Offices and Library Closed
2025-10-13 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | CT

Let's Build It! Historic Stonington
2025-11-08 12:30 - 17:00 | CT
“Let’s Build It!” is a family friendly event where teams use building blocks to construct a 3D map of historic Stonington. Hosted by Historic Stonington and the Stonington Community Center (COMO), it is scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the COMO Gym. Participants aged 7 and up work together to recreate landmarks and celebrate the town’s history.

Event details

What: “Let’s Build It! Building Block Workshop”

Who: Hosted by Historic Stonington and the Stonington Community Center (COMO)

When: Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM DOORS OPEN AT 12:30!

Where: COMO Gym, 28 Cutler St, Stonington, CT

What to expect: Teams of up to 4 people will build iconic Stonington landmarks on a giant map, guided by architect Stephen W. Schwartz.

Cost: The event has a nominal fee for teams, with tickets available online.

Registration: the como.org/como-events/

How to participate

Form a team: Teams can have up to four members.

Gather your team: Participants must be age 7 or older.

Get tickets: Visit the COMO website for registration details and to purchase tickets.

Build: Attend the event at the COMO Gym on November 8, 2025, where your team will receive a historic landmark to recreate.

Deck the Walls Preview Party
2025-12-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Captain Palmer House
A kick-off to the holidays preview party for Deck the Walls, where you will have the exclusive opportunity to preview and purchase wreaths before the auction opens!
Captain N.B. Palmer House on December 4, 2025 6pm – 8pm

Deck the Walls Auction & Open House
2025-12-05 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-06 10:00 - 14:00 | Captain Palmer House
Deck the Walls Auction and Open House is being held on December 5 and 6 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm! This event is FREE

The Nightcap Before Christmas
2025-12-17 17:00 - 19:00 | Captain Palmer House
Join us for our annual holiday cocktail tasting – the Nightcap Before Christmas! On Wednesday, December 17th from 5pm to 7pm, at the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House.
Our Librarian Chelsea Mitchell will guide you through a tasting of drinks popular during the American Revolution.
Tickets are $25 each and are available on our website. Let’s party like its 1775!
Please note this event is 21+.
There are only 30 spots available for this very popular event, so be sure to reserve your tickets now!

Changing Course with author Peter J. Emanuel Jr.
2026-01-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Captain Palmer House
Looking for something to break up the dreary winter nights? Come join us for a fascinating talk with local author and historian, Peter J. Emanuel Jr. Some of you might recognize him as a former music and history teacher at the Williams School. Emanuel’s book, “Course Change” explores the role of the New London whaleship, Stonington, as it unwittingly becomes embroiled in an international conflict.
The Stonington, a whaleship from New London, Connecticut, is sailing a course for home after being at sea for more than three years. When it pulls into San Diego, California in September 1846 for food and supplies, the crew learns that war has broken out between the United States and Mexico. The town is under siege by Mexican forces, leaving the US inhabitants no escape route but the sea. In response to their desperate situation, the Stonington’s captain allows them to take refuge aboard his ship. Thus begins the first step in what would become the Stonington’s months-long tour of duty as a member of the US Navy’s Pacific Squadron.
Using the logbook of the whaleship Stonington together with other primary and secondary sources, historian Peter J. Emanuel, Jr. tells the story of a whaleship unlike any other in the annals of whaling. Sail along with the Stonington as it assists in the retaking of San Diego, then serves as a supply ship, a troop ship, and even a gun ship for the US Navy.
This program is free and open to the public. It takes place Thursday, January 22nd at 6pm at the Captain N.B. Palmer House.

Blood Chits, Short Snorters, and Nose Art: Robert Bindo Fain in the South Pacific
2026-03-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Mystic VFW, 60 Stonington Rd., Mystic, CT, 06355, United States
Join brothers John and Scott Fain on Wednesday, March 4th at 6pm at the Mystic VFW, for a presentation about their father, Robert Bindo Fain (1923-1991), and his experiences in the South Pacific during World War II. A Mystic native, Fain was drafted into the Army Air Forces and served on board a B-25 bomber. He flew in 57 missions and collected dozens of photographs, military records, and artifacts that tell the story of his experiences as a gunner in the South Pacific theater from 1943 until 1945. Many of these photographs depict “nose art”, decorative painting usually on the fuselage of World War II era airplanes, depicting women from popular culture. Fain was shot down twice and awarded the Purple Heart. He later worked for the Cottrell Company and as a machinist at Electric Boat.
Due to the graphic nature of the artwork shown and discussed in this program, we recommend this program for mature audiences only. You have been warned!

This event is free and open to the public, and is generously co-hosted by the Mystic VFW.

Let's Build It! Building Blocks Event
2026-03-28 12:00 - 17:00 | Stonington Community Center, 28 Cutler Street, Stonington, Connecticut, 06378
Save the Date!
Join Historic Stonington, the COMO, and Architect Stephen W. Schwartz, AIA as we build 50 iconic buildings on a giant map of Stonington!
This is a family-friendly event for Ages 7+. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
View the final map between 3-5 PM
Doors open at 12:00 PM.

