Yoga at the Lighthouse
2023-08-16 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-08-23 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-08-30 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | The Old Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Wednesdays at 9am. Please register at https://chbluebirdyoga.com/stonington-lighthouse

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.

A Fireman in the Making with Rob Palmer
2024-07-17 17:00 - 18:30 | The R. W. Woolworth Library & Research Center, 40 Palmer Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join us on Wednesday, July 17th at 5pm in the Woolworth Library for a fascinating illustrated presentation with local author, Rob Palmer. Mr. Palmer will discuss his latest publication, which recounts the trials and triumphs of a young fireman in Manhattan at the turn of the last century. You will learn about the research process, and lots of interesting historical tidbits about the fire departments mentioned in this work. Free and open to all.

Book Club: The Bitter Tea of General Yen
2024-08-25 16:00 - 17:30 | Captain Palmer House
Grace Zaring Stone was an American novelist and short story writer who lived in Stonington and wrote under the pen name of Ethel Vance. Three of her novels were made into films, including Bitter Tea of General Yen, which was directed by Frank Capra.
Her grandson, Peter Perenyi, will lead a discussion of this 1930 novel at the Captain Palmer House.
The novel is centered around the beautiful Megan Davis who finds herself caught in the toils of civil war between Republican and Communist forces. Determined to save the inhabitants of an orphanage in a Communist-occupied city, Megan joins a nighttime rescue mission that ends up under attack by a mob. She avoids death only through to the intervention of General Yen.
The novel was adapted for the big screen in 1933 and starred Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, and Toshia Mori.

Registration is required for this event. To register please click this link: https://forms.gle/VLoiNBR3pG9WktEN9

Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer: 19th Century Master Mariner
2024-08-28 18:00 - 19:00 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join author Harry Martin as he discusses his new biography of Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer. Learn about the complex family relationships, life experiences and tragedy that made Captain Palmer one of the most well-respected and famous sea Captains of his time. Free and open to the public. La Grua Center, August 28th at 6pm.

The Triad and the Map
2024-09-14 10:00 - 15:00 | Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join Historic Stonington and Connect to Create to experience “The Triad and the Map” at the Stonington Art Walk on September 14th, 2024.
Seated at a table overlooking the shoreline, audiences take cues from a performer as they collectively trace their relationship to the history and future of the land.
The 30-minute performance takes place in the air-conditioned second-floor gallery of the Stonington Lighthouse and is presented by Historic Stonington and Connect To Create.
The Annual Stonington Borough Art Walk: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Showtimes: 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3
Limited seating available. Ages 14+. Book your ticket in advance Click Here
$10: Ticket includes admission to the historic lighthouse museum.

The Custom House: Tour with Elizabeth Wood
2024-09-30 17:00 - 18:30 | CT
Join Executive Director Elizabeth Wood on Monday, September 30th for an exclusive look inside the Stonington Custom House. Starting at 5pm, Elizabeth Wood will present a short history of the building and the prominent people who made it all possible, before visitors will be allowed to explore the interior of the building. This is a rare opportunity made possible by owners Damon and Sally Ball. No registration is required – come join us!

Memory and Forgiveness: A Conversation about the Pequot Experience in America
2024-10-20 17:00 - 18:30 | The La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join journalist and Historic Stonington Board President Adi Ignatius for an in depth interview with Pequot Tribal Member and Museum Educator, Nakai Northup. This event is free and open to the public and will take place on Sunday, October 20th at 5pm at the La Grua Center.
Adi Ignatius is Editor in Chief of the Harvard Business Review. Before joining HBR, he was the No. 2 editor at Time magazine, based in New York. Prior to that, he worked as a foreign correspondent for more than two decades.
Nakai Northup is a Tribal Educator with 10+ years’ experience in teaching in eastern woodland tribal history. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and has recently founded his own business, RezLife Outdoors. As an activist for native rights, Nakai has traveled around the country, and participated in the protest at Standing Rock. Nakai has spent his entire life on his reservations and has a strong love for his Pequot and Narragansett communities and preserving ancient traditions for the younger generations.

Let's Build It: Historic Stonington
2024-11-02 13:00 - 17:00 | Stonington Community Center, 28 Cutler Street, Stonington, Connecticut, 06378
The Stonington COMO and Historic Stonington are proud to partner on a fun and family-friendly event, Saturday, November 2nd. Create teams of up to four people and build replicas of the historic structures of Stonington out of building blocks! You and your team will choose one of more than 50 historic buildings from Stonington Borough to recreate and then place on a to-scale map on the floor of the COMO gymnasium. All materials are provided on the day of the build and the cost is just $25 per team. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon and celebrate the beautiful architecture of our town. Scan the QR code on the flyer to get started.

