Bridgeport

$4,000 to Literacy Volunteers Southeastern Fairfield County for Festival of Words - A Multicultural Celebration of Books, Stories, Poetry and Song for Adults and Children of All Ages.

 Literacy Volunteers of Southeastern Fairfield County received $4,000 to help host and promote Festival of Words, its first annual multi-cultural book festival, on the campus of Norwalk Community College. The festival features a gathering of writers, storytellers and performers to celebrate the riches and rewards of books and readings and honor the oral traditions of the many cultures that make up our shared heritage. Contact: Wayne Valaitis, 203 579-2208

Cos Cob

$34,600 to Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich for Intimate Strangers: Slavery in Fairfield County 1700-1850

 The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich received $34,600 to mount a new exhibition, house tour and education programs on the history of slavery in Fairfield County. The grant will fund construction of the exhibition as well as educational materials for museum visitors, area school teachers and students. Contact: Debra Mecky, 203-869-6899

Hamden

$5,000 to Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for Historic Barns in Connecticut

 In 2005, the CHC will help bring the Smithsonian's Barn Again traveling exhibition to four Connecticut locations. In this companion project, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation was awarded $5,000 to engage architectural historian James Sexton to conduct a survey of Connecticut barns to document architectural styles and research historically significant examples. Contact: Helen Higgins, 562-6312

Hartford

$1,670 to Association For The Study Of Connecticut History for The African American Experience in Connecticut

The Association for the Study of Connecticut History (ASCH) in collaboration with the Connecticut League of History Organizations received $1,670 to fund speakers and promotional expenses for its annual conference. The conference is attended by scholars, public historians and museum personnel. Contact: Guocun Yang, 523-4841

$45,600 to Connecticut Historical Society for Connecticut Valley Furniture by Eliphalet Chapin and His Contemporaries 1750-1800

 The Connecticut Historical Society was awarded $45,600 to create a new exhibition showcasing Connecticut River Valley furniture crafted in East Windsor, Wethersfield and Colchester. Based on pieces from the society's extensive collection of 18th-century, Connecticut-made furniture, the exhibition will first be displayed at the CHS Hartford headquarters before traveling to other, out-of-state locations. Contact: James Jensen, 236-5621

$4,050 to Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame for "We Fight For Roses Too:" Connecticut Women and the Quest for Equality

 The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWOF) was awarded $4,050 to fabricate a traveling exhibition titled "We Fight for Roses, Too" which focuses on the lives and contributions of important women in Connecticut history. The exhibition will travel to other venues across the country after debuting at the Hall of Fame's Hartford location in October.   Contact: Leslie Lindenauer, 860-768-5643

$14,000 to Mark Twain House for Planning for the Exhibition, "Illustrating Mark Twain: Paintings and Drawings for Prince and the Pauper, Connecticut Yankee and Joan of Arc"

The Twain House was awarded $14,00 to plan for an exhibition on the historical context of the illustrations found in three of Mark Twain's novels-The Prince and the Pauper, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. The grant will fund the services of a guest curator and two academic experts who will advise on the exhibition's content. Contact: Debra Petke, 860-247-0998

$15,000 to Wadsworth Atheneum for The Colt Collection: A Centennial History

In 1996, the CHC provided $150,000 for the Wadsworth Atheneum's nationally significant exhibition on the lives of Hartford's famous 19th-century couple, Sam and Elizabeth Colt. In this related award, the CHC has provided $25,000 to plan for a long-term installation of the Colt Collection of Firearms at the Atheneum. The installation will celebrate the centennial of Mrs. Colt's 1905 bequest of the collection. Contact: Thomas Denenberg, 278-2670

New Britain

$2,938 to Association for the Study of Connecticut History for Journal Publication, Connecticut History

The Association for the Study of Connecticut History (ASCH), a membership organization for Connecticut historians, received $2,938 to publish the latest issue of its semiannual magazine, Connecticut History. Contact: Matthew Warshauer, 434-0112

New Haven

$4,500 to Architecture Resource Center for New Haven's Cultural Landscape Website Pilot

The Architectural Resource Center (ARC) and the New Haven Colony Historical Society (NHCHS) in collaboration with local history, education, academic and tourism organizations, were awarded $4,500 to pilot a heritage website based on New Haven's Cultural Landscape: Its Changing People and Places, an award-winning publication chronicling the city's heritage through its built environment. The website is intended for use by schools and researchers. The CHC previously awarded the group $9,000 to plan the website project. Contact: Anna Sanko, 203-865-2195

New London

$30,000 to Sail New London, Inc. for Boats, Books & Brushes With Taste

Sail New London received $30,000 to support the literature component of its highly successful Boats, Books & Brushes With Taste festival held over Labor Day weekend on New London's waterfront. Last year, the festival hosted over one hundred authors of children's and adult books and received over 100,000 visitors. Contact: Suzanne Myler, 860-447-8370

Old Lyme

$4,500 to Florence Griswold Museum for Florence Griswold Museum Theater Pilot Project: Hassam in the Garden

The Florence Griswold Museum received $4,750 to script, promote and stage a museum theater production based on celebrated painter Childe Hassam, who maintained a studio on museum property during its heyday as a summer residence for the Lyme Art Colony. The museum will stage 24 performances over a two week period this summer in conjunction with their exhibition A Pretty Fine Old Town: Child Hassam in Old Lyme. Contact: David Rau, 434-5542

Putnam

$4,500 to Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam for Gertrude Chandler Warner Boxcar Museum

The Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam was awarded $4,500 to create a permanent tribute to the work of resident Gertrude Warner, who wrote the wildly popular Box Car Children series of books for children. The exhibition is installed in a restored boxcar train in a small park near the Putnam depot, located around the corner from the Warner home. Contact: Fred Hedenberg, 860-963-2262

South Windsor

$4,345 to Wood Memorial Library for Preservation and Presentation of the Frances Judd Collection

The Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor received $4,345 to engage a professional archivist to study a recent bequest of papers from Francis Judd, which date from the mid 1700s through the late 1800s. The papers and resulting archival research will be posted on the Internet to facilitate access by scholars, schools and the general public. Contact: Sue Crombie, (860) 289-1783

West Haven

$4,000 to Ward-Heitman House Museum Foundation, Inc. for Ward-Heitman House Museum Strategic Planning Grant 2004

The Ward-Heitman House Museum Foundation, which maintains the only remaining early 17-century house in West Haven, was awarded $4,000 to engage a consultant to guide the foundation through a strategic planning process that will determine how best to serve the cultural and educational needs of the surrounding community. Contact: Nancy Ciarleglio, 203/932-9713