American Ramble: Celebrating 250 years of American music
2026-04-12 15:00 - 16:30 | Westerly Armory, Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Join us on Sunday, April 12th at 3pm at the Westerly Armory for a special America 250 event, American Ramble. Celebrating 250 years of American music, this free public concert will also commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Westerly Armory. The Westerly Band will play a wide selection of American favorites, including traditional folk music, military marches, songs by Elvis Presley, and movie themes by John Williams – to name a few! This event is sure to have you tapping your toes and feeling nostalgic.

Rollie McKenna Community Photo Contest
2026-04-16 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-17 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-18 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-19 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-23 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-24 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-25 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-26 10:00 - 14:00 | Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Come down to the Lighthouse Museum between 10am and 2pm to vote for this year’s entries in the Rollie McKenna Community Photo Contest! The museum will be open with free admission, Thursday to Sunday, April 16th to the 26th. This year’s theme is “America the Beautiful”, and is sure to be an event you don’t want to miss!
This event is generously sponsored by ABC Photo Lab of Mystic.

Cemetery Clean Up Day
2026-04-25 10:00 - 12:00 | Quiambaug Cove Professional Center, 107 Wilcox Road, Stonington, CT, 06378, United States
Always wondered about Stonington’s numerous historic cemeteries? Want to do your part to help preserve the final resting places of Revolutionary War veterans and their families?
The Stonington Cemetery Commission has partnered with Historic Stonington, the Abigail Hinman Chapter of the DAR and the America 250 Committee to host a Headstone Cleaning Workshop on Saturday, April 25th from 10am to 12pm at the Thomas Miner cemetery on Wilcox Road, across from the Quiambaug Cove Professional Center. All cleaning materials will be provided, all you have to bring along is a pair of work gloves and some water to stay hydrated. Members of the Cemetery Commission will provide a short demonstration on best practices for headstone cleaning, and talk briefly about the people who are buried in the cemetery before work commences. This is a great way to get involved in your local community, while also paying respect to the brave men and women who have gone before us.
No registration is necessary. Parking will be available in the QCPC parking lot across the street from the Avalonia parcel where the cemetery is located, off Wilcox Road.

Cemetery Clean Up Day
2026-06-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Robinson Burying Groud, Broad St, Stoington, CT, 06378
Are you looking for hands-on ways to support the preservation of Stonington’s history? Want to do your part to pay respect to the final resting places of Revolutionary War veterans and their families?
The Stonington Cemetery Commission has partnered with Historic Stonington, the Abigail Hinman Chapter DAR and the America 250 Committee to host a second headstone cleaning workshop on Saturday, June 6th from 10am to 12pm at the Robinson Burial Ground on Broad Street in Stonington Borough. All cleaning materials will be provided, we kindly ask that you bring your own work gloves and some water to stay hydrated. Members of the Cemetery Commission will provide a short demonstration on best practices for headstone cleaning, and talk briefly about the people who are buried in the cemetery. This is a great way to do your part, and honor the sacrifices of the men and women who fought to secure our independence.
No registration is necessary. Parking is available at the public lot at the town docks, just a short walk from the burial ground.

Gardens by the Sea Marketplace
2026-06-12 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-13 10:00 - 16:00 | CT
Stop by and visit us at our booth at the Stonington Garden Club Tour “Gardens by the Sea” marketplace in Wadawanuck Square from 10am to 4pm on Friday and Saturday, June 12th and 13th. We’ll be selling Stonington America 250 merchandise, and handing out free pocket constitutions. Think you know all there is to know about the American Revolution? What about civics? Try your hand at our trivia challenge and maybe you will walk away with a prize!

2026 Cannonball: One if by Land, Two if by Sea
2026-06-27 17:00 - 22:00 | Captain Palmer House
One if by Land, Two if by Sea
Saturday, the Twenty-Seventh of June
In the year Two Thousand Twenty-Six
A Most Splendid & Revolutionary Gala
Powder thy wigs, polish thy dancing slippers, and mark well thy calendar for the Cannon Ball!
When in the course of human festivities it becomes necessary to cast aside the ordinary and
convene for revelry most resplendent, let it be known throughout the colony: A grand affair approaches!
By the glow of lantern light and the daring of midnight riders, we shall assemble in fine fashion
to toast to liberty, bold adventure, and independence with uncommon cheer. Expect spirited libations,
jubilant company, and merriment enough to make even the Sons of Liberty tap their buckled shoes.
A formal summons shall be delivered posthaste but if one wishes to secure their attendance early,
they need only click the button below to acquire tickets.
Revelry Awaits

Stonington Scavenger Hunt
2026-07-01 00:00 - 2026-07-25 23:59 | CT
The Stonington America 250 Committee has partnered with the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce to bring you a fun and exciting way to explore Stonington with your family and friends. Download the (free) Go Mystic App to participate. Decipher clues that will lead you to 18 sites across town, from Mystic to Pawcatuck and everywhere in between. Along the way you’ll learn fascinating tidbits about the role of Stonington during the American Revolution. Once you’ve solved the clue and found the location, take a selfie in front of the organization or business, right in the app! Solve nine or more clues successfully, and you’ll be entered into our prize drawing where you could win one of three fantastic prize packages. Solve all 18 clues correctly and you’ll receive three entries in the prize drawing. The prize drawing will take place at the Village Fair (you do not need to be present to win). This event runs from July 1st to the 25th, so grab some friends and rediscover the many beautiful spaces and places that make Stonington such a wonderful place to live.