Book Club Discussion with Stuart Vyse: The Steamboat Hotel
2024-11-13 17:00 - 18:30 | CT
From 1837 to 1900 Stonington, Connecticut was a major transportation hub on the route between New York and Boston. Steamboats leaving Manhattan followed Long Island Sound to Stonington Harbor where passengers boarded trains for the rest of the journey to Providence or Boston.
Stonington’s Steamboat Hotel, built in 1838 near the piers and railroad yard, was home to saloons, restaurants, a pool hall, a cigar shop, a tailor, and a barber shop. Merchants, hotel keepers, and saloon workers passed through the building, each with their own unique story. Many of them were immigrants or first-generation Americans, and they are a window onto a late 19th-century class of merchants and service workers.
Join local author Stuart Vyse for a discussion of his recent foray into local history, The Steamboat Hotel.
Participants should be familiar with book and come prepared with questions or comments. Refreshments will be served. This program is free and open to all.
Books are available at the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House in Stonington

Deck the Walls Preview Party
2024-12-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Captain Palmer House
Historic Stonington is happy to announce that we are once again partnering with the Stonington Garden Club for this year’s Deck the Walls which will be held at the Captain Palmer House at 40 Palmer Street in Stonington and will run from November 29th through December 1st. Deck the Walls is an annual event whereby local businesses and individuals create holiday wreaths and tabletop décor for a festive preview party and online auction. This will be the 17th consecutive year that the two organizations have partnered to produce this community event.
All proceeds from Deck the Walls benefit Historic Stonington’s mission to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the history of Stonington and are earmarked for the maintenance of the grounds and gardens at the Lighthouse Museum on Stonington Point and the Palmer House Museum at 40 Palmer Street in Stonington. Contributions from previous Deck the Walls have allowed Historic Stonington to maintain the lovely seaside garden behind the lighthouse museum and to preserve the outer grounds at the Captain Palmer House including a charming woodland walking path bordering Quanaduck Cove which is open to the public.
The Deck the Walls weekend will kick off with a festive ticketed preview party on December 5 from 6 – 8 PM, followed by an open house on Friday, December 6th and Saturday, December 7 between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Please contact Renee Petruzelli at 860-535-8445 ×11 or at development@historicstonington.org if you have any questions.

Deck the Walls Open House & Online Auction
2024-12-06 10:00 - 16:00 | CT
Browse the fantastic selection of artisan-made wreaths, tabletop decor, and gift certificates for Grota Solna Salt Cave and the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, holiday cookie platters, and decor to celebrate the season and benefit a great cause. Visit the Palmer House today and tomorrow to see the selections in person or visit the auction website HERE!
All proceeds from Deck the Walls benefit Historic Stonington’s mission to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the history of Stonington and are earmarked for the maintenance of the grounds and gardens at the Lighthouse Museum on Stonington Point and the Palmer House Museum at 40 Palmer Street in Stonington. Contributions from previous Deck the Walls have allowed Historic Stonington to maintain the lovely seaside garden behind the lighthouse museum and to preserve the outer grounds at the Captain Palmer House including a charming woodland walking path bordering Quanaduck Cove which is open to the public.
The open house is Friday, December 6th and Saturday, December 7th between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Please contact Renee Petruzelli at 860-535-8445 ×11 or at development@historicstonington.org if you have any questions.

Deck the Walls Open House & Online Auction
2024-12-07 10:00 - 16:00 | Captain Palmer House
Browse the fantastic selection of artisan-made wreaths, tabletop decor, and gift certificates to Grota Solna Salt Cave and the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, holiday cookie platters, and decor to celebrate the season and benefit a great cause. Visit the Palmer House today to see the selections in person or visit the auction website HERE!
All proceeds from Deck the Walls benefit Historic Stonington’s mission to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the history of Stonington and are earmarked for the maintenance of the grounds and gardens at the Lighthouse Museum on Stonington Point and the Palmer House Museum at 40 Palmer Street in Stonington. Contributions from previous Deck the Walls have allowed Historic Stonington to maintain the lovely seaside garden behind the lighthouse museum and to preserve the outer grounds at the Captain Palmer House including a charming woodland walking path bordering Quanaduck Cove which is open to the public.
The open house is Friday, December 6th and Saturday, December 7th between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Please contact Renee Petruzelli at 860-535-8445 ×11 or at development@historicstonington.org if you have any questions.

