Bridgeport

$4,305 to Bridgeport Public Library for Bridgeport Collective Memory: Unlocking the Past for the Future

Bridgeport Public Library received $4,305 in CHDF support to create a series of mini-exhibitions on cultural and collective memory in history using photographs from the library's Corbit collection of historic photographs. Images from the collection will be used to organize oral history interviews, memoir writing and historical education for library patrons.

Contact: Mary Witkowski, 203-576-8051

Franklin

$2,732 to Blue Slope Country Museum, Inc.for Family Farm Day at Blue Slope Country Museum

Blue Slope Museum received its first CHDF grant to host a day-long family open house that showcases traditional farming techniques. The event is organized in conjunction with the CHC's tour of Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon.

Contact: Sandra Staebner, (860) 642-6413

Glastonbury

$977 to Greater Hartford Assoc. of Historic Houses & Museums for 2005 GHAHHM Interpreter Training Symposium

The Greater Hartford Association of Historic Houses and Museums (GHAHHM) acts as a professional development resource for museum docents, museum guides and historical interpreters who present Connecticut history to the public. GHAHHM received CHDF support to host its annual training workshop. This year, the workshop will focus on interpreting historic outbuildings, such as barns, in conjunction with the CHC's Connecticut tour of the Smithsonian exhibition Barn Again!

Contact: Vivian F. Zoe, (860) 425-5560

Greenwich

$1,000 to Putnam Hill Chapter, DAR for Annual Celebration of General Putnam's Ride

The Putnam Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution received $1,000 in CHDF support to help promote their annual reenactment of General Putnam's historic ride. The grant funds improvements to the event itself as well as new brochures and other outreach materials intended to increase attendance.

Contact: Molly Kokoruda, (203) 637-4206

Hartford

$18,690 to Antiquarian and Landmarks Society for Hale Homestead Landscape Plan

The Antiquarian and Landmarks Society was awarded $18,690 in CHDF planning support to engage consultants to create a comprehensive landscape plan for the Nathan Hale Homestead., the birthplace of our state hero in Coventry. The CHC previously provided a $19,180 award in 2002 for a two-day charette to discuss interpretive strategies for the site and a series of corresponding reports by the consultants.

Contact: Beverly Lucas, 860-522-1806

Kent

$4,861 to Kent Historical Society for Kent Historical Society Strategic Plan

With a $4,861 grant from the CHC's Cultural Heritage Development Fund, the Kent Historical Society will undertake its first strategic planning project, which will align the society's goals with community need in the areas of public programming, educational outreach and membership.

Contact: Margaret McAvoy, (860) 927-4587

Lebanon

$4,766 to Lebanon Historical Society for Barn Again! Programs, Projects & Exhibit

Lebanon Historical Society, one of three Connecticut sites for the CHC-sponsored Barn Again! exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution, received $4,766 in CHDF support to create related public programs for the exhibition and cover promotional costs for the exhibition's run at the historical society.

Contact: Sally Whipple, 521-5362

$4,999 to Town of Lebanon for Beams, Rafters and Pegs: Re-creating an 18th-Century Barn Raising in a rural Town

The Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. Museum received $5,249 to recreate an old-time barn raising. The program that will run in conjunction with the CHC's tour of the Smithsonian exhibit Barn Again, which is on display at the neighboring Lebanon Historical Society.

Contact: Alicia Wayland, 860-642-7987

Litchfield

$4,956 to Litchfield Historical Society for The Rules of Engagement: Courtship in the Early Republic

With $4,956 in CHDF support, the Litchfield Historical Society will create a new exhibition on courtship practices in the early nineteenth century. The exhibition runs from April 15 through November 27, 2005.

Contact: Catherine Fields, 860-567-4501

New Haven

$7,550 to New Haven Colony Historical Society for Visitor Orientation Project

The New Haven Colony Historical Society will greatly expand its visitor services through this $7,550 grant from the CHDF, which supports planning for a new Visitor Orientation Center to include a newly-constructed facility, an introductory exhibition and interactive resources that help visitors understand the historical context of the museum and its collections.