Annual Fourth of July Parade
2026-07-04 10:00 - 12:00 | CT
Come one, come all! The Stonington Borough annual Fourth of July Parade steps off from Wadawanuck Square on Saturday, July 4th at 10am. This holiday tradition is one of our favorites each year, and if you time it right, you can see the parade twice! (Once on Water Street, and again on Main Street!) Generously sponsored by the Stonington Village Improvement Association and the Borough of Stonington Warden and Burgesses, this family-friendly event is sure to stir those feelings of patriotism! At the conclusion of the parade, spectators and marchers will gather in Wadawanuck Square for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. This year, Historic Stonington is honoring our military servicemen and women. Readers will be: Patrick Keenan (USN), Suzanne Matteson (USA), Eric Johnson (USAF), and John Maxham (USCG). After the reading, the SVIA and Dog Watch Cafe will be hosting an ice cream social at Mathews’ Park, and the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce will be sharing a giant birthday cake on Wadawanuck Square. We hope you’ll join us!

Dancing at the Docks
2026-07-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Stonington Town Docks, 2 High St, Stonington Borough, 06378
The Stonington America 250 Committee has partnered with the Stonington Village Improvement Association to bring you a free, family friendly dance party at the Town Docks on the evening of July 4th, 2026. Enjoy two hours of dancing from 7pm to 9pm on the grassy area near the playground. Woodfellas Pizza and an ice cream truck will be there to keep you fed and happy. Come down and enjoy glow-in-the-dark temporary tattoos, glow sticks and more as we celebrate 250 years of American independence. It’s a great way to burn off that extra energy before catching some fireworks!

Doris Kearns Goodwin: The Meaning of America
2026-07-31 19:00 - 21:00 | United Theatre, 5 Canal St, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Historic Stonington and the UNITED present a special conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times #1 best-selling author Doris Kearns Goodwin on the meaning of America in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial. Doris will be in conversation with Adi Ignatius, former editor in chief for Harvard Business Review and Board President of Historic Stonington, on Friday, July 31st at 7pm.
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a world-renowned, presidential historian, public speaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times #1 best-selling author and partner in Pastimes Productions. She is often called upon by the news media and late night TV hosts as well as hundreds of companies, educational institutions, government agencies and nonprofits to share her vast knowledge of leadership and provide historical context for current day events, as our democracy is challenged, international wars rage, and we continue to struggle in a divided and polarized country.
Her eighth book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, was published in Spring 2024, became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and is being developed as a feature film by Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman and Goodwin’s own Pastimes Productions. Artfully weaving together biography, memoir, and history, this new book takes readers on the emotional journey Doris and her husband, Richard (Dick) Goodwin embarked upon in the last years of his life as they delved into more than 300 boxes of letters, diaries, documents, and memorabilia that Dick had saved for more than fifty years.
In Fall 2024, Goodwin’s first book for young readers, The Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became President, was published. In 2020, she executive produced her first documentary miniseries, “Washington” for the History Channel, through her independent production company, Pastimes Productions Inc. Miniseries on Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt followed.
Goodwin previously authored nine critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling books, including the Carnegie Medal winner The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, in part the basis for Steven Spielberg’s film “Lincoln,” which earned 12 Academy Award® nominations, including an Academy Award for actor Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of the 16th president. Team of Rivals is often cited as an inspiration for business and political leaders, including President Barack Obama, and was awarded the prestigious Lincoln Prize, the inaugural Book Prize for American History, and Goodwin in 2016 was the first historian to receive the Lincoln Leadership Prize from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
Goodwin was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in History for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.

1864 Baseball Game Double Header
2026-08-01 15:00 - 18:00 | Stonington Community Center, 28 Cutler Street, Stonington, Connecticut, 06378
Historic Stonington, The Stonington Community Center, The National Association of Historic Baseball Clubs and Stonington’s America 250 Committee are proud to present an 1864 baseball game double header on Saturday, August 1st. The action kicks off at 3pm at the Como’s Bears Field, immediately adjacent to the viaduct. United States President Abraham Lincoln will be throwing out the first pitch, accompanied by members of the 8th Connecticut Regiment. At 3pm the Providence Grays will take on the New York Mutuals. After a brief intermission featuring music of the Civil War, our home team the Stonington Cannons will take on the Mutuals around 4:30.
Bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic or enjoy some snacks from our vendors. This is a free, family-friendly event that celebrates America’s greatest past time in honor of America 250. Stonington Cannons merchandise will also be for sale so you can support our home team. We can’t wait to see you!
