Beginning Genealogy Workshop Saturday May 9th 10-2
Meriden Museum & History Center, 41 W Main St. Meriden
Discover how to begin exploring your family history in this introductory genealogy program focused on powerful digital tools and local resources. Participants will learn the basics of researching their ancestors using online databases such as Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com, where census records, family trees, and historic newspapers can reveal surprising details about past generations. The session will also highlight how museum collections, archives, photographs, and local records can add rich context to your research. Perfect for beginners, this program offers practical tips, search strategies, and guidance on how to start building your own family story using both digital tools and community history resources. Reserve your space HERE.
Andrews Homestead Opens Saturday May 16th 11-3
The Andrews Homestead opens for the season as a living window into Meriden’s past, inviting visitors to explore a historic home that traces the community’s story from pre-European Indigenous life through the transformations of the 20th century. Through its featured tour, “Wampum to War Bonds,” the site connects early Native trade traditions and colonial settlement with Meriden’s industrial growth and its contributions during times of national conflict, including the world wars. Carefully preserved rooms, artifacts, and narratives bring to life the everyday experiences of those who lived and worked in the area, offering a continuous thread of history that shows how a small Connecticut town evolved alongside the nation itself. The tour, Wampum to War Bonds, is at 11:30 and 1:00. Reserve your spot on the tour HERE.
Modern Immigration: Recent Meriden Immigrants Thursday May 28th 6:30-7:30
Meriden Museum & History Center, 41 W Main St. Meriden
Since 2000, Meriden, Connecticut has quietly transformed into a vivid crossroads of cultures, shaped by new waves of immigration that are redefining the city’s identity. This engaging lecture explores the people, policies, and personal stories behind that change—tracing how global migration trends have reshaped neighborhoods, schools, and local economies. Through data, lived experiences, and surprising insights, discover how a small New England city reflects a much larger story about belonging, resilience, and the evolving American landscape. Reserve your seat HERE.
Current Exhibits
Meriden Museum & History Center Grand Gallery 41 W Main Street Meriden
Tour times are listed with our hours below. Private tours are available with a 72 hour notice.
There to Here: Meriden’s Immigration Story
Step into a powerful journey of courage, culture, and community at an exhibit that traces the many paths that have shaped our city—from Indigenous homelands and early European settlement to the waves of people from all over the world who came to call Meriden home including the migration of Puerto Ricans, and more recent families who continue to enrich Meriden today.
SILVER & SPIRIT: 250 Years of Meriden History in Silver
This exhibit in our East Gallery explores the metal that shaped Meriden. From early pewter artisans and small workshops in the 18th century to the rise of world-renowned silver and pewter manufacturers, the exhibit traces how silver fueled innovation, immigration, and community life over two and a half centuries as we look at silver and history at America’s birth and every 50 years thereafter.
Hours at Our Main Location, 41 W. Main Street, downtown Meriden.
The Meriden Historical Society’s Museum and History Center, located at 41 West Main Street, is open to the public at the following posted times. Please call us (203-639-1913) when you arrive so we can greet you at the door.
- Monday Closed
- Tuesday By appointment
- Wednesday 10-3 Guided tour 11:00
- Thursday
- 1st Thursday Closed ( May 7, June 4)
- 2nd Thursday 12 – 6 (May 13, June 11) Guided tour at 2:00
- 3rd Thursday 1 – 7 (May 21, June 18)
- 4th Thursday 2-6 ( May 28, June 25 ) By Appointment
- Friday By appointment
- Saturday We are open the following Saturdays from 10-3 (4/25, 5/9, 5/23). Tours of exhibits are scheduled at the following times.
- East Gallery – Innovation & Industry Tour begins at 10:30 on Saturdays when open
- West Gallery – Tour begins at 1:30 on Saturdays when open. Silver & Spirit:250 Years of Meriden History
- Grand Gallery- Tours begins at 12 on Saturdays when open. There to Here: Meriden’s Immigration Story
- Sunday Open for special events only, call for details
Research: We are open to researchers at our Museum & History Center, 41 West Main Street, during our regular office hours (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays ) by appointment only. To schedule your research visit, please call at least 1 week in advance. 203-639-1913.
Tours: Those who wish to tour with a guide at a time other than those scheduled at either location MUST call ahead and book a time in order for us to make sure we have a guide available for you.
Lecture Series: Fourth Thursday of the month at 6:30 except December
Supported by its volunteers, the Meriden Historical Society operates at two locations
The Meriden Historical Society’s Museum & History Center is our main office and research center. Located at 41 West Main Street, in the heart of Downtown Meriden. See above for tour schedules for the galleries. To schedule a visit for research purposes, please call 203-639-1913. ;Business ours are tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-12.
The Andrews Homestead, 424 West Main Street
This is one of the oldest homes in Meriden. The Andrews Homestead is open May through November for special programs and events and by appointment at other times with 72 hours notice. Young and old (and in-between) are welcome. School tours can be booked by calling the office at 203-639-1913 or emailing the director at director@meridenhistsoc.org.
We share a parking lot with the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. You may park in the school parking lot on the weekends only. Monday through Friday you must park in the parking lot across the street.
To set up a visit, please call our main office number: 203-639-1913.
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