonial masterpieces that represent some of America’s finest early furniture making. Kane’s expertise illuminates how these functional objects reflect broader patterns of settlement, trade, and artistic expression in the Connecticut River Valley, making them invaluable windows into colonial American life and aesthetics.

Tickets: General Admission $15| Members $10 | Jenrette Society & Students $5

https://www.simpletix.com/e/lecture-masterworks-in-wood-understanding-tickets-235026

The Ruin of All Witches

October 23rd, 12:00pm – 1:30pm. The Ruin of All Witches: Fear, Fury & False Accusations

Virtual lecture with Dr. Malcolm Gaskill

Description: Distinguished historian Dr. Malcolm Gaskill presents groundbreaking research into the social and cultural forces behind witchcraft accusations in early America. This virtual lecture examines how fear, community tensions, and economic pressures culminated in devastating witch trials that destroyed lives and communities. Dr. Gaskill’s scholarship illuminates the human stories behind these dark chapters, offering crucial insights into how societies can turn against their most vulnerable members.

Tickets: Members $10 | General Admission $15 | Book Club Members Free

www.simpletix.com/e/virtual-lecture-the-ruin-of-all-witches-fe-tickets-234991