NAKAI NORTHUP~ PRESERVING NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
2023-03-30 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Save the date!
Nakai Northup, a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and Board Member of the Stonington Historical Society, for an important discussion about preserving and conserving Native American culture and heritage.
On Thursday, March 30th at 6 PM, Nakai will explore the importance of preserving tribal culture and stories in the region, and how it relates to the broader history of Connecticut at the La Grua Center.

Rollie McKenna Community Photo Contest
2023-04-12 13:00 - 17:00 | The Old Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States

Death By Fire and Ice: The Steamboat Lexington Calamity
2023-04-20 18:00 - 19:00 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Hear author Brian E. O’Connor speak on his latest book “Death by Fire and Ice,” which recounts the tragic sinking of the steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound in 1840. With the loss of nearly all passengers and crew, it was the most devastating maritime disaster in the history of the Sound. O’Connor will delve into the aftermath of the tragedy, including the public’s demand for better steamboat safety regulations and the difficult choices Congress faced in balancing cargo liability with passenger safety.
This is a talk you won’t want to miss!

About the Author
Brian E. O’Connor is a retired lawyer and author originally from Brooklyn, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government and politics with magna cum laude honors from St. John’s University, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law, where he also served as the publications editor of the Law Review. O’Connor began his legal career as a clerk on the New York Court of Appeals before joining a prominent Wall Street law firm, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation for 38 years. He eventually retired as the firm’s General Counsel in 2017. O’Connor currently resides with his wife and two Portuguese water dogs on Eaton’s Neck in Northport, New York.

Yoga at the Lighthouse
2023-06-07 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-06-14 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-06-21 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-06-28 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-07-12 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-07-19 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-07-26 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-08-02 09:00 - 10:00 and 4 more dates | The Old Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Wednesdays at 9am. Please register at https://chbluebirdyoga.com/stonington-lighthouse

Cannon Ball 2023
2023-06-24 17:00 - 22:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us on June 24th, 2023 for the Cannon Ball!
From 5 pm – 10 pm at The Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House

Enjoy an evening of elegance and entertainment as we celebrate Stonington’s past and present as a Point of Departure. Arrive by steamship, sail, or rail. The Captain Palmer House will be transformed into a stunning venue that will take you on a journey through time when the world passed through Stonington.
RSVP by June 10th to reserve your spot. We look forward to your company!

Purchase Tickets

Annual Independence Day Parade
2023-07-04 10:00 - 11:00 | CT
Join us for the Borough Independence Day parade! It steps off at 10am from Wadawanuck Square and processes down Water Street to Cannon Square, where it turns and makes its way back to Wadawanuck Square along Main Street. Be sure to stick around for the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. This year’s grand marshal will be Beth Stewart of the Stonington Community Center. Lots of fun for the whole family! If you’d like to march in the parade, please fill out our brief form to let us know to expect you.

To Register to march in the parade, click here:
https://forms.gle/tQWfzeJnWbVBcbj59

Night of Terror: The Sinking of the Paddlewheel Steamship "Atlantic"
2023-07-13 18:00 - 19:30 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join us Thursday evening, July 13th at the La Grua Center for a fascinating lecture by Captain Bill Palmer. An Army paratrooper during the time of the Vietnam War, Palmer is now one of New England’s leading authorities on underwater wrecks and has videotaped dozens of submarines, U-boats, and sunken vessels lost in East Coast waters. As owner-operator of the charter vessel Thunderfish out of R.I. and Mystic, Conn., Captain Palmer has been diving since the late 1960s and knows the exact location of wrecks, including those where there was a large loss of life, such as the Metis and the Larchmont. This presentation promises to be one you won’t soon forget!

Annual Meeting
2023-07-16 16:00 - 18:00 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Please join us on Sunday, July 16th at 4 pm at the La Grua Center for the 127th Annual Meeting of the Stonington Historical Society. Immediately following the business meeting and elections, join us for a conversation with incoming SHS President (and Harvard Business Review Editor in Chief) Adi Ignatius about highlights of his career covering Tiananmen Square, interviewing Vladimir Putin, and other epochal moments. We will also touch on his thoughts about the mission and future of the Stonington Historical Society. Society Treasurer Paul Leeming will moderate the discussion, which will include questions from the audience. A reception will follow.
All are welcome

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter
2023-07-19 18:00 - 19:30 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join us on Wednesday, July 19 at 6 pm at the La Grua Center for a fascinating program about Ida Lewis. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter (Rowman-Littlefield), the true story of America’s heroic female lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis, join us for a presentation by the author, and filmmaker, Nico Raineau. Ida Lewis stands out in history as a true American heroine, saving upwards of 25 people from drowning and becoming famous overnight–something she neither wanted nor pursued. Despite her fame in the late 19th century, Ida Lewis has been summarily forgotten by history. Nico Raineau is producing a film adaption of Skomal’s book and is local to the Stonington area.

