Welcome
to the Naugatuck Historical Society
and Museum Web Site
Founded in 1959, The Naugatuck Historical Society is a membership
supported nonprofit organization bringing together people who are
interested in history, and especially in the history of Naugatuck,
Connecticut, and environs.
The
School, the Museum and the Sesquicentennial
The
Naugatuck Historical Society has the extreme pleasure
of working with a group of dedicated history students
at Naugatuck High School under the direction of teacher
Matthew Laplaca. The collaboration between the high
school and the society is a wonderful example of 21st
Century Learning. To read more click
here.
Upcoming
Events and Important Dates More
info is on the Events page. Events
are at the NHS Museum unless otherwise noted. Calendar
of events
New
Exhibit Opening February and March
Flavors
of Connecticut This temporary exhibit featuring artifacts from Avery Soda,
the oldest soda company still bottling in Connecticut, Nardelli's
Grinder Shop, featured on the Travel Channel and Fascia's Chocolates,
a family owned and run business for generations will only be
available for two months. Explore the history of other local
flavors such as Peter Paul, Naugatuck Creamery and Diamond Ginger
Ale through the artifacts of the Society's archives. $2 a person,
$5 a family or free for members, call or email for group tours.
Second
Saturday of the Month
1 pm
The
Naugatuck Valley Genealogy Club will hold their monthly
meetings at the Naugatuck Historical Society, 195 Water Street,
Naugatuck, on the second Saturday of every month at 1:00 p.m.
The public is invited and admission is free for members of the
Club or the NHS, $2 for everyone else. Storm cancellations will
be announced on radio WTIC-AM, TV WFSB, and internet www.wfsb.com.
For more information, visit the club website at www.naugatuckvalleygenealogyclub.org
or call Dick Kreitner, (203) 881-8181.
April
27 (Reception)
April 28
NaugARTtuck Day
5th
Annual Celebration of Art
Dedicated to Pam Bogert
Stroll through the historic railroad station enjoying art, wine,
cheese, silent auction, live music by the Woodwind Ensemble
and more. This year's celebration will include a juried show
and awards to artists in different categories.
Tickets available at the museum, $10 for members and $15 for
non-members.
For information about having your artwork on display, please
contact the Society, 203 729 9039 or
(Call
to Artists).
If you are interested in having your business sponsor the 5th
Annual Celebration of Art and the awards for the artists please
contact
or call Wendy Murphy at 203 218-5349. (Sponsorship
Information)
First
Thursdays,
6-8 pm
First
Thursdays are monthly programs offering a unique museum
experience. Each month on the first Thursday of the month
the Museum will be open from 6-8pm, each month will bring
a different opportunity to explore different topics, exhibits,
presentations, performances and other interactive programs.
The Naugatuck Savings Bank Foundation has generously funded
First Thursdays for an entire year, allowing us to hire professional
speakers and performers, add hands on activities for children
and families and update our exhibits to include more family
friendly experiences.
Upcoming Schedule includes:
April
4, 6-8pm
The Citizen Solider and the Online Civil War Museum Students at Naugatuck High School have brought the 21st
Century to the Civil War at the Naugatuck Historical Society
Museum. Come and check out this ongoing project where students
get to work with primary sources and make them available to
the world through the online Museum.
Local author Karl Bacon will also be on site to give a presentation
on the life of the citizen solider during the Civil War. Get
to know what life was really like for the men who left their
families to go and fight for the blue and the grey.
Children can explore the North vs the South through flag and
map activities.
May 2, 6-8pm
Salem Bridge Clock - Grand Opening One of our new artifacts on display is a working Salem
Bridge Clock with a reverse glass painting done by one of
the Whittemores. Come to the Museum and learn about these
unusual clocks with parts made right here, before we were
even called Naugatuck. We will have an expert on hand to share
the unique history of these clocks.
Reverse Painting? Sounds like it might be more like erasing,
but it is not. Let your family try their hand at this unique
art technique of painting on glass, where the details go first
and the background gets painted last. We won't be using real
glass, but it is much harder than it looks and will give you
a new appreciation for art work on each of the clocks.
Admission is free for members for all First
Thursdays and only $2 a person and $5 a family.
A special thank you to the Naugatuck
Savings Bank Foundation for allowing us to offer these
new and expanded programs to the community.
Board
of Directors Meetings take place monthly on the third
Wednesday, all members are welcome to attend. For information, call us
at 729-9039 or 729-3754 or email
NEW!
Items on the web site
NHS
Newsletters ("The Bridge") now on the
web site! Click button on top left of page (or go to newsletters)
Pictures
from the July 22 Craft Program: Upside-Down Painting, July
8 Craft Program: Buttons, Beads and Rubber Bands, June 4
Celebration of Art Reception, May 30th Memorial Day Parade,
April 16 Performance "They Call Me Lizzy",
March 3, 2011 performance by the Horgan Academy of Irish
Dance and from the September 2010 Art Show
Historical
info on Naugatuck's Mayors and Wardens, and past Presidents
of the NHS
NHS
Officers and Board Members
2013
Board Members
President
Wendy
Murphy
Vice
President and Town Historian
Sandra
Clark
Treasurer
Marty
Lee Fenton
Secretary
Bridget
Mariano
Director
Horace
Cushman
Director
Wayne
Malicki
Director
Ken
Hanks
Director
Ron
Gagliardi
Director
Mary
Ann Reilly
Director
Mary
Mazeiko
Director
Joan
Taf
Director
Brian
Moruska
“Naugatuck
has a very illustrious history. Researching has led me to
uncover many little known facts and firsts about our community.”
-Sandra Clark
Ask
our Town Historian Do you have a question for Naugatuck's
Town Historian? Email or call the Naugatuck Historical Society
and Sandra along with our team of volunteers will help you find
the answer to your question.
Sandra has a vast knowledge of local history and contacts around
the state to help our community gain a deeper understanding
of the town we live in. Sandra is a regular contributor to our
newsletter and regularly leads our scout and school programs.
Holiday
ornaments from past
years are still available; see them on the Museum
Store page. Also, see items recently put on SALE!
Naugatuck
Hall of Fame
At the right is one of the old photographs from the Naugatuck
Hall of Fame exhibit which was previously featured in the
Ebersole Room of the Museum (now it features the Rubber Industry
Exhibit). It's a picture of a 1900 basketball team (double-click
the picture for a larger version.
For a
history of the Naugatuck Hall of Fame, click here.
Wish
List . . .
The research
part of our activities is always increasing, and the requests come
from all over. We have a need for some reference books for our reference
room. Below is a partial list of our needs. If you can donate any
of these books to the Society, please
. Thank You!
Wish
List
Rockey,
J. L. (editor)
The
History of New Haven County, published in 1892 in two
volumes
Anderson,
Joseph:
The
Town and City Of Waterbury, Connecticut. Three Volumes
Bronson,
Henry:
The
History of Waterbury, Connecticut
We have also
started a fund for purchasing books for the reference room. Our
first donation was for $50 from Marilyn Nichols. Please consider
contributing to this fund.
Museum
store
Do your
Shopping in our Museum Store!
Buy a Naugatuck ornament, an afghan of Naugatuck landmarks, a NHS
sweatshirt or a Naugatuck History book. Copies of Ron Gagliardi's
book "Naugatuck Revisited" and Charles Slack's
book "A Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock
and the race to unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of the Nineteenth
Century" are still available. Many more items are available
than are shown on the Museum Store
page. Come and take a look!