The Nightcap Before Christmas
2024-12-12 17:00 - 19:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us at the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House for our newest holiday tradition – The Nightcap Before Christmas, a holiday cocktail tasting. Each year features a different theme, and this year we are tasting drinks inspired by classic Christmas songs. We are also sharing a new format – so if you’ve attended before – this year will be something new! Bring your friends and enjoy a great evening out, in support of your favorite history-focused non-profit. Tickets are $25, but they are limited so be sure to get yours before they sell out!
Click here to buy your tickets.
Have questions? Call 860-535-1131 to speak to Chelsea, or email library@historicstonington.org.

Victorian Valentines
2025-02-08 10:00 - 12:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us for a heartwarming celebration of love and creativity at our family Valentine card workshop. During this fun, hands-on program, families will design and craft unique Victorian-inspired Valentine cards. We’ll provide all the materials and inspiration you need to create beautiful cards to share with your loved ones.
Bring your creativity and your family for a memorable morning of art and connection. The cost is $15 per family, and space is limited.
Click here to purchase tickets. https://www.historicstonington.org/product/victorian-valentines-family-ticket/

Dear Valentine: The Art of Writing Love Letters
2025-02-09 16:00 - 18:00 | Captain Palmer House
This event has been canceled.

The Band of Steady Habits: The Irish in Connecticut
2025-03-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Saint Michael’s Church, 60 Liberty St, Pawcatuck, CT, 06379
Join Historic Stonington at St. Michael’s Parish Hall on Thursday, March 13th beginning at 6pm for a special concert presented by the Band of Steady Habits. The program is a three-century overview of life for the Irish in Connecticut from the 1640s to the present. An amazing story of struggle, perseverance, acceptance, and success, accompanied by both rousing and heart-rending music. The band describes themselves on their website: “The acoustic Band of Steady Habits came together in 2014 to share their love of music, and to use their talents to help create a new kind of public history presentation. Rachel Smith, Teagan Smith, Jeremy Teitelbaum, Walt Woodward, and Duke York use banjo, guitars, violin, recorders, bass, percussion, and beautiful harmonies to perform songs – some old, some original, and some contemporary – to accompany visually rich and evocative historical stories. This is definitely a celebration of Irish culture and heritage that you don’t want to miss!

Fields of Gold Flower Show with the Stonington Garden Club
2025-04-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Captain Palmer House
Open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm on Friday, April 11th, Fields of Gold is a club flower show presented by members of the Stonington Garden Club, in celebration of the joyful harbinger of spring, the daffodil. The show’s schedule includes several classes each in floral design, horticulture, and photography. Noted gardener Ian Cooke will give a presentation at 2 PM that is open to all. Your visit won’t be complete until you take a walk through the cove side campus where Stonington Garden Club planted more than 3,000 daffodils in 2024.
This event is free and open to the public, but if you’d like to make a donation, please click here.

The Spring Fever of the Daffodil
2025-04-11 14:00 - 16:00 | The R. W. Woolworth Library & Research Center, 40 Palmer Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Join us on Friday, April 11th at 2pm in the RW Woolworth Library & Research Center for a presentation by world renowned English Horticulturalist, Ian Cooke as part of the Fields of Gold flower show, presented by Historic Stonington and the Stonington Garden Club.
Daffodils are the harbinger of spring for many, and their emergence is the sign of nature’s unrelenting optimism. In this presentation, Ian Cooke will explore the genus narcissus from early cultivation by the Romans to modern day cultural practices, and lots of stops along the way to uncover this remarkable plant.
Mr. Cooke’s work has taken from the vast estates of Connecticut’s Gold Coast to the greenhouses of Monrovia nurseries in California. He travels the world as a horticultural lecturer, and his Youtube channel Planted with Ian Cooke, features the world of plants and planting.
This program is free with admission to the Fields of Gold event, and the Captain Palmer House.

Pressed Petals: A Flower Pressing Workshop
2025-04-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Captain Palmer House
Discover the delicate art of preserving nature’s beauty in our Pressed Petals workshop.
Whether you are a nature lover, a crafting enthusiast, or just looking for a fun, relaxing experience at the museum, this workshop offers the perfect opportunity to connect with nature, friends, and families in a creative way.
Materials will be included.