Maureen N. McLane: "What you Want" and Queer Poetics
2023-08-08 17:00 - 18:00 | The R. W. Woolworth Library & Research Center, 40 Palmer Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States

Big Lux at the Lighthouse Museum
2023-09-10 17:00 - 19:00 | The Old Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
We are so excited to be hosting the wildly talented Big Lux at the Lighthouse Museum this fall! Tickets are available through our website. This event will take place outside on the lawn at the Lighthouse Museum, so be sure to bring your blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy this sunset concert overlooking Little Narragansett Bay. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chelsea Mitchell at cmitchell@stoningtonhistory.org

Langdon Hammer: James Merrill's Stonington
2023-09-14 17:00 - 18:30 | The R. W. Woolworth Library & Research Center, 40 Palmer Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States

New England's Other Witch Hunt
2023-10-19 18:00 - 19:30 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Everyone knows about the witch hunt at Salem in 1692. But few people know that in the years before Salem, Connecticut was New England’s fiercest witch prosecutor. The first person hanged for witchcraft in New England came from Windsor, and every single person indicted for witchcraft in Connecticut in its early years was convicted and hanged. Walt Woodward brings this extraordinary and nearly forgotten story to life in a lecture that begins with the Protestant Reformation and traces its history all the way through the Hartford Witch hunt of the 1660’s – a nightmare of trials and executions that preceded Salem by a generation. He also shows how Connecticut’s Governor John Winthrop, Jr. and his friend Rev. Gershom Bulkeley intervened to transform Connecticut from New England’s most aggressive witch hunter to a colony that completely ended executions for witchcraft thirty years before they even began at Salem. Along the way, he answers all those questions you’ve wondered about the early witch hunts, and explains why almost everyone in the 1600s believed that witchcraft was very real, and terribly dangerous.

This event is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required. Please arrive before 6pm at the La Grua Center.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Costume Party
2023-10-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us at the Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer House for a Halloween Costume Party to remember! Step back in time (and underwater) in this famous captains’ house and enjoy an evening of music, cocktails and spooky frights. We can’t wait to party like we’re aboard the Nautilus.

Tickets are available on our homepage by clicking the “Buy Tickets” tab at the far right. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Librarian, Chelsea Mitchell at library@stoningtonhistory.org.

Book Club Discussion - In the Village
2024-01-31 17:00 - 19:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us at the Captain Palmer House (40 Palmer St., Stonington) for our first book club discussion! This winter, tuck into “In the Village” by Anthony Bailey. Our discussion takes place on Wednesday, January 31st at 5pm. Registration is required at this link – Click Here.

Book Club Discussion - In the Village
2024-02-06 17:00 - 19:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us at the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House for a book club discussion of In the Village by Anthony Bailey. This is the second date added for this discussion, due to popular demand. If you missed out on registering for January 31st, be sure to register for this one. Spaces fill up quickly! Register here.

Book Club Discussion – Draggerman's Haul by Ellery Thompson
2024-03-28 17:00 - 18:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us at the Captain Palmer House (40 Palmer Street) for a book club discussion! Click here to purchase the book through our website or stop by the Palmer House between 8 AM and 3 PM to purchase from the shop. Our discussion takes place on March 28th at 5 PM. Registration is required. Click here to register. Please note: This is not a lecture. Please come prepared to discuss the book, which will be moderated by Susan Tamulevich.

The Cannonball 2024: Voyage on the Houqua
2024-06-29 17:00 - 22:00 | Captain Palmer House
To Purchase Tickets or Learn More about the event, Click Here: https://e.givesmart.com/events/BSf/This year, we are excited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Cannonball Gala! It will be held on June 29th, 2024, at the Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer house. Our theme this year, “Voyage on the Houqua,” holds a special significance to Stonington and the Palmer family.Abiel Abbot Low (February 7, 1811 – January 7, 1893) was an American entrepreneur, businessman, trader, and philanthropist who gained most of his fortune from the China trade, importing teas, porcelains, and silk, and building and operating a fleet of reputable clipper ships. In 1833, Low sailed to Canton, China, and started working as a clerk for the mercantile house of Russell & Company, the largest American firm in China and also the country’s leading American opium trading and smuggling enterprise. In 1840, he launched his own business in a joint venture with Wu Bingjian, also known as Houqua, a mentor for young Americans in China, a very important Hong merchant, head of the Canton Cohong and one of the richest men in China. The company, A. A. Low & Brother named for both him and his brother, Josiah Orne Low, rapidly became one of the leading China and Japan silks and teas trading companies. Their original offices are now home to the South Street Seaport Museum.In 1843, William Low and his pregnant wife, Ann, traveled back to the US from China on board the ship Paul Jones. During the journey, Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, a Stonington native, was also on board. Palmer had spent more than thirty years at sea and was the first American to sight the continent of Antarctica in 1820. Frustrated with the slow pace of the Paul Jones, Captain Nat started carving a block of wood to create a model of his ideal hull design for a trading ship. When they arrived in New York, Nat brought the design to A.A. Low & Brothers. When completed in 1844, it was the fastest clipper ship in the world, condensing a six-month voyage into just 100 days. The ship was named Houqua (Hoo-Kwah), after the powerful Hong merchant, who had died the year before the ship was launched.The Voyage of the Houqua propelled Captain Nat and other Stonington captains deep into the lucrative China Trade with innovative new designs that helped to create a global economy with America in the lead and effectively changed the course of history. Fortunes were made importing tea, opium, spices, and silk – and some of it was used to build Pine Point, the Palmer Family home, in 1851. This year we celebrate the ingenuity of Captain Palmer, explore trade routes, and dive into the shipboard experiences of the men and women who traveled these routes.

Historic Stonington Annual Meeting
2024-07-14 16:00 - 18:00 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join us for our Annual Meeting on Sunday, July 14th at 4pm at the LaGrua Center. Author Michael J. Tougias will be speaking on King Philip’s War. Tougias is the author and co-author of 30 non-fiction books including his latest, Extreme Survivial: Lessons from Those Who Have Triumphed Against All Odds. More about Mr. Tougias can be found at www.michaeltougias.com.
A short reception will follow. This program is free and open to the public.