Contact: Jennifer White-Dobbs, (203) 562-4183

New London

$4,250 to Literacy Volunteers of America - Southeastern Connecticut for Second Annual Festival of Words

With $4,250 in CHDF support, the Literacy Volunteers of Southeastern Connecticut hosts its second annual Festival of Words, a free-of-charge, day-long event that brings together a diverse audience of adults and children to meet book authors and illustrators, poets and storytellers and to join in on literature workshops. This is the second year of CHDF support for the event.

Contact: Wayne Valaitis, (203) 579-2208

$17,450 to New London Maritime Society for Thames River Maritime 2005 Celebration

A consortium of museums, historic homes, heritage associations, theatre and civic groups along the banks of the Thames River will host Thames River Heritage 2005 Celebration with this $17,450 grant from the CHDF. The celebration focuses on 4 weekends of coordinated activities that explore the maritime heritage of the Thames River area.

Contact: Melodie Foster, (860) 447-2501

Old Lyme

$50,250 to Florence Griswold Museum for Exploring the Humanities Through May Night: Willard Metcalf at Old Lyme

The Florence Griswold Museum received $50,250 for a major exhibition on the work and life of Willard Metcalf during his pivotal years as a painter in Old Lyme and featuring a display of his artwork and extensive natural history collection.

Contact: Jeffrey Andersen, (860) 434-5542

South Windsor

$1,267 to Wood Memorial Library for Master Craftsmen of Old East Windsor: Legacy of Integrity and Beauty

With a $1,267 award from the CHDF, Wood Memorial Library will host a series of five lectures and two field trips on the work of Connecticut River Valley craftsmen, from early stone carvers to master furniture maker, Eliphalet Chapin.

Contact: Jean Klein, 289-1783

Washington

$8,600 to Institute for American Indian Studiefor As We Tell Our Stories: Living Traditions and the Algonkian Peoples of Southern New England

The Institute for American Indian Studies received $8.600 in CHDF support to plan a major revision of its main exhibit that will convene a team of consultants to update and expand the exhibit's content and themes based on the most recent scholarly research on the culture, history and contributions of the region's American Indian societies from earliest settlement through the 21st century.

Contact: Lucianne Lavin, (860) 868-0518

Waterbury

$2,500 to Mattatuck Historical Society for History Bites: Fashion of the Times

The Mattatuck Museum in conjunction with the ten other museums in northwest Connecticut received $2,500 to organize a series of lunchtime history presentations that explore the historical context of fashion in the 18th-20th centuries. The organizations, representing all regions of the state, will host a unique, fashion-related talk between March and May, making History Bites a truly statewide effort.

Contact: Christine Jewell, (203) 753-0381

Windsor

$5,000 to Windsor Historical Society for Finding the Strong House Story: Research Phase for a Historic Structure Report

The Windsor Historical Society received $5,000 in CHDF Planning support to conduct much needed research on the Strong House in Windsor. This research phase of a more extensive Historic Structures Report (HSR) will help to inform decisions on how the historic fabric of the building will be replaced, repaired, and will document architectural changes over time to the building. New research will also inform the interpretation of the house and its families. This study will precipitate and guide a capital campaign for the house.

Contact: Christine Ermenc, (860) 236-5621

$4,000 to Windsor Historical Society for Improving Access to Windsor Historical Society Archival Collections

With a $4,000 award from the CHDF, the Windsor Historical Society will increase public access to its 10,000 volume research library with a focus on the library's 75 archival collections, with a focus on better services for on-site visitors and staff as well as remote patrons.

Contact: Christine Ermenc, (860) 236-5621

Woodbury

$2,500 to Seabury Society for the Preservation of the Glebe House for At Home With the Marshall Family: An Interpretation of a Late Episcopal Priest's Family Life

The Glebe House in Woodbury received $2,500 in CHDF support to mount a new exhibition on the life and times of the John Marshall family that will greatly enhance visitor understanding of and appreciation for the historical context of the house, the home of Woodbury's first Episcopal priest.

Contact: Sarah Griswold, 860-868-7